Highlights From the 2024 MCCS Sleep Challenge
During the month of March, the United States Marine Corps conducted its first sleep challenge. Marines and families from most installations and Marine Corps Reserve participated.
The challenge aimed to promote healthy sleep behaviors and make positive impacts to participants’ sleep over the course of the month. Marines, family members, and other authorized patrons selected a weekly sleep challenge and completed a four-week sleep log. Those who completed the challenge were entered into a drawing for a sleep-related prize such as a pillow, weighted blanket, pillow spray, or sleep masks.
Below are three examples of challenges participants selected from.
Cave It. Cool, Dark and Cozy. Lower the temperature in the bedroom, make the room as dark as possible, and make sure your bedding is comfy and clean.
Power Down Electronics. Turn off all screens at least 60 minutes before going to bed. Schedule blue light filters to go on when the sun sets. Manually adjust smartphone modes and settings, such as the silencing notifications. Set “Do Not Disturb” time frames and use emergency bypass settings for those needing to reach you.
CAN 6-4-2. If you partake…avoid caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. Avoid alcohol 4 hours before bedtime and avoid nicotine 2 hours before bedtime.
Taking on new sleep habits and routines takes time and what motivates one person may not move another. Some participants registered for the challenge but did not complete it. A four-week challenge may be intimidating for some.
Change is hard, but self-awareness is always step one. Challenge participants used a sleep log to increase awareness of how their actions during the day affected their quantity and quality of sleep at night.
If you participated in this year’s challenge, we encourage you to take on next year’s as well!
If you did not participate and are hesitant to do so in 2025, reach out to your local Semper Fit sleep coach. Discuss small steps you can take to get a better night’s sleep to feel better and perform better across all four Marine Corps Total Fitness domains.