REMmedy

Hello. We are a start-up, building a system for Situational Insomnia (such as Hotel Insomnia) management. We have data on the extent of the problem in Business Travelers, Athletes and Shift workers. A recent conversation with a commercial flight safety director brought up the existence of this problem in commercial airline pilots. I am wondering how extensive is this phenomenon? We are interested particularly in pilots who sleep well at home but have trouble falling asleep in hotel rooms. Any insights would be appreciated.

USMCFLYR

Guess I’m your anti-informational type of person since I sleep better on the road than at home :-)

Good luck!
It will be intetesting to see what information you gather here.

rickair7777

I sleep fine at home, but if course everything there is the way I like it.

On the road these things can be problematic...

Bed comfort. Not necessarily a bad bed, but different then what I prefer (firm).

AC. Needs to be less than 70F. Cooler if it's humid. The worst are energy saver AC's which disable themselves after a period of time with no motion sensed (ie when you're sleeping... ). Hacks exist to circumvent this behavior.

Dark. Needs to be dark. I carry clips for curtains, and will cover up lights on electronic devices. Some curtains cannot be very light proof, and that's a problem for sleep outside of normal night hours.

Humidity. This is big problem if the AC can't deal with it. I live in a dry climate and am just not used to it.

Noise. Many crew hotels put the crew in a separate area, some may have a day sleep area where the cleaning crew don't come during normal hours.. But some intermix crew with other guests at random, and many will often locate the crew in less desirable rooms (ie next to elevator, maid service room, etc). This is problematic for day sleep, and crews who arrive late and need to sleep in a little longer. Since maids and other guests start making noise early.

Also problematic for early shows where crews need to go to bed early in the evening, the comings and goings of guests will keep you awake (especially on weekend nights).

Some modern hotels are very soundproof in which case none of this is an issue at all.

Hotels will get away with it if crews put up with it. In many cases they know it's a bad room, but they're going to try and see since they'd rather save the good rooms for paying guests. If you call them on it they'll move you, but that's a PITA. If crews refuse to fly fatigued after a bad nights (or days) sleep then the cancellations will cause the hotel to fix the problem or get fired very quickly. But too many crews will just put up with it.

JamesNoBrakes

Biggest issue is the a/c. There’s tons of blankets, but the ac won’t go lower than 72, even when it’s reading lower, and then the a/c sounds like a garbage disposal unit. This is after man has flown to the moon and driven electric cars. And often it’s partly because the a/c is ineffective at lowering the temp of the bed itself, a bed baking in a room all day doesn’t cool very fast IME.

Tippy

I don't sleep well on the road. I think for me its mostly a mental thing knowing i have to get up early for a report time. I Sleep fine at home when i have to get up early so I think its mental being out of my comfort zone. That being said the above items can be true, Temperature being among my biggest pet peeve. To combat next day fatigue I bid for flights that get in late so i can stay up late, Fall asleep when Im tired and sleep in till I get enough. Eat, workout, shower and go to work in the afternoon works best for me.

GogglesPisano

Earplugs to block out noise from the street and inconsiderate hotel guests. Cell phone on bed in vibrate mode for alarm.

No caffeine within 6 hrs of bedtime. Occasional melatonin.

I have no problems.

UAL T38 Phlyer

Read the FOM or company OPSECS, or any required training.

You’ll be out in 4-5 minutes.

rickair7777

I've tried that, it works GREAT. So great I sleep through alarms. Even slept through battle stations on an attack sub once... turns out EVERYBODY mans battle stations on a sub. I don't do earplugs anymore.

Most phones now have a do not disturb mode which still allows the alarm to work.


Ideally, yes. But sometimes you need to decide whether to sleep good, or be alert for the arrival. If push comes to shove, I go for alert (you can always call in fatigued if you don't sleep, but a fatigue call won't help AFTER an incident).

Yes. But understand the FAA rules on that. Operative word "occasional".

zerozero

I'm getting a spammy vibe here.

JohnBurke

To each his own. I like white noise in the room; it covers the ringing in my ears. I leave the TV on, or a radio. I like warm rooms; I can seldom get them warm enough. I don't care if light comes in the window, so long as people aren't staring in. I leave a light on, because I've walked into a wall before in an unfamiliar place. I keep a flashlight by the bed and shoes nearby in case I need to leave quickly.

Circadian issues are certainly real, but they're a product of both daylight and routine, and when separated from one's familiar home environment by ten or fifteen hours, the clock is "upside down," and the sleep schedule is off. Some try to adjust their sleep for the upcoming flight. Over the years my approach has become to sleep where and when I can, work when I must.

I absolutely do not take any kind of substance to help me sleep, ever. I am absolutely guilty of taking things to help stay awake. For everything else, there is five hour energy..

I really don't like hotels where I can smell curry or marajuana.