How to stay awake?
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I once worked a shift pattern on 15 days on, 15 days off, getting airborne every 30 hours for a 10 hour flight. This did not break our maximum limit of 120 hours every month, but it was hard graft. It was the rolling 6 hours of jet-lag that hurt the most. I found the best way to handle things was to base my life around the next take-off time and adjust my sleep period by a commensurate 6 hour slip every ‘day’. Sometimes I had to fight to stay awake until bed-time, sometimes I had to use help to get to sleep.
After 6 months of this work pattern, there had been a number of instances of ‘near-misses’. Our management were well aware, but crews were in short supply and the task was essential. We were studied by some boffins from, I seem to recall, Farnborough. I found 2 of their tips to be valuable and work for me.
Firstly was to take power naps, but strictly limit them to either 20 minutes or more than 2 hours. It seems that anything between 20 minutes and 2 hours places you into the wrong type of sleep, and you run the risk of waking up feeling worse than having no sleep.
The other tip was not to be afraid of using hypnotics, such as temazepan, to trigger sleep. They clear your system so quickly that there is no residual effect, even if you have to get up straight away after taking them. This was put to the test by our nav, who dreamt that he could not sleep, got up and took a double dose to make sure, just as his alarm went off. No time to relax, nothing for the drug to work on, no side-effects.
Those on my crew that tried to maintain their normal sleep pattern were next to useless come the early hours.
The other point of interest was the control exercises that the boffins gave us to do after each flight. My performance dropped from finding the exercise easy to complete after the first flight of each cycle, to about 50% performance after the 3rd flight, to being unable to see a single answer from that point onwards. I felt fine but the practical demonstration of how much by mental reasoning was degraded was frightening.
After 6 months of this work pattern, there had been a number of instances of ‘near-misses’. Our management were well aware, but crews were in short supply and the task was essential. We were studied by some boffins from, I seem to recall, Farnborough. I found 2 of their tips to be valuable and work for me.
Firstly was to take power naps, but strictly limit them to either 20 minutes or more than 2 hours. It seems that anything between 20 minutes and 2 hours places you into the wrong type of sleep, and you run the risk of waking up feeling worse than having no sleep.
The other tip was not to be afraid of using hypnotics, such as temazepan, to trigger sleep. They clear your system so quickly that there is no residual effect, even if you have to get up straight away after taking them. This was put to the test by our nav, who dreamt that he could not sleep, got up and took a double dose to make sure, just as his alarm went off. No time to relax, nothing for the drug to work on, no side-effects.
Those on my crew that tried to maintain their normal sleep pattern were next to useless come the early hours.
The other point of interest was the control exercises that the boffins gave us to do after each flight. My performance dropped from finding the exercise easy to complete after the first flight of each cycle, to about 50% performance after the 3rd flight, to being unable to see a single answer from that point onwards. I felt fine but the practical demonstration of how much by mental reasoning was degraded was frightening.
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modafinil
Okay, I flogged this in another thread a few months ago so am about to become at risk for being accused of pushing it, but I think it's important to spread the word that 200 mg of modafinil will keep you alert when your brain otherwise would much rather that you sleep. Amazingly if your flight is canceled and you've taken the med, you can still go to bed and get a good night's sleep. You should read wikipedia and talk with your medical advisor of course, but if I were your parent I'd really hope that you had it in your kit.
pj
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Some cargo operators, flying long haul and crossing many zone time, give you courses about sleeping management but it's always a personal matter, some people are able to sleep easier than others. Basic rule is eating good food, not too much, no alcohol and try to take a nap before your flight. Avoid chemicals that help you sleep because many of these medicines are used to regulate the sleep at the same times and usually cargo or long haul flights are never the same times when you should sleep. 
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Does this include natural sleep aids like melatonin ?
In response to the question about where this thread belongs - flying the back side of the clock is a different kind of fatigue altogether with unique challenges.
In response to the question about where this thread belongs - flying the back side of the clock is a different kind of fatigue altogether with unique challenges.
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When struggling to sleep, especially when jetlagged, I find a couple of drops of Lavender Oil, or a spritz on the pillowcase is a great asset with no side effects.
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I'm not a doctor but as far as I know melatonin helps you to adjust the body clock to a regular sleeping time, it means going to bed all the nights at the same time. Depends which kind of flights you have... but, usually, we always change time, that's why melatonin cannot be a solution.
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I'm not a doctor but as far as I know melatonin helps you to adjust the body clock to a regular sleeping time, it means going to bed all the nights at the same time. Depends which kind of flights you have... but, usually, we always change time, that's why melatonin cannot be a solution.
After some lousy experiences (sleepless nights leaving me wrecked, despite having taken melatonin) I generally only use melatonin at home to re-adjust to my home time zone, or sometimes I use it down route if I have a longer lay over (2-3 days) if I need to recover from the cumulative effects after too many nights of insufficient sleep.
