Sleep is important in life. In fact, we spend about a third of our lives sleeping! Most healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night to feel rested and ready to seize the day. However, everyone is different. Some people can function on 6 hours of sleep, while others need upwards of 10 hours of sleep. As truck drivers, you have a unique lifestyle. You’re on the road most of the year, sleeping in hotels, motels, and the cab of your truck. You have the distractions of bright lights, loud noises, and uncomfortable mattresses. So how do you get a good night’s rest that allows you to feel refreshed and alert for a full day’s drive?
Exercise
Exercise has numerous health benefits including helping you sleep at night. Several recent studies have indicated that at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week can help you feel more alert during the day and sleep better at night. The study was conducted with more than 2,600 men and women aged 18 to 85 years old. The study found that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, which is the national guideline set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provided a 65% improvement in sleep quality. Moderate to vigorous exercise includes activities such as brisk walking, riding a bike, and strength training. While there is no hard evidence, there is some preliminary data that supports that exercising within a few hours of bedtime could prevent you from having a good night’s sleep. One researcher speculates that morning exercise may be better for you because it may influence your circadian rhythms that affect your sleep quality. If you are exercising currently and still having a hard time sleeping, try changing the time of day you are exercising in case it may be affecting your sleep quality.
Turn off Electronics
Have you ever been sound asleep only to wake up to the buzzing of your cellphone alerting you that someone posted on your Facebook page? Fun, isn’t it? Electronics are part of our lives in the 21st century whether you like it or not. We can be connected to people a world way at all hours of the day and night. Not only can our electronic devices, such as cellphones, laptops, and televisions, keep us engaged and distracted during the night, but they also emit light. Both the mental activity of our devices and the light they emit in a dark room promote wakefulness in our brains as we are trying to sleep. Science has documented that light promotes wakefulness in numerous studies over the years. The photoreceptors in our eyes sense both light and dark and signals our brains about the status of the world, which in return aligns with our natural circadian rhythm telling us when to sleep and when to wake up. The glowing of a computer screen or television can affect our sleep. By turning off your electronic devices and not using those devices in bed may help you sleep better.
Pay attention to what you eat and drink
What you eat and drink throughout the day can affect your sleep at night. We live in a highly caffeinated and processed food world. In a 2005 National Sleep Foundation survey, 4 out of 5 adults in America consume at least one serving of coffee, tea, soda, or other caffeinated beverage every day. Caffeine is a stimulant that promotes wakefulness so drinking a caffeinated drink too close to bedtime will probably keep you awake longer than you would like. Serotonin is a natural hormone that helps promote healthy sleep and lucky for you, there are foods that can help increase serotonin levels in your body. Remember how you feel after eating turkey on Thanksgiving? Tryptophan is found in lean proteins such as turkey, chicken, and fish. Tryptophan tends to increase serotonin levels and may help you sleep better. Avoid simple carbohydrates, like white bread and sweets. High sugary foods have a tendency to reduce serotonin levels. Instead, choose whole grain breads, cereals, and pasta.
Stick to a schedule
Our bodies require sleep. Did you know that that 10 days without sleep will kill you? Humans are the only animals on earth that delay sleep on purpose. We need sleep in order maintain proper bodily functions and stay healthy. During the weekdays we generally have a schedule to keep due to work and family commitments, but on weekends and holidays we like to sleep in or stay out late. By sticking to the same sleep schedule every night of the week, it will help our bodies reinforce its sleep-wake cycle and help promote better sleep at night.
Use a white noise machine and/or a fan
Our brains are sensitive. Even when we are sleeping our brains continue to register and process sounds that we hear. Noise, whether it’s the sound of your alarm clock or the car backfiring outside our bed, can cause us to wake up. Noise is more likely to wake you up from a light sleep versus a deep sleep, but no matter what stage of sleep we are in, noise is not something we want to wake us up in the middle of the night. A white noise machine can help drain out the sounds of outside noises that might wake us up. White noise works by reducing a sudden sound like a door slamming by creating an ambient background noise. There are commercial white noise machines available for purchase that play ocean sounds or birds chirping, but just a simple fan can do the same thing.
Sleep is essential to keeping us healthy and happy throughout our lives. Unfortunately too many people complain about the lack of sleep they are getting. By being proactive about producing an environment that promotes sleep quality, even when you are on the road, can help you get better shut eye each night. And for a fun fact, did you know that 75% of people dream in color? Prior to the invention of the color television, only about 15% of people dreamed in color!
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