Truck driving is a mentally and physically demanding job, and sleep is vital to good health and safety while on the road. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations’ Large Truck Crash Causation Study, as many as 13 percent of commercial trucks drivers are fatigued at the time of a crash. That means over 20,000 large truck crashes in 2018 could have been avoided if the driver simply would have slept better! To decrease the likelihood of crashing your truck and potentially save lives, here are five ways to improve your sleep while you are on the road:
CREATE A HABIT – By getting a full night of sleep each night while you aren’t on the road, you are training your body to want to sleep at a certain time. Get your body in a routine and stick to it. Then, maintain that sleep schedule when you are out driving.
FEELING DROWSY? NAP – Once you create a healthy sleep routine, listen to your body. If you start feeling naturally drowsy during your normal waking hours, pull over for a 20-30 minute nap. According to the National Sleep Foundation, this will provide a significant benefit of improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET – Irregular meal times or skipping meals completely can lead to fatigue. Food is your body’s main source of energy, so this should be a no-brainer.
DON’T USE TRICKS TO STAY AWAKE – Smoking, loud music, opening a window, drinking coffee or other “tricks” to stay alert, aren’t cures for sleep. While these will give you a spurt of alertness, it won’t last very long.
HAVE A GOOD SLEEPING ENVIRONMENT – Before going to sleep, take steps to do all you can to ensure you get a good night’s full of undisturbed sleep to wake up refreshed. These steps could include parking in a safe area, closing all curtains and truck shades or even having an eye mask to keep out the light, using ear plugs or a white noise machine to block outside noise, and keeping your cab cool. According to sleep.org, the suggested temperature for optimal sleep is between 60-67 degrees.
Plenty of other advice is out there to maintain good sleeping practices, but we hope these tips will help you get some shut eye, so you can remain safe while on the road! If you are experiencing consistent sleep issues, you may want to speak with your doctor.