When struggling to sleep, especially when jetlagged, I find a couple of drops of Lavender Oil, or a spritz on the pillowcase is a great asset with no side effects.
Fundamentally I think it's more important for the whole aviation industry (colleagues and regulators) to be more focused on how to get sufficient rest, instead of tricks to stay awake.
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I'd be VERY wary of using melatonin for sleep regulation. As mentioned above, it will only "work" with regular sleeping patterns - usually not the case for us. Plus have you guys seriously looked at the long list of side effects? It's enough to make you think twice... btw it includes detrimental effects on your testicles! So thanks, but no thanks... These counter-indications are just some of the reasons why melatonin is so tightly regulated over here. Can't get it over the counter, and docs will usually not prescribe it except in very specific circumstances. Just as well.
Anyway, back to the topic... Some of my tricks to stay awake:
- have a good quality of life outside work, ie do not stay up all night on days off etc.
- eat healthily (with reason
)
- exercise - with reason: when downroute, enough to feel well, but not so much as to feel tired again
- take a nap before the first night of a shift (the first flying night is invariably the hardest)
- no alarm clock before less than 8hrs sleep downroute. If I naturally wake earlier, then so be it, but if my body needs a lot of sleep, I'll let it have it
- drink a lot (water/fruit juices, but not too much coffee)
- get fully rested; while sleep cannot be "stored" in advance, I try to be 100% rested before going flying - that may include a nap before report time
- controlled sleep in flight during sectors that cover the WOCL; ie, don't fight sleep (but leave the audio volume up on Guard on box 2 in case the other pilot falls asleep)
- try to rest/sleep for a while (even if only 30-45min) in a dark/quiet room at the hub during turnaround
- drink water during flights
- stand up sometimes to stretch my legs and/or go the freezing hold
- reasonable cockpit temp, slightly on the fresh side
- have a chewing gum at Top of Descent. Chewing keeps you awake - but digesting doesn't, so I don't eat cereal bars or the like. Some small amount of fruit can help too. Never heard of anyone falling asleep while chewing gum...
- if PNF, keep busy: do fuel checks, pick up VOLMET/ATIS en-route, look up the IFR charts, read the airport brief and/or approach charts yet again, or a chapter from some manual in the cockpit library - but one that won't put you to sleep!
Cheers
Anyway, back to the topic... Some of my tricks to stay awake:
- have a good quality of life outside work, ie do not stay up all night on days off etc.
- eat healthily (with reason
)- exercise - with reason: when downroute, enough to feel well, but not so much as to feel tired again
- take a nap before the first night of a shift (the first flying night is invariably the hardest)
- no alarm clock before less than 8hrs sleep downroute. If I naturally wake earlier, then so be it, but if my body needs a lot of sleep, I'll let it have it
- drink a lot (water/fruit juices, but not too much coffee)
- get fully rested; while sleep cannot be "stored" in advance, I try to be 100% rested before going flying - that may include a nap before report time
- controlled sleep in flight during sectors that cover the WOCL; ie, don't fight sleep (but leave the audio volume up on Guard on box 2 in case the other pilot falls asleep)
- try to rest/sleep for a while (even if only 30-45min) in a dark/quiet room at the hub during turnaround
- drink water during flights
- stand up sometimes to stretch my legs and/or go the freezing hold
- reasonable cockpit temp, slightly on the fresh side
- have a chewing gum at Top of Descent. Chewing keeps you awake - but digesting doesn't, so I don't eat cereal bars or the like. Some small amount of fruit can help too. Never heard of anyone falling asleep while chewing gum...
- if PNF, keep busy: do fuel checks, pick up VOLMET/ATIS en-route, look up the IFR charts, read the airport brief and/or approach charts yet again, or a chapter from some manual in the cockpit library - but one that won't put you to sleep!
Cheers
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FougaMagister, apologies for the slight thread creep but I don't really agree with a lot you've written about melatonin.
Come on please! Melatonin is a natural hormone, made by some gland in your body. Melatonin levels begin to rise during late afternoon, and then start to drop again in the early morning hours. If melatonin was bad for your testicles then mother nature would have designed it a different way. Of course I'm not talking about chronic abuse and/or addiction here.
Well, nothing is allowed in France in particular and Europe in general, unless it is specifically mentioned. Try flying VFR through France... I guess all these regulations keep the bloated bureaucracy and the powerful pharmacy industry busy with prescribing expensive drugs, instead of allowing the citizens to buy a harmless sleeping aid which also happens to be produced by your own body.
However, as I mentioned before, melatonin is pretty much useless in our profession for getting some decent rest before a flight, but I generally have very good experiences using melatonin on the first evening after arriving home from a trip to help me get back into my normal time zone. Oh yeah, my testicles are still there and the do work!
As for the staying awake tips I completely agree with FougaMagister's recommendations, although I find (power) napping before a flight quite difficult (read: impossible) during the day, so I'm usually a total wreck after a long night flight.
Plus have you guys seriously looked at the long list of side effects? It's enough to make you think twice... btw it includes detrimental effects on your testicles!
