Napping at a Red Light

Posted September 20th, 2006

Tom was a pipeline operator, who worked rotating eight hour shifts. Tom was also an entrepreneur, who opened an ice cream store. Tom commuted thirty miles one way to the pipeline facility. Tom did not get enough sleep.

What is enough sleep? Most adults need seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep every day. Most adults don’t get that much sleep. I did an informal survey with a group of teenagers last week. Two get eight hours of sleep per night, three got seven, three got six, and two got five. That says a great deal about our society.

If you’re a shiftworker, the changes in shifts that occur every week disrupt your sleep patterns. Some people have difficulties sleeping in the daytime. From personal experience, one can develop a sleep deficit over time. On day shift once a month, I did not sleep well. After evening shift, I could not go to sleep as soon as I got home. Then I would want to sleep longer in the morning. After midnight or graveyard shift, I would be very tired, but would wake up after two or three hours.

Tom, with his entrepreneurial spirit, wanted to make the most of his time away from the pipeline job. As a result, he developed a unique napping strategy. When he had to stop at traffic lights, he would close his eyes for a few minutes. He said that someone would blow the horn and wake him when the light turned green. This is not a recommended way for managing fatigue, but it does demonstrate the measures the body takes when it is fatigued. So the next time someone doesn’t immediately move at a green light, show a little kindness because it may be a shiftworker, who needs a little longer nap.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 at 11:41 am and is filed under Managing Fatigue.