Sleep and survival.

Hmm.
Do you find yourself nodding off during the day? If so you are not getting enough sleep.
If you function fine all day, your body is already getting all the sleep it needs. Some people only need 2-3 hours. Don't worry about it and do something interesting or productive in the small hours, till you feel the bed calling.
 
Mentor said:
I'm lucky in this regard. I have always been able to get to sleep easily, regardless of the location or circumstances.

All the best,

- Mike
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Same here. I've fallen asleep on airplanes before they left the ground and not woke up 'til the wheels hit the ground.

My wife is always jealous that I fall asleep within a couple minutes of getting in bed while she stirs and stresses for an hour.

I'm a big fan of 10 - 15 minute power naps on road trips too.
 
I don't normally have problems getting to sleep but if I try to sleep in I get terrible headaches. I typically get up when I wake up to avoid this. Sometimes it might be as early as 3:45 - 4:30, bing, wide awake. I know that if I go back to sleep it will sideline me for the rest of the day. Mac
 
Never underestimate the power and importance of your mattress. When you are young (and dumb…) some might laugh at this notion. But if you have dealt with injuries and back issues, you may have been made aware of the differences that a good mattress can make in your daily life. For woods trips, I always carry a Thermarest that is substantial enough to give me what I need. I have been using them for 20 years and they are my very GOOD friends. Even at home, one’s mattress should be one of your most important purchases. Ideally, we spend almost 1/3 of our lives on them. Go see what is available today to help you make the best of your sleep-time! Good luck, and may the snores be with you...
 
sawgrass7 said:
Never underestimate the power and importance of your mattress. When you are young (and dumb…) some might laugh at this notion. But if you have dealt with injuries and back issues, you may have been made aware of the differences that a good mattress can make in your daily life. For woods trips, I always carry a Thermarest that is substantial enough to give me what I need. I have been using them for 20 years and they are my very GOOD friends. Even at home, one’s mattress should be one of your most important purchases. Ideally, we spend almost 1/3 of our lives on them. Go see what is available today to help you make the best of your sleep-time! Good luck, and may the snores be with you...
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Any one ever try a Sleep Number mattress at home?? Curious if they are firm when fully inflated or if it is fully inflated, it still sags.
Seeing as how regular mattresses now only have one side to sleep on (can't flip it) they wear out quicker. (mattress companies have job security)
 
My problem specifically, is that i`m usually wide awake at night, and not so during the day.
Can`t really blame my age either, being 27. Though, come to think about it, i`ve always had problems getting to sleep, even as a child, unless i`m so tired that my eyes just shut themselves. And when that happens, i can fall asleep anywhere. Under tables, sitting upright, in buses, cars, etc.
I`ve tried some medication in periods. (Legal, prescriped by doctor)
With the only result that i sleep for long periods of time, and don`t get up until the afternoon, as i did without the meds. Medication... Good for some things, not for everything.

Damn, i`m still grumpy, even though i`ve gotten about ten hours of sleep.
I don`t like winter..... *grumbles*
 
My suggestion...get the wife/girlfriend involved. There IS a reason women joke about men rolling over and going to sleep afterward - total relaxation.
 
The best sleep that I've ever had is when I rolled in the door at 230 one Saturday morning, got up for work at 630 and was in around 8. No, no drinking involved, I was the designated driver. I was running on full steam until about 6pm, when I pretty much fell over.

Maybe it is because I have sleep apnea, but I have found that 8 hrs can do more harm than good. Constant bouts of atrial fibrillation can make me tired, my heart doing double duty. Now, a quick power nap, or the aforementioned 4 hour nap after going strong for more than 24 hours.

Couple months ago, I had gone for a hike on the Heritage Rail Trail in York County PA, and after driving down the road for a bit, realized I was in the city of York, near the college and Bickels plant. I slowly but surely made my way over to a small park on a big hill, Mountain Top or some such, above the York Galleria mall. Hiked a short distance to see two really majestic views. I am fat, and was very tired, and stopped at the mall down the hill. Before going into Dicks Sporting Goods, I decided to take a nap in the truck. It was November, but I had the window down. I woke up about 45 minutes later (only planned on ten minutes tops :D, and noticed a crowd of people around the truck, which scared the crap out of me, coming out of a deep sleep. One guy said "You snore pretty loud!".
 
Regarding sleep in a survival situation specifically, one should try and prepare (carry) what they need to get a good nights sleep. If you can do that, you got it made assuming you got water covered.

I see many here with survival kits that don't address this. Everyone is different, but for me, at a minimum, I carry a tarp and emergency bivvy in case I have to spend the night out. Between that and the right clothes, I have been able to get adequate sleep.
 
luckily (or unluckily!) i sleep like a log. i can sleep anywhere, anytime if i feel like it. even if i don't feel like it (like while taking a bio test sophomore year...).

once i'm out i can sleep through anything...i've had people tell me they tried for 20 minutes to wake me up, and i never even stirred...i told them they had to hit me or push me out of the bed, something big.

in the woods i tend to sleep a little lighter, but that could be because i only just figured out how to get comfortable at night. before this i've always had cold or wet nights.
 
