Railroaders' Guide to Healthy Sleep
Explore Sleep
Sleep is vital. We can’t live without it. For railroaders, good sleep improves safety and health, both on and off the job. Learn what helps or harms the quality and quantity of your sleep. Discover your daily patterns of alertness and sleepiness. Find out if it’s time to talk to your healthcare provider about your sleep.
If you have a railroader in your life, this information is for you, too. Knowing more about sleep benefits everyone.
Body Clock
Everyone has a clock in their brain that organizes daily life. This clock, a pinhead-sized cluster of nerve cells, makes you feel more alert or more sleepy at some times of day than at others.
Your Daily Ups and DownsYou will feel better and function better if you can work and sleep at times of day the body naturally prefers for these activities.
The Time of Your LifeYour body clock also directs manual dexterity, ups and down in reaction time, and the the rise and fall of body temperature and blood pressure over the day. It sparks hunger pangs before your usual meal times, controls how fast medications work, and directs the timing of hundreds of functions that make your body run smoothly.
How Your Body Clock Interacts with Your Sleep DriveThese two seemingly opposed internal processes—the body clock and the sleep drive—work together to make it possible for people to stay awake for 15 or 16 hours, and then sleep roughly seven to nine hours straight.
When Your Body Clock ResetsYour body clock adjusts to schedule changes. This process moves slowly, however. After switching between day work and night work, for example, most people find it takes several days to feel as alert and sleep as soundly as they usually do.
Be a Clock-WatcherLearn to tell time on your body clock. Then use body time to organize your day.
Avoid the Danger ZoneSavvy railroaders have devised tactics to cope with their often unpredictable hours. They have figured out how to best get sleep in daylight hours, when sunlight, noise, and other factors make sleep shorter or less restful than it would be at night.
How Sleep Works
Sleep needs vary from person to person. How much sleep do you need?
How Much Sleep Do You Need?Most adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep per day, ideally at night, to feel optimally alert and perform at their best, according to Daniel Cohen, MD, MMSc, formerly of Harvard.
Do You Get Enough Sleep?Daniel Cohen, MD, MMSc, formerly of Harvard, explains how we can recharge our internal battery to avoid sleep debt. He also explains how scientists measure sleep needs
What Makes You Fall Asleep?Most adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep per day, ideally at night, to feel optimally alert and perform at their best, according to Daniel Cohen, MD, MMSc, formerly of Harvard.
Do You Carry a Sleep Debt?People who get less sleep than they need build up a sleep debt. An eight-hour sleeper who sleeps only six hours is two hours in debt.
Sleep Myths DebunkedPeople who frequently short-change themselves on sleep forget how great it feels to be well-rested. They get used to feeling tired all the time and try to convince themselves that they can manage just fine. They often cling to sleep myths.
Working the RailsIf you work an on-call, unpredictable schedule, you frequently go to bed and get up at different times. Even if you work a fixed schedule, you may be on the job in non-daylight hours. Your work schedule may be out of sync with the daily activities of family and friends.
Why Better Sleep = Better HealthPeople who frequently short-change themselves on sleep forget how great it feels to be well-rested. They get used to feeling tired all the time and try to convince themselves that they can manage just fine. They often cling to sleep myths.
Why Sleep MattersRobert Stickgold, PhD, of Harvard, tells how sleep helps you learn facts and remember them.
Your Sleep Toolkit
Chart your sleep, check your alertness, and take advantage of the Anonymous Sleep Disorders Screening Tool.
Check Your Risk for Sleep Disorders NowPeople who get less sleep than they need build up a sleep debt. An eight-hour sleeper who sleeps only six hours is two hours in debt.
Keep a Sleep-Wake DiaryPeople who get less sleep than they need build up a sleep debt. An eight-hour sleeper who sleeps only six hours is two hours in debt.
Test Your Reaction TimeThe two self-tests below can help you identify problems to discuss with your doctor.
Where Are You on the Sleepiness Scales?The two self-tests below can help you identify problems to discuss with your doctor.
Should I Track My Sleep?Sleep tracking devices can be simply used to increase personal awareness of sleep and can be an important reminder to prioritize sleep.