So do you have to set an alarm clock for sleep time?

I recall my reefer starting to choke after several days in high range in Grand Junction truckstop at 10 at night. Temp set 38 or so temp outside 50 and falling rain. Sounded just like a large human choking his life out. I was awake so fast it bent my mind for a minute.

Told dispatch, 3 seconds later they came back with a choice. Salt Lake or Denver Mr fix it asap which is it driver?

Denver.

Tossed logs into pocket and rolled out.

That was a good trip, tough for me (My last... due to falling blood oxygen percentage saturation, I was down in the 60's over Vail and had lost most of my lower body below the rib cage.

Denver fixed the reefer in a hour and I had regained my body long before then.

 

Doesn't blood oxygen saturation also affect the brain? I've heard that it desn't take long for an oxygen deprived brain to suffer irreperable damage.

 

I sleep till I wake up, normally about 5 hours, then ask now what do I do for the next 5 hours.

 

When you leave the sea level in a relatively quick time and ascend into altitude and maintain the ascent. The first problem is this as identified physically first hand with my pilot as we passed 13400 he was going into sleep essentially and had to abort the original 14000 foot cross country flight plan. Part of the problem was exhibited by temperatures of 94 at that flight level, ascent at 76 knots best rate flaps 1 and ascending only in about 150 foot hops. The engine was all out. There was not enough molecules in that heat to feed the wings so they can soar. So she mushed along around 13400 MSL refusing to climb any higher. I was the more younger and fit than my pilot was and we were back down to 005 in a short time. That cleared him right up.

It's called Hypoxia. There are several forms. I had either cellular or basic not enough oxygen by percentage. I cleared up fast when I got down to Denver. But it was my second to last mountain run. The next one ending in Casper WY ended up in the ER with chains around my chest. THAT one was a bad night for a while. I was told it's either asthma like my daddy or mountain sickness in that form. I would have to get out of the rockies for a while. And here I am down here at 200 or so MSL feet and not have had that problem for the most part. I have been down by pulse ox into the mid 80s feeling poorly but not too bad. Not like that mountain run. Im out by 70 here. Ambulance takes care of that with oxygen and ER evaluates. They have been good but Cardiologist is working on that I have several flaws in the heart one of which was present since birth, the other two developed by 2009 scans. All three can be easy fix in a day surgery. IF they cared to. Not yet. But that time will come. New parts.

I do remember stopping at Vail on the pass up top and evaluating the situation personally to wonder if I need to find a ER with a big rig up there or have dispatch send one to me. The load I had on was a cash value on delivery meaning Im responsible for a whole lot of money. And the store it was going to will not have it to sell if its late. It's a small store. I finally decided that I should get down to Denver and reevaluate myself.

The biggest difference between then and now is smoking. That got stopped 2001 after 9-11. What I was in smoking and what i am now are two completely different worlds. Im bright eyed and bushy tailed here today.

The second part of the question leads to useful mind time once you take away the oxygen. IF you are in a airliner say a 737, the engines provide a percentage equal to about 8000 feet for YOU physically breathing while the plane is at 38000 If you popped the cabin like a balloon and decompress, you have about 40 seconds to 1 minute to get that oxygen on your face without the carrying on and screaming. You will go out like a light and you will be dead before the plane reaches 10,000 at 3000 to 5000 feet per minute free fall emergency descent. Its 2 minutes down to be safe. You probably will not live that long Maybe. It's a chance.

Airman Education Programs – Topics of Interest

 

only when I deviate from my normal sleep schedule

 

In my case an air card from Verizon and a note book computer. World of Warcraft is a great time kiiller.

 

i always took a wind up alarm clock, never trusted any battery pwered ones. didn;t need it though, i never really slept well or deeply in a truck, especially when i knew i had to get up and go.

mostly cat napped thru the night.

 

I was wondering. That really explains a lot.

 

Load gets there when it gets there. Ive never been late but ive been know to take my time

 

Thank you kindly for saying that.

Have a good evening.