How To Sleep on the Road

[carolinarider09]

While this, like some of my other posts, is not strictly Valkyrie related it is related to allowing me to ride better and enjoy it more. 

As I get older, I find it harder to get a good nights sleep. I do have some prescription medications I can take to help and they do seem to help a little but it has been a while since I had a full nights sleep (8 hours) without interruption. 

We all know one of the reasons. 

I am also trying to minimize the caffein and carbonated drinks (Makers Mark is still OK).

However, there is another reason that has been a sore in my side.  Its the noise in the room.  In general the AC systems in most motel and even hotel rooms are noisy and run constantly. 

So, if I can, I turn them off or at least turn the temperature so that they don't run as often (not always doable).  Right now, in the Holiday Day Inn we are in, the HVAC unit is off and the room is very quiet (Pandora is playing Eagles Radio).

The next item to consider (besides better drugs) is a white noise generator. 

The question is, does anyone have a white nose generator that have used to improve sleep? 

Second question, do you have the same problem on the road and if so, how do you handle it?

One would think that a 300 mile ride would be enough to exposure the to elements to provide some wear and tear on the body so that it would need to recoup the energy lost.  Or is that just a pipe dream?

[Bret SD]

I like to sleep parallel on the dividing line.. less risk of being run over as I snooze 

Seriously though, you can play white noise through the music apps, I like the rain ones. I love to have a machine whirring in the background, it really helps with tinnitus.

I would also look at natural sleep remedies, pharma drugs put you to sleep, but sleep quality on them is very poor.

[Oss]

try to find motel where the windows OPEN

That is a pet peeve of mine  

My daughter has one of those white noise things for the baby  work like a charm

My other daughter keeps the air cleaner in her room on low.  its very quiet

I could sleep with a subway next to me in fact I seem to nap on the subway whenever I am on it

My dad could sleep standing up holding the strap on the IRT  Just a gift I guess

[Jess from VA]

I got a white noise machine many years ago.  The choices were rain, rain and thunder, babbling brook, and a couple others.  The problem was all the noises were just a different version of static (like static electricity), and bothersome.  So it became more of a novelty item than an actual item used.

To sleep, I need to be tired.  Regardless of time of day, or hours awake, or any other factor, if I'm not tired it's a waste of time going to bed.  Packing in a lot of food also helps me sleep (but 30 minutes later, not hours later).

However, I also have a history of not sleeping well in motel rooms.  Different environment, different bed, different pillows, or people banging the headboard on the wall next door and making loud appeals to the Lord.  That last one is funny for awhile, but not for hours and hours. 

[carolinarider09]

Interesting information gentlemen.  And varied as I would expect.  What works for one may not work for another (many reason).

I do have tinnitus.  It comes and go, not daily but depending on things which I should really keep better track of.  But the prime thing seems to be physical work.  When I am active the tinnitus seems to disappear. 

[Rams]

Different environment, different bed, different pillows, or people banging the headboard on the wall next door and making loud appeals to the Lord.  That last one is funny for awhile, but not for hours and hours.  

Sorry about that, I had no idea the walls allowed sound/vibration to travel like that.

Reference the sleep issue, I only get about 5 or so hours of sleep a night and that seems to be decreasing as I age.   Don't know what to tell ya.  Don't know how to get more rest for myself.   I do know that I don't want to take any artificial sleep inducers.

Rams  

[Jess from VA]

Someone once gave me a bottle of Valerian root (for sleep).  I don't know if it works, I never opened the seal.

Looking on line, I see my 250-500mg of Magnesium daily is also listed as a sleep aid.

Neither of those is "drugs."

Benadryl pills (not creme) also make you sleepy (but that is drugs).

Also, I seem to recall sex made me sleep like a log.  It's been quite a while now, but my memory is that I often went to sleep before the obligatory post-event cuddling and romance, which resulted in reprimands.  And you should never sleep through those (it's not safe).  