PorcupineMtns66 said:
misanthropist said:
I gave up on ever sleeping properly years ago. I could possibly fix this with sleeping pills of some sort, but the one thing I won't do to sleep is take drugs where the efficacy declines as the dependency increases.

QUOTE]

Lunesta and their equals are supposed to be non-addictive and you can't build a tolerance up to them. Ask your doc.
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Thanks, I'll check in to that!

The best thing I have found so far has been suggested a couple of times: if I get laid I find myself probably 30% more likely to get to sleep within an hour.

For quite a while now I have been trying to maintain a strict regimen of once a day, at bedtime. But this gets complicated sometimes if my schedule doesn't coincide with the gf's. Still it's the best solution so far, even if it only works a couple of nights a week.
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siguy said:
luckily (or unluckily!) i sleep like a log. i can sleep anywhere, anytime if i feel like it. even if i don't feel like it (like while taking a bio test sophomore year...).

once i'm out i can sleep through anything...i've had people tell me they tried for 20 minutes to wake me up, and i never even stirred...i told them they had to hit me or push me out of the bed, something big.
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Wow, that pretty much precisely describes my sleeping habits.

On the very rare occasion that I'm unable to fall asleep I've found that a cup of catnip tea knocks me out in less than 20 minutes. Chamomile does nothing but catnip makes me groggy even if I'm fully awake.
 
I wish I knew of something that worked. Everything I've tried either makes me groggy when I wake up or just doesn't work period. I have heavy duty RLS and I'm a super light sleeper so sleep for me is an unusual thing. I can go to sleep, but I wake up about every fe minutes and sometimes can't get back to sleep for hours. If my wife touches me, makes a noise, moves in the bed, anything, I'm awake. If there's a cricket outside my window, the AC kicks on, my neighbors have a dripping tap, I'm awake. On one hand, there is no such thing as something going on in the house that I don't know about, which makes me a great watch dog. On the other, it means that I always get up slow and feel like crap in the morning. I've tried everything. There are some drugs and remedies that do work, but they give me side effects that aren't worth the sleep I get. I love it when my wife goes out of town. I get the best sleep of my life then. As soon as she's gone, I sound proof the guest room with packing bankets, shut off all the lights, and BAM I'm out for about 14 hours. Oh man is it good. If anyone comes up with anything new, let me know. I could use a new method.
 
I'm training to run a full 26-mile/42K marathon, and am running 5M/8K most days, with a longer run on Sundays. Falling asleep is not a problem.

Otherwise, a bit of alcohol before bed. Hard stuff and wine, even just a glass, seems best. Beer, which I love, has less alcohol and more liquid, so you need more liquid to get the equivalent alcohol--and more liquid means you're likely going to wake up in the night with a full bladder.
 
Aarya and Dylside -
I feel for you guys, I really do. I have been there several times in my life and in general am a light sleeper.
What I have found to be very helpful is to take a 30-minute non-stop walk sometime during the day. I know that lots of people just don’t have the time or even a safe/pleasant place to do this, but if you can – give it a try. I know that some use a “treadmill” in their abode, and I understand that some have no other easy option. We do the best we can. Personally, I can’t stand those things, they would not work for me.
But considering this forum where we are, I imagine that you enjoy the various positive benefits of being outdoors – many unconscious. If you can, try to find a safe place to walk that affords you the luxury of being able to be aware of the color of sky, notice the cloud formations, take in birdsong, the quality of the light at that time of day on the foliage and give you the time to just flush your mind of those non-stop thoughts that race through us – while you are simply doing 30-minutes at a comfortable medium pace. I hope that it helps and good luck.
 
aarya said:
My problem specifically, is that i`m usually wide awake at night, and not so during the day.
Can`t really blame my age either, being 27. Though, come to think about it, i`ve always had problems getting to sleep, even as a child, unless i`m so tired that my eyes just shut themselves. And when that happens, i can fall asleep anywhere. Under tables, sitting upright, in buses, cars, etc.
I`ve tried some medication in periods. (Legal, prescriped by doctor)
With the only result that i sleep for long periods of time, and don`t get up until the afternoon, as i did without the meds. Medication... Good for some things, not for everything.

Damn, i`m still grumpy, even though i`ve gotten about ten hours of sleep.
I don`t like winter..... *grumbles*
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get a job working swing shift or graveyard. problem solved. i'm a night owl, and i don't do mornings. i work swing. so everything works out. :)
 
I used to have alot of trouble falling asleep, but I have since stopped doing anything except for sleeping in my bedroom. I took the TV out, and moved my desk. Now the only thing I really do in there is sleep, and therefore I have trained myself to sleep when I'm in bed. I lay down and if I cant fall asleep within 15 minutes I get up and do something in another room until I feel tired again. I don't have a problem with computer/TV before bed though. If I'm really having trouble sleeping I pull out one of my old organic chemistry books and that usually does the trick.
 
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