Got a problem...with Sleep?

Good for you... Me, after my driving shift, I inspect truck, clean windows and windshield, cook my own food, clean inside truck, put things away, drain my cooler, do paper log to mirror elog (I gotta do that for my own records and control), do some paperwork, plan my next day stops, etc, etc, etc... and if I take a shower and wash a couple clothes in the sink... Well... I may have about 4 hrs or less left to sleep... Cause I get up about 1 hr before driving to have breakfast (inside the truck) and use the restroom, brush my teeth, buy bag of ice... Generally I get 6 hrs of sleep... Got used to it now... but whenever I take my 34 reset, I like to sleep between 8 to 10 hrs...

 

This is exactly how I am. The 7th hr or so, I wake up, alarm or no. If i try to push it and make myself sleep more, I feel worse. I'm one of those vampire drivers, and usually looking for a parking spot around 10-11 am. No problem sleeping during the day. Even my dog has gotten accustomed to the schedule.

 

This line gets so old. People think because they require 8-9 hrs of sleep a day, then by God everyone should. Sorry, but it's simply not true. I do agree that sleep on this job is a responsibility, a personal responsibility. Everyone is wired different. Some people prefer to drive at night, most during the day, which is what makes it better for those of us that drive at night. Please don't assume that because you like onions on your hamburger and need 8+ hours of sleep every night, that everyone does...

 

Tex, you make a good point, everyone has different sleep requirements.

For myself it's rare to pound out 8+ hours of sleep. Usually it's around 6-7.5 and I'll wake early enough wind into the day before I log in for pretrip.

 

That's how my sleep pattern was too in the trk and that was plenty.Sleep too long makes me more tired.

 

Thanks Rocks.
So it sounds like you catch up on your sleep on your days off.

 

I'm finishing up an unplanned 34 hour reset. In the last 30 hours I estimate I've probably slept 20 hours. It's amazing that I function quite nicely out on the road with 6-7 hours sleep a day when I'm running hot and heavy, with the occasional nap, and then hit a 34 hour reset or home time and I'm sleeping quite a bit.

That's a healthy thing, to sleep a lot when you get the chance, and something that any driver would be advised to do. When I was doing international travel I would often take 2-4 days of "sleeping at will" to overcome jet lag when I returned home, and that was by far the best strategy.

 

I unhook from those loads,and pull out just enough to clear the 5th wheel.
Im done letting Pedro bust into my trlr 5 hrs after I clocked out.
I run the last 2 days of my week very hard to same stores.
I usually sleep 15 hrs. from fri. to sat. afternoon.My sleep gets
waay behind,and my body lets me know it.

 

Sleep is not the problem, the Government telling me when I need to sleep is the biggest problem. Personally, I think a person should sleep when they are tired, not when a logbook tells you to.

 

Yes... It's feels good to be able to sleep without worrying about waking up late and missing my appt. time... By the way, I have 2 alarm clocks just in case...

But hey, sometimes, like this weekend, I got plenty of time to rest... not doing a reset but pick up yesterday to deliver tomorrow morning and this was only 860 miles run... I ran less than 10 hrs yesterday, only 5:30 hrs today, took a shower at FJ and came to receiver where I am conveniently parked at the dock (with customer permission) and will have plenty of time to sleep till tomorrow morning...