[klb]

I have been addicted to fan noise for years. When I travel I
take a 20" box fan and my pillow from home. The fan deal
especially came in handy when I got Tinnitus. Still struggled
for a couple years trying to deal with the sound of hundreds
of skeeters in both ears. Just about drove me crazier.   
Remarkably now I don't hear it too bad until I think about it.
Funny thing I pulled up a Tinnitus test online to find out what
hz I had damage at and when I cranked up 14000 my wife
and kids had a fit and told me to turn that crap off...I didn't
hear a thing. Looking on the magic Googler it says that
because I can't hear that range anymore my brain knows it
can't so it replicates that particular frequency..Imagine that.

[scooperhsd]

Different environment, different bed, different pillows, or people banging the headboard on the wall next door and making loud appeals to the Lord.  That last one is funny for awhile, but not for hours and hours. 

Sorry about that, I had no idea the walls allowed sound/vibration to travel like that.

Reference the sleep issue, I only get about 5 or so hours of sleep a night and that seems to be decreasing as I age.   Don't know what to tell ya.  Don't know how to get more rest for myself.   I do know that I don't want to take any artificial sleep inducers.

Rams 

Welcome to my world....

If I didn't have the gabapentin prescription, I'd get better than 5 hours  / night no more than 2 nights out of 2 weeks. With it, I average about 12 nights out of 2 weeks. The gabapentin ( 900 mg / night) works by stopping my brain from waking up in "Battle Stations" mode , so after I go pee, I CAN go back to sleep - I can actually get 7 hours sleep on a regular basis now - it is SO MUCH better being able to get sleep. It often takes an hour after I get up before the effects wear off completely.

 Tinnitus - not a problem. I used to be able to hear 22KHz, wouldn't be too surprised if I still can.

Sleeping in a strange bed isn't too much of a problem .

[old2soon]

         I git tired I sleep. Drove truck a Lot of years and learned how to cat nap. Sometimes pillow on the steering wheel and bout 30  40 minutes your back Will wake you up. On the Carrier I could sleep on the deck behind the island tween launches and recoveries. Now I git 5 or 6 hours in the sack I'm good. Should I Really wanna Sleep glass of milk bout 2 hrs before laying down seems to help a Lot. RIDE SAFE.

[Sorcerer]

I’ve found that running the HVAC fan on continuous helps. The unit fan starting up wakes me up. Unfortunately that setting isn’t always available.

[Jess from VA]

I have been addicted to fan noise for years.  When I travel I take a 20" box fan and my pillow from home.

That's very familiar KLB.  I got addicted to fan noise trying to sleep in noisy dorms for 4 years, and it stuck with me for a lifetime.  Either box or overhead fans, not only for noise for for a breeze.  Year round, even cold winters.  I just broke myself of this habit this winter.  (I run a small window AC unit in my upstairs bedroom in hot summer, but that is because it gets too hot up there without it, not for the noise.)

My tinnitus is pretty constant, but rarely loud, and the quiet room makes it worse.  The only time it really bothers me if is I make the mistake of thinking about it.   (like right now LOL)

And if caging it (using motels), I take a couple of my own pillows, because I cannot stand pure foam bouncy motel pillows.  

And, if the motel is noisy, I have always run the HVAC fan on continuous to block it out.

One more thing on the white noise machine:  Mine was not that expensive and is 20yo.  A newer digital machine may produce much better sound, I just dunno.  What I also remember from my machine is that a couple of sounds might have been helpful for sleep, but several of them were guaranteed to prevent any sleep at all.... chirping birds (STFU!!!)

[Jersey mike]

I have been addicted to fan noise for years. When I travel I
take a 20" box fan and my pillow from home. The fan deal
especially came in handy when I got Tinnitus. Still struggled
for a couple years trying to deal with the sound of hundreds
of skeeters in both ears. Just about drove me crazier.   
Remarkably now I don't hear it too bad until I think about it.
Funny thing I pulled up a Tinnitus test online to find out what
hz I had damage at and when I cranked up 14000 my wife
and kids had a fit and told me to turn that crap off...I didn't
hear a thing. Looking on the magic Googler it says that
because I can't hear that range anymore my brain knows it
can't so it replicates that particular frequency..Imagine that.