Can't get it over the counter, and docs will usually not prescribe it except in very specific circumstances. Just as well.
However, as I mentioned before, melatonin is pretty much useless in our profession for getting some decent rest before a flight, but I generally have very good experiences using melatonin on the first evening after arriving home from a trip to help me get back into my normal time zone. Oh yeah, my testicles are still there and the do work!
As for the staying awake tips I completely agree with FougaMagister's recommendations, although I find (power) napping before a flight quite difficult (read: impossible) during the day, so I'm usually a total wreck after a long night flight.
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I know that melatonin is a natural hormone, but by taking it as a supplement, you are increasing on the amount that your body naturally produces. Hence the possible side-effects I mentioned - something I could have made clearer. (Btw, the pharmaceutical industry is nowhere near as developped or powerful here as in the US, Switzerland or Germany, and our health policy now favours cheaper generic drugs). Sleeping aids should be prescribed/recommended/reviewed by an Aviation Medical Examiner, not just any General Practitioner (since a lot of them are not clued up as to the specifics of our job). However, I share your point 100% regarding bloated bureaucracy... 
It's certainly the common-sense "lifestyle" habits that have the greatest impact on my capacity to sleep and recover. That, and generally taking it easy... Regarding lavender oil on the pillowcase, it didn't seem to hurt when I tried it - at least it smells nice! Then again, I'm usually asleep before my head hits the pillow...
Cheers
(P.S.: I don't find VFR in France harder than in the US or South Africa, and much easier than in the UK for instance!)
It's certainly the common-sense "lifestyle" habits that have the greatest impact on my capacity to sleep and recover. That, and generally taking it easy... Regarding lavender oil on the pillowcase, it didn't seem to hurt when I tried it - at least it smells nice! Then again, I'm usually asleep before my head hits the pillow...
Cheers
(P.S.: I don't find VFR in France harder than in the US or South Africa, and much easier than in the UK for instance!)
Last edited by FougaMagister; 7th Jul 2012 at 22:38.
Melatonin is not approved for use by pilots in some Aviation Authority's jurisdictions.
The way I coped with fatigue while flying freight was to resign. I'm now flying short haul, nearly all day flying. I feel much much better!
The way I coped with fatigue while flying freight was to resign. I'm now flying short haul, nearly all day flying. I feel much much better!
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Melatonin is naturally occurring in humans, however the melatonin production reduces the older people get. Alas taking melatonin can have two effects. Increasing the level of melatonin in the body and rejuvenating the melatoning production or rather giving it a boost.
Some years ago I was out like a snowman after flying east west cargo with pick up around 1am for every flight from base and with few or no day flights in months. My sleeping patterns went to a mess. I could not sleep for more than a few hours regardless how tired I was. I took a few melatonin tablets when I returned back to base and henceforth slept extremely well. But I only took the melatonin two days in a row not before or since that, 2006 it seems it was but looks like I am up for another doseage soon.
I tend to agree with most of the tricks here. Good food, physical activity,cat naps etc all work for me. Interesting thread to say the least. Thanks for contributing.
Some years ago I was out like a snowman after flying east west cargo with pick up around 1am for every flight from base and with few or no day flights in months. My sleeping patterns went to a mess. I could not sleep for more than a few hours regardless how tired I was. I took a few melatonin tablets when I returned back to base and henceforth slept extremely well. But I only took the melatonin two days in a row not before or since that, 2006 it seems it was but looks like I am up for another doseage soon.
I tend to agree with most of the tricks here. Good food, physical activity,cat naps etc all work for me. Interesting thread to say the least. Thanks for contributing.
Transparency International
From a "medicine man" of considerable experience I got the impression that the only reason Melatonin is not available OTC in Europa, is that it is not part of any treatment whatsoever. Thus Malatonin is just not permitted despite no known side effects.
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I struggled with this for years...and agree at the end of the day the best way to stay awake is to sleep well (sometimes before/ after a duty...sometimes controlled rest during the cruise).
Melatonin works (after a duty)....but long term use makes it difficult for you to sleep without ever increasing doses.
The biggest two problems were noise and light encroachment...even if I was exhausted! Then I found this (post 25 onwards)
http://www.pprune.org/questions/4727...ml#post7044170
.....problem solved!!!!!!!!!!
Melatonin works (after a duty)....but long term use makes it difficult for you to sleep without ever increasing doses.
The biggest two problems were noise and light encroachment...even if I was exhausted! Then I found this (post 25 onwards)
http://www.pprune.org/questions/4727...ml#post7044170
.....problem solved!!!!!!!!!!
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I struggled with this for years...and agree at the end of the day the best way to stay awake is to sleep well (sometimes before/ after a duty...sometimes controlled rest during the cruise).
The biggest two problems were noise and light encroachment...even if I was exhausted! Then I found this (post 25 onwards)
I've tried everything, from relax/new age music to breathing techniques, nothing really works.
