For many incarcerated people, getting a full night’s sleep is almost impossible.

Bright lights, loud noise, overnight head counts, early morning meals and other routine features of prison and jail operations can make restorative sleep nearly impossible, according to a new report from researchers at the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.

The report’s authors argue that chronic sleep disruption is a widespread but often overlooked feature of incarceration that may affect physical and mental health, increase tensions inside facilities and create challenges that persist long after release.

Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, weakened immune function, depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment. But a lack of sleep isn’t just a question of the health and comfort of people who are incarcerated; sleep loss also may contribute to interpersonal conflict and behavioral problems, increasing the risks for prison staff.

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“People who are chronically exhausted are more likely to struggle emotionally, physically and behaviorally,” Michele Deitch, director of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab and co-author of the report, said in a news release. “If corrections leaders want safer and more stable facilities, finding ways to improve sleep conditions must become part of the conversation.”

Many of the conditions that interfere with sleep are avoidable, according to the researchers, and could be addressed through changes in policy and operations that local or state corrections systems may want to consider.

Among the recommendations in the report are reducing unnecessary nighttime disruptions, redesigning overnight count procedures to avoid waking people, improving mattresses and bedding, reducing noise and excessive lighting, maintaining more stable temperatures and increasing opportunities for daytime activity that support healthier sleep cycles.

The report also suggests providing eye masks and ear plugs, improving meal timing and keeping people more active during the day to help regulate sleep patterns.

“Sleep is a basic biological necessity, not a luxury,” Alycia Welch, associate director of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab and lead author of the report, said in a news release. “Yet in prisons and jails across the country, people are routinely subjected to conditions that make restorative sleep nearly impossible.”

The report draws on scientific research, reports from correctional oversight bodies, and accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people and corrections officials to examine how institutional routines shape sleep in custody.

The report’s authors found that sleep is often interrupted by a combination of environmental conditions and operational practices. Thin mattresses, constant lighting, uncomfortable temperatures and persistent noise can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep. Routine activities such as medication distribution and early wake-up schedules can further fragment rest.

In some facilities, incarcerated people reported receiving medication as early as 2:30 a.m. and breakfast around 4 a.m., according to the report.

The researchers also found that limited access to exercise, programming, social interaction and outdoor time can disrupt healthy sleep-wake cycles. Stress and anxiety, researchers say, can further prevent restorative sleep even when opportunities to rest exist.

Certain groups of people, including older adults, women and people with physical or mental health conditions, may be especially vulnerable and affected in different ways.

Formerly incarcerated people interviewed for the report also described ongoing sleep problems and difficulties reestablishing healthy sleep patterns after returning to their communities.

The authors argue that because many sleep-disrupting conditions stem from operational choices, they could be adjusted without compromising safety and security — a point they say may be of interest to state and local corrections agencies considering facility changes or cost-saving measures that could also reduce instability and tension, and promote healthier incarcerated populations.