"The stress of combat and lack of sleep affect soldiers so badly that after a week they perform worse than if they were drunk," reports New Scientist.
The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine followed around special forces taking part in grueling combat exercises.
The Navy SEALs, who slept for just one of their 73 hours of duty, fared the worse, with young recruits displaying slower reaction times, reduced vigilance and problems remembering key details. In one quick-decision test, the average number of errors jumped from one or two to over 15.
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