"How Soldiers Learn To Sleep Anywhere " Topic

"Sleep is, apparently, one of those things that medical professionals tend to claim is vital to not dying. While in the military, you'll get so little sleep that your body grows accustomed to functioning at a high level with just four hours of non-continuous sleep.

For one reason or another, putting aside large chunks of time for that vital sleep just doesn't happen. So, troops quickly learn how to rack out at the drop of a dime while smothered in their gear. Or they find a nice, cozy spot underneath a HUMVEE in the glaring Afghan sun with only their rifle and pebbles to keep them comfy…."
Main page
link

Do you remember? (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I was never in the military, but I have always been able to fall asleep easily and get good benefits from it.

My late father, a Merchant Marine veteran of WW2, used to use the terms "rack out" and "rack time", and he somehow made learning how to take naps something that a little boy could be proud of. I guess that was pretty smart parenting, to get me not to resist naptime, but it also did teach me how to take advantage of time for sleeping, and how to sleep lightly enough to wake up immediately if needed.

For example, when I was a student, I did a lot of cheap travel and I often fell asleep on a bus, train, etc. -- once in the space behind the seats of a Porsche 911. I never missed a stop, and no one ever stole anything from me, or even tried, probably because I didn't look like I had anything.

Even today, very many years later, I sleep most of the way across the Pacific while seated in economy class.

I can sleep anywhere, anytime. My wife considers it a superpower. In the Navy when you were on Port and Starboards plus a day job, you tried to sleep when and where you could. It was not a luxury but a necessity.

I still occasionally suffer from "failing open".

Getting ~3.5h sleep and then being wired-awake for the next ~14.

It's about as much fun as it sounds.

There have been numerous studies into this, the conclusion being that over a period it leads to hallucinations and poor decision making – yes, the body does need around 8 hours sleep a day to keep functioning well.

I've worked shift work, 8 to 16 hour shifts around the clock for nearly 30 years. I used to be able to nap just about anywhere but now my internal clock is broken and I sleep or wake at all sorts of odd times.

I remember Robert Graves, in his memoir about his experiences during the 1st World War, talking about learning to sleep while on the march, such was his state of fatigue.

When exhausted, it's easy to fall asleep anywhere.

In case you're wondering, sleep trumps the need for food, most of the time, too.

To bsrlee's point, the body does need to sleep about 1/3 of the time on average. When you strike the average is the key to avoiding ineffectiveness and hallucinations. Can you go for a week on reduced sleep and then catch up? A month? Do you have to catch up fully?

For example, if you sleep for 4 hours a night for 5 nights, that's 20 hours when your body was expecting 40. If you then sleep 12 hours the next night, you'll wake up as if you'd been sleeping your usual 7-8 hours per night.