Thread: Day sleeping
View Single Post
Old 09-03-2014, 10:53 AM
  #22  
MaxThrustPower
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Aug 2014
Posts: 104
Default

Lots of good advice here that I agree with.

* Dark Room.
* Cool Room.
* Mitigate Noise problems.
* Avoid over-use of caffeine.
* A light meal or snack.
* Avoiding over-stimulation from TV or electronics.

If it's possible, shift your natural sleep cycle a little later within a day or two of the all-night shift. That will help you adapt. Also, a short nap in the evening before going to work.

Sleep aids have some restrictions, as mentioned in an earlier posting. I believe the FAA even has restrictions on over-the-counter sleep aids such as Tylenol PM.

There's been a lot of discussion about Melatonin use. I have found that Melatonin is misunderstood and not appropriately used by many people. It's not a good solution for shift work. Also, Melatonin is suggested as a TEMPORARY sleep aid (not more than two weeks at a time but usually much less) for resetting your "body clock" or short-term sleep difficulties. *See my posting to follow on Melatonin.

I think natural sleep aids can be very helpful when used occasionally but I don't use them daily. Chamomile Tea is an old-time remedy you can find at most drug stores or major supermarkets. But my favorite is Valerian Root, also easily available. It comes in capsules and it smells a little nasty, but I find it works very well. The brand I take (Natures' Bounty) is available at Walgreen's and other retailers. The capsules are 450 mg and the dosage is from 1 to 5. I find that 2 or 3, depending on how long I have to sleep, is good for me. Sometimes, when I have a long night to catch up on rest, I will take Melatonin with Valerian root for the combined effect.

Last edited by MaxThrustPower; 09-03-2014 at 11:06 AM.
MaxThrustPower is offline