Late Nights...Energy question

when i was a trainee, my trainer made me drive ALL nights.
his shift was from 5AM-5PM mine the other 12.
after 4 weeks i STILL could not be WIDE awake between about 1-2 AM and daylight
NOW, get me up at 2AM to sit in a treestand.... WIDE AWAKE

 

I had to take a codriver job once where the guy wanted to do 12 and 12. It was absolutely the worst setup I ever drove. One other co I had was the boss's son, and we ran a skateboard pulling lumber at 6 and 6...and it was like a vacation after being OTR so long. Since we didn't need each other's help, we'd often wake up on a completely new load, moving and tarped.
One thing is for sure, if you're getting worn out running illegal miles, those wee morning hours will sure tell on you. Usually see the black dog about then.

 

i hear ya red!! tha black dog, tha red cat and tha zipper doing figure 8's!!!

 

I usually get ready to stop after long days when the overpasses start to move.

 

For myself I always would try to stop at a safe place. Usually a walk around the truck to make sure things were OK, water a tire, a few stretches and I could go another hour or two. The body is just set up to be tired at certain times. I have an Aunt who runs a sleep lab in Florida. She says no matter how much sleep you have, circadian rhythms will dictate a time in the wee hours that you get tired. And if you have sleep apnea, as stated earlier, your body is tired from working so hard to sleep and you do not get refreshed. I have the sleep apnea according to my Aunt, but lack the insurance to go have a sleep study done and get on the c-path.

Until then....

 

i know that's right!! did NOT matter if i got up at midnight after sleeping soundly for 10 hours. from around 2-daylight i was fighting sleep

 

I spent many of my years getting up at 5 am.

I can go to bed at 10. I will wake up at 5 am.

I can go to bed at 2 am. I wake up at 5 am.

I cannot sleep during the day. I have tried it and just cannot sleep. Usually end of being awake until the next night sleep period.

 

i usually have NO PROBLEM sleeping at any hour, BUT being AWAKE. LOL whole different game, although "coast to coast AM" usually helps

 

i just cannot do it for some reason. if i'm out partying or in the tree hunting 2-5 is a breeze, but behind the wheel..... NO WAY