Circadian Rhythms and Sleep
Sleep deprivation is common in military operations. Because the sleep cycle and other circadian cycles are intimately linked, sleep deprivation might affect t as it does other neural systems, so as to cause visual hallucinations and impaired balance 3 Although the sleep cycle influences thermoregulation by altering fundamental mechanisms in the CNS, the ambient temperature also influences these cycles. An ideal situation for inducing hypothermia would be having troops with minimum food and water, isolated in a hostile, cold environment-such as a mountain in which the cannot sleep.