Sleep Acclimation?

Really? What do your directions say?

 

i could never sleep on command my entire life, i tried many things and this is one of my concerns about pursuing this career, for the past 30 years i have had positive results with the supplement Valerian, it is over the counter herbal remedy sold at stores like GNC or any health food store/online, it is the herbal basis for making the very serious prescription drug Valium which i would never take, there are many alternatives

when i take Valerian i sleep a solid 8 hours and get up totally refreshed, it is a very deep sleep, the down sides are Valerian is kind of expensive and some folks may need to try it a couple times and adjust their dose which can be a hassle, if you think you will over-sleep you can get someone to make a wake up call for you

 

I tried a herbal sleep extract from Switzerland that was recommended to me for about 2 months.
It lists its ingredients as Humulus Lupulus & Valeriana.
I found it stopped my mind racing so I could fall asleep easier.
I stooped using it because my short term memory got really,really bad.
I cant say it was the cause but it coincided with when I used it and it scared me.
I even subscribed to a medical website dealing with early onset Alzheimer's.
When I stopped using it I returned to my normal memory level.

 

ooo thats scary, i think I will stay away from the tea lol

You have to be careful getting herbal remedies from other countries since they are not governed by the FDA the same as American products.

 

so true, Wolfyinc, no need to put your health at risk just to get some sleep, the Valerian works for me without any memory problems and i wanted to pass that on because i already tried a bunch of other things, i am biased because i take a ton of vitamins and supplements daily

i have another way to get to sleep if you are inclined and have time: i learned this technique from a friend who worked at a psych ward, they used a slightly different version of this on the patients who could not tolerate drugs but who needed to "simmer down" right now. if you can exercise even moderately for about 30 minutes and no more, build up a little sweat and keep an elevated heart rate, even walking is good to get your blood going, then when you get back to your bunk take a cold shower, as cold and as long as you can, then quickly warm up yourself up with brief few seconds of warm, i am so relaxed at this point i can barely get my sleep clothes on, good for at least a decent power nap

 

yeah I try to go for walks before bed, it does help some, some occasions it wakes me up more too if you do too much so use it for either benefit

 

I will try the excessive , cold shower then warm up and see how it goes but if I cant find my keys the next morning I'm not doing it again.

Seriously I can not be sure that "sleep drops" I took were the cause for my memory loss so I'm not making the claim (at least for legal reasons) but I can tell you it is scary.
Things would come up that you absolutely knew you knew but could not recall.
I would not be able to remember our dogs name and would have to look on its collar.
I was in the kitchen and had a look under a cloth at some biscuits my wife had baked.
I opened the cupboard took out a plate and stood there wondering what was under the cloth.
I knew I had just looked and had taken the plate out to put whatever it was on the plate but was blank as to what it was.
I stood there for about a minuet trying to remember but could not.
It sounds funny but I assure you it is not.
At work I could not remember a guys name who I work with every day.
They still tease me for calling him the guy with the red truck when I asked them to call him.
Below is what the drops are made from and how they apparently work.
This product is sold all over the world by a respected company.

[h=2]Details[/h]Dormeasan is a traditional herbal medicinal product used for the temporary relief of sleep disturbances resulting from mild anxiety. This is based on traditional use only. Each 1ml of Oral liquid contains: 0.5ml Valerian root tincture 0.5ml Hops strobile tincture The tranquilising action of Valerian has been attributed to a number of components, including a group of compounds known as valepotriates, which have been shown to possess an ability to calm the nerves. Valerenic acid, found in Valerian, inhibits the breakdown of GABA, which is a chemical tramsmitter that decreases nervous system activity. Increasing GABA levels in this way helps people who find it hard to switch off, and promotes good sleeping patterns. Hops contain substances known as humulones an lupulones. These are broken down in the body to substances which have a sedative effect on the nervous system. This effect is useful for insomnia, especially when combined with the herb Valerian. The combination of sedative herbs Valerian and Hops are particularly effective when the causes of insomnia include nervous tension and anxiety.

 

I have a fair amount of experience team driving. It's rough sleeping in a moving truck, I'll make no bones about it. Regarding adjusting to changing hours of sleep, that's also a challenge. I also have decades worth of business travel that involved one to four week trips to Asia and back with the dreaded Jet Lag. I also have studied issues of sleep deprivation when I was a psychology major. Here's my take on sleep adjustment:

1. Avoid medicinally induced sleep. It won't help you achieve REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the deeper sleep that your body and mind crave. In fact drug induced sleep will hinder REM, and this also includes the use of alcohol.

2. Darken your sleep environment. If it can't get dark enough then get a pair of those eye shades. The use of night lights is common for those with sleep disorders, and light hinders sleep.

3. A quiet area to sleep is best. If necessary wear ear plugs (I used these frequently when trying to sleep on planes and in moving trucks).

4. Avoid prolonged reading in bed or other distractions. Try to get yourself used to getting into the bunk and drop off to sleep. It is a duty after all.

5. Sleep comes in 90 minute cycles, starting with light sleep, progressing to REM, then getting into a very deep sleep, then "surfacing". When you get "sleepy" you should immediately try to get into the bunk and sleep. If you miss that "opportunity" to sleep (by reading another chapter or pushing to the next rest stop) then you will need to wait another 90 minutes before you can "catch" the next sleep cycle. We've all had that experience of watching TV before going to bed and getting sleepy, but wanting to stay up another 15-20 minutes to watch the end of the game or the movie.... then we go to bed and end up tossing and turning and can't sleep for hours. That's what happens when you miss your sleep opportunity at the time you are sleepy.

6. Practically speaking I find that I can only sleep about 3 to 4 "cycles" (4.5 to 6 hours) in a moving truck at the most. When I'm home I can sleep 1-3 more cycles, especially when I first get back off the road.

7. If you are tired and need to pull over to take a nap you will be most satisfied if you can sleep for 90 minutes, a full cycle. If you plan on sleeping only 15-30 minutes then you are interrupting your cycle and never got into deep sleep, so your body will end up still craving sleep. Due to schedule a 90 minute sleep often isn't workable, so then you have to try and get by with a short "cat nap".

8. When your alarm clock goes off, get up. Hitting the snooze button is counterproductive, because you will be constantly reawakened in shallow sleep and that additional rest is pointless.

(yawn).... gotta go hit the rack... this post made me sleepy...

 

I can relate to a lot of what you said.