Can Anyone Help me fall asleep while the truck is moving?

romans, my husband has really struggled with sleeping while the truck moves. He's doing so much better now and here's what has helped him. We got the 4 inch memory foam mattress topper at Walmart for $80. (you can roll it up and store it on the upper bunk since you're in a mentor truck) I make him eat light prior to his sleep time. He had a horrible habiit of wanting to wait and eat heavy at the end of his shift. Stop caffiene 3 hours prior to sleep. He takes two tylenols. And he had to work on relaxing and stop trying to "help" me drive. I now refuse to let him out of the sleeper.

For me...what I do is pray like a maniac and thus Iplace all of my worries about someone else driving into bigger hands than mine. I put on my most comfortable jammies, I use a bunk warming pad so my bed is warm. I then turn it off, get the sleeper freezer cold and burrow down into my covers. I also run a small fan so I have "white noise". Oh! I make my husband use the fan also.

I sure hope it improves for you.

 

Some of the best sleep I ever had was in the bunk of a truck rolling down the road,
must of been the harmonics that put me asleep YMMV.

 

I never had much of a problem sleeping when running team. Just when starting with a new co-driver, it takes a little while to get used to their driving. I found the rocking of the cab helped put me to sleep. I could never get to sleep when I got home for time off.

I do remember my co-driver asleep one night (we usually left the blinds partially open at night) rolling up with the mattress and in his most wonderful British accent of "what the fook?". I was driving on #16 in Saskatchewan, later at night, came around a corner to a road full of deer. I slam on the brakes, swear at the top of my voice and grab the air horn. All at the same time. Scared the crap out of me as well as him. LOL

We had some good times.

 

If I really need to sleep, I take Melatonin, it's a natural suplement, sold over the counter. It relaxes the muscles and helps you to sleep fast. Check it out.

 

You're probably right.....I know my mentor use to sexually harrass me when he saw me in my jammies.
















oh wait my mentor was my husband.......never mind.



I know I know people it's an old joke of mine but I still laugh at it.

 

That would've been creepy if he wasn't your husband/boyfriend. But, it's funny because he is

 

Very common with trainers...running as a team that is. For many it's the only reason they train.

As far as falling asleep...it will happen when you get tired enough. Until then it will be uncomfortable both when you are trying to drive because you are tired and when you are trying to sleep.

Hang in there...you can do it.

 

Trainers "running" the truck as a team operation isn't necessarily a "problem". It becomes a problem if the trainer isn't spending any time helping the trainee. I personally felt that I was becoming more comfortable with the truck & traffic when the trainer was in the back.

As far as sleeping while truck is moving... DON'T take sleep aids!!! I know of several companies that prohibit anything with PM or sleep aids in them. (I was specifically told that I could take Sudafed for my allergies, but not Benedryl or Nyquil or TylonelPM). If you do consider taking ANYTHING, check to make sure you won't be breaking policies (would hate to see someone lose their job over a pill, even a "natural remedy"). I personally slept best when I'd put in a full day/night of driving, then read for a little while. Do NOT let yourself stay in the right seat when you start getting sleepy. This is a bad thing to do because you will condition yourself to accept this as ok, and risk falling asleep while driving more readily. If the "normal" motions of the truck moving are the problem (such as swaying, rocking, etc...) the memory mattress would probably be best option, along with the straps. I don't think there is a best option for getting used to the pot-holes (other than beating the driver for not avoiding them), I think most of us feel like the truck just hit a building when it was just a little pot-hole, natural reaction. The only good sleep you will ever get on the truck will be when it is parked, and even that is going to be marginal probably (what with the engine running, or optimum idle, or APU). That's what home-time is for though, truly resting up!

Good luck on the rest of your training.

 

THIS. bought it yesterday cause I read about it on this thread. the wife and I tried it last night. worked as advertised. very slight nudge into sleepiness.