Having trouble sleeping while training.

I agree with Cymerax, Melatonin works great for me. I also keep a small fan going to keep the air moving. Those two things work extremely well for me.

 

Have you considered valium? haha

that was a joke.....

 

For the sake of debate, I'm not sure if Dr. prescribed valium and CDL are mutually exclusive. But guessing they are. Also, i like the comment about the fan running. Fresh air always seems to help me, and the white noise it provides is a bonus.

 

Is there any sleep aid that drivers can take that won't be on the drug panel. over the counter etc

 

You may simply have to suffer through it until your flying solo, only temporary.

When you're alone do you think you'll have the same issues sleeping in such a confined space?

 

Benadryl(sp?) works great and it's legal.

 

Just an FYI, Benadryl in liquid form has a lots of alcohol in it.

 

It you want to take something to force yourself asleep try Tylenol PM. I have trouble sleeping every once in a great while and will take 2 Tylenol PM's.

Exercise when you can, like walk or jog around the truck while fueling. Don't eat anything 2 hours before you are to sleep.

When I trained, the psychological comfort of using the bunk harness helped several of my students adjust to sleeping on the truck. They told me that when they used the harness they felt more secure.

And, I know this may sound hocus pocus to some, but when you lay down to bed try the following: Position yourself in your normal sleeping position. Then close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing. Concentrate on the sound of your breath, hear nothing else. Breath in through your nose, out through your mouth. Think of nothing but your breathing. When you breath in through your nose imagine the air to be a warm golden shimmering color. As the air enters your lungs imagine the goldness disperses inside your body and where the goldness goes it pushes out blackness. As you breath out through your mouth push out the blackness. Each breath pull in more gold, push out more black, until your whole body is a shimmering gold. You will most likely if you do this and practice it, fall asleep long before you can make your whole body gold.

The trick with this exercise is to concentrate completely on your breathing. It will calm you and it will take your mind off of your anxiety. I did my best explaining the method and I hope you will try it. I've been doing it long enough now that I usually fall asleep within 10 to 15 minutes, no matter how stressed and anxious, and I sleep better because I have occupied my mind and eased the tension of my body. I can explain it more if you want.

GOOD LUCK.

 

I guess I'll have to be the one to point out the elephant in the room.

Why would anyone with a history of Anxiety chose to become a truck driver? Do you not have any idea what we go through on a daily basis?

Same goes for claustraphobia to a lessor degree. Hey, I can't stand being in enclosed spaces........ Wow, living and working in an 8 foot by 8 foot box sppeding down the interstate at 65 mph sounds like a good career choice!!! how did you come to that conclusion?

 

Wow, I almost fell asleep there, I found myself breathing.... Ive used the concentrate on breathing thing to get to sleep.

Another thing that works for me.... Imagine your dream home, build it from the ground up, try to imagine the details of being there... I typically drive into the garage, then into the house and I almost never get past the kitchen. Details, details, layout of room, carpet etc...

I havent put this to test in a truck, but it worked on a cross country drive with my scatterbrain ex-girlfriend driving... *My anxiety wasnt unrealistic on that trip, but thats another story. Airplanes and boats too.

I was on a sub in the Navy, try sleeping on an emergency run to port with a Hurricane on your tail and you cant submerge because its an 9 Hour transit over the continental shelf. (bottom depth fluctuates wildly)... People puking, aw its awful... reminds me of that scene in Stand By Me. I somehow got to sleep, knowing that I when we got to port that we would have to strap into the deck to handle our lines with the tug and pier. Ended up taking a wave thigh high over deck without going overboard and dragged by my harness.

You also have to have faith that whatever happens will happen, and you cannot control anything from that bunk while you are in it.