Switched from day to night driving: observations

5 Hour Energy definitely works for me, makes me feel alert and I get no crash.

 

For me, as long as I can get 7-8 hours of sleep and eat consistently through the day, I won't need any caffeine, period. I keep a few vitamin water energy flavor and Xyience (zero cal) laying around for emergencies.

Honestly the very consistent schedule and being a hair under 30 helps the most.

 

I empty the sugar container, in my 64 oz road coffee, and smoke 3 packs of smokes, during my shift..but thanks for the tips...Mr Rogers.

 

10-10
Take your 30 at the peak of morning rush hour.

 

That's northeast hours

 

Sugar from fruit is natural and not bad sugar. Not sure who filled your head with that notion? Yet you eat red meat? Giving the choice I'd eat fruit all day long!

 

Ditto.
@Raezzor , sounds like we're in similar fields. You work for a med supply company?

 

Well you pulled off probably the worst type of night shift and liked it. Imagine when your well rested and your body is actually accommodated for night driving. Not getting good sleep will destroy you at night. It sucks because everyone knows how hard it is to sleep with sunlight peaking through and hearing all the daytime noises around your truck. My shift let's me get home by about 4am which is enough time to eat dinner, wind down, and be in bed before the sun comes up. Makes sleeping good so much easier.

Rest areas can definitely get crowded but to make up for that its usually pretty safe to pull over on a shoulder or turning lane to take a piss.

Everyone has different clutches to keep them alert at night. What works for one person doesn't always work for others. For me, a 5 hour energy keeps me super motivated and focused without giving me jitters. A couple cups of coffee through the night is what I usually do. Energy drinks and sodas will put me right to sleep after the crash, but I know some people who thrive off them at night.

I don't drive OTR, I run fuel loads through the night. I will tell you, I can get more work done in less time than day shift, have a much easier shift with much less stress, and I actually have energy to do stuff before work and on weekends compared to many day drivers I know who spend all their time at home trying to recover.


.....oh and did I mention I get paid a bonus for night shift on top of the extra loads I can pull?

Feels good

 

"Sugar" as a singular is actually two "SugarS": 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

There are THOUSANDS of different sugars. Sugars are the building blocks of carbohydrates. A common name for carbohydrates is FIBER. All plant based fiber is long chained sugars. Your body requires about 1/3 of your calorie intake as long chain fibers, which is essential for the health of your gut bacteria. Most of that fiber should be raw, so the long chains of sugars aren't broken down before they have a chance to feed your microbiome.

If you gorged on nothing but raw fruit every day for a year you might eat about 7-10 lbs of "sugar" aka 50% glucose and 50% fructose. However, today the AVERAGE person is eating 180 lbs of "sugar" per year.

Eat lots of raw fruits and vegetables. Douse your salad with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. About 1/3 of your calories should come from high quality essential oils and olive oil is one of the best. A recent experiment just published noted it greatly reduces the chances of getting alzheimer's disease. Olive oil helps the synapses stay healthy (the connection between nerve and brain cells).

The moral of that experiment is:

If you aren't eating olive oil, you're stupid.