Sleep Reduction (16)

In William Saletan's "Night of the Living Meds," it is reported that the military is already taking action to research and develop drugs that aid in sleep reduction for current personnel.  As we've discussed and read in class, it's evident that sleep deprivation has a huge negative effect on people.  This doesn't exclude soldiers at war.  Research has been conducted that shows mental and physical performance decline significantly when one is deprived of sleep.  With this in mind, the personnel at war experience an extreme drop in performance during combat.  In an attempt to remedy this, the military is now implementing the use of supplements to essentially eliminate sleep deprivation and improve physical performance.  Caffeine has been a major focus of study and a widespread necessity among military personnel, but along with caffeine, 86 other aids have been evaluated as well.  With the utilization of these aids, an obvious improvement in function can be seen.  However, at this point in time, the military states that the study and use of these aids occurs simply to prepare themselves for the possibility that their enemies might begin to implement these aids first, according to Saletan.  
In my opinion, I don't think finding ways to employ sleep reduction is the best idea.  If at all possible, I think the military should accommodate sleep schedules that benefit all personnel.  Sadly, this probably isn't completely reasonable or possible.  So with that being said, I think it is almost a necessity for the military to find ways to make personnel feel awake with little to no sleep.  If sleep reduction aids are going to improve the performance of the military personnel, then it might be important for them to be used.  It's a touchy subject when it comes down the the health of military personnel, regardless of the position one takes in this instance.