Been dealing with it for years. Told the doctors it sounds like a guy with a tuning fork inside my head running from side to side and sometimes his brother gets in on the act and both ears go off at the same time. I wish I had some musical experience so I could give note and pitch, volume is always fluctuating.

[Oldfishguy]

I spent an average of 10 nights on the road for 20 years.  Try to keep some similarities to home.  Keep the room cool, put some moisture in the room air by running the shower for 15 minutes on hot, don't watch the news late and settle your mind early (stick with a light comedy), and drown out all the outside noise with a white noise machine.


I have used this one for years now, at home and on the road.

https://www.amazon.com/LectroFan-Fidelity-Machine-Unique-Non-Looping/dp/B00JU8P8VY/ref=sxin_10_ac_d_rm?ac_md=2-2-bGVjdHJvZmFu-ac_d_rm&cv_ct_cx=white+noise+machine&dchild=1&keywords=white+noise+machine&pd_rd_i=B00JU8P8VY&pd_rd_r=8b436113-e07e-4818-937c-1ab6079f488c&pd_rd_w=HG6Lt&pd_rd_wg=98o3h&pf_rd_p=b0625ac1-ea22-4a1c-8206-57129b08e075&pf_rd_r=KR209QGEKXJ9AAN69NAF&psc=1&qid=1616765578&sr=1-3-12d4272d-8adb-4121-8624-135149aa9081

[carolinarider09]

Someone once gave me a bottle of Valerian root (for sleep).  I don't know if it works, I never opened the seal.

Looking on line, I see my 250-500mg of Magnesium daily is also listed as a sleep aid.

Neither of those is "drugs."

Benadryl pills (not creme) also make you sleepy (but that is drugs).

Also, I seem to recall sex made me sleep like a log.  It's been quite a while now, but my memory is that I often went to sleep before the obligatory post-event cuddling and romance, which resulted in reprimands.  And you should never sleep through those (it's not safe).  

 

[carolinarider09]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. 

Regarding drugs I have some but they are minimal impact, will discuss with my doc on next visit.

Noise, I find the HVAC noise to darn loud most of the time so I try and turn it off.  I especially don't like it to cycle.

The tinnitus is tolerable, like right now its there and louder than later in the day.  One wonders if the ear simply gets overwhelmed and tunes it out during the day.  It seems that physical activity make it better. 

[Valkorado]

[Skinhead]

Since I retired and no longer have to pass a drug test, I've found cannabis infused edibles taken an hour before bed helps me sleep through the night.  Just don't over do it and take too much, or it has the opposite effect and makes you paranoid and the sleep won't come.  I tried melatonin but that made me feel groggy in the morning.

If you have a dispensary near by, give it a shot.

As far as the A/C, when I check into a motel room, I crank the A/C to high with the lowest temp setting and let it run until I'm ready for bed, then shut it off or raise the temp to around 70 to keep it from cycling.

[Valkorado]

Since I retired and no longer have to pass a drug test, I've found cannabis infused edibles taken an hour before bed helps me sleep through the night.  Just don't over do it and take too much, or it has the opposite effect and makes you paranoid and the sleep won't come.  I tried melatonin but that made me feel groggy in the morning.

If you have a dispensary near by, give it a shot.

As far as the A/C, when I check into a motel room, I crank the A/C to high with the lowest temp setting and let it run until I'm ready for bed, then shut it off or raise the temp to around 70 to keep it from cycling.

I'm guessing you're going with the "in-da-couch" strains, as opposed to the sativas.   

+1 on magnesium too.  I started taking a mag supplement along with what's in my daily vitamin a couple months ago.  I take it in the evening and it definitely helps with sleep quality.

[Moonshot_1]

The question still remains....