Circadian Science · Where chronobiology meets real life
Your biology runs
on a clock.
We explain what
happens when it breaks.
Evidence-based reference for circadian rhythms, sleep disorders, and the science of biological timing. Deep coverage for military service members and veterans.
Service and Sleep exists to give military service members, veterans, and their families the sleep science they were never given, translating circadian research, clinical evidence, and VA policy into clear, actionable guidance so those who served can finally get the rest they’ve earned.
Find your starting point
Active Duty
Watch schedules, operational sleep management, NVG effects on melatonin, strategic napping.
active duty resources →
Veterans
Watch schedules, operational sleep management, NVG effects on melatonin, strategic napping.
veteran resources →
Filing a VA Claim
Disability ratings, service connection, nexus letters, C&P exam prep, diagnostic codes.
benefits guide →
Clinicians
CBT-I adaptations, IRT protocols, prazosin dosing, circadian mechanism literature.
clinical resources →The science, the conditions, the benefits. Evidence-based resources for service members, veterans, families, and clinicians.
Sleep Disorders
OSA, Insomnia, Nightmares, and circadian disorders in the military community
Duty vs. Biology
How deployment, shift work, and combat stress dismantle the sleep system
What Works
Treatments, graded by evidence. CPAP, CBT-I, Prazosin, and what the VA actually provides
VA Assistance
Disability ratings, service connection, and filing a claim for sleep conditions
Service members are not responsible for the sleep conditions their service produced. Deployment rotations, night operations, combat exposure, and traumatic brain injury target the same biological systems that govern sleep. The damage is biological. The cause is institutional.
This site reports the science, names the institutional choices, and documents the evidence. Every article cites primary literature. Every recommendation is graded. Every claim about what the VA provides is tied to the regulation or policy that governs it. No sponsored content. No industry funding. No shame in asking the question that brought you here.
Operational Contexts
How the physical and temporal structure of military duty disrupts circadian biology. Watch schedules that force impossible phase-advance, NVG infrared light exposure, deployment time zone crossings, and the unique 18-hour submarine day
Military Watch Schedules & Circadian Misalignment
Shattuck NL & Matsangas P (2016). Chronobiol Int.
Full Article →
Interventions & Treatments
The treatments that work, graded by evidence. CBT-I (VA/DoD first-line), imagery rehearsal therapy, prazosin, melatonin timing, strategic napping, morning light therapy, and blue-blocking protocols.
Policy, Doctrine & Benefits
VA disability ratings, service connection requirements, C&P exam preparation, discharge processing, and how military doctrine on sleep changed after the 2017 USS Fitzgerald collision.
Service connection requires three elements. Missing any one is the most common reason claims are denied.
Current diagnosis- In-service stressor
- Nexus letter from a licensed clinician
FAQ’s
How the physical and temporal structure of military duty disrupts circadian biology. Watch schedules that force impossible phase-advance, NVG infrared light exposure, deployment time zone crossings, and the unique 18-hour submarine day
Veterans develop OSA at roughly twice the civilian rate. In veterans with PTSD, 43-76% screen positive. The primary mechanism is hypervigilance: the threat-detection system conditioned by combat keeps pharyngeal muscles partially contracted during sleep, narrowing the airway. Secondary contributors include TBI sequelae, chronic service-era sleep restriction, and PTSD-driven HPA dysregulation. See Sleep Apnea in Veterans.