Product Designer Looking for Insight About Sleeping or Lack-There-Of in Trucking

I keep hydrated. I drink nearly 1 gallon of water per work day. I stop every three hours to walk around, stretch and just get out from behind the wheel.

I also work out. I jump rope, use my stretch bands and simple push ups and pull ups using the top bunk. You have to get your heart rate up and keep it tickin.

I start my day with some yoga movements and quiet time to stop yesterday's thoughts from entering into todays mind.

It may sound kooky but this is what I do and it helps me to be flexible on my schedule and that helps me to sleep "on demand" and to keep myself mentally fit to deal with the changes I need to live by.

Others may do something of their own.

 

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Jt, are you looking for product design ideas as well? One sleep related problem I deal with on a daily basis is finding "level" ground to park my truck on. Worst head ache you can ever have is sleeping with your feet higher than your head. Non level truck stop parking lots, rest areas, and in general, anywhere a trucker may sleep. Can be absolute murder if they cant get the bunk at the correct angle.

When, and if your out and about observing truckers check out the trucks parked on on/off ramps. Notice the angle of inclination the truck is parked at. Trucks with the nose up hill will have a truck driver that keeps rolling to the back of the sleeper wall. Trucks parked with the nose down hill has an unhappy sleeper that tends to roll out of his bunk, not to mention that vertigo feeling of falling lol.

Would love to see a self leveling bunk. RV's level themselves with jacks, we truckers are generally at the mercy of the local terrain.

 

I figured out the solution to that the first time I encountered it. If my feet is higher than my head I sleep with my feet at the other end of the bunk....

 

Just put a big water bed in the truck. It will level out.

 

I know I know, I cant do that though, its unholy to me for some reason. Besides the fact I don't want to re-do the sheets every other time I go to bed. My truck (Volvo) has one of the bunk vents literally at mattress level, its really annoying to try and sleep with that vent blowing right across my head. Not to mention I have gear stored above that area, and I have nearly knocked myself out sleeping that way.