How to Be a Day Sleeper

Shift workers are one of the fastest growing segments of our society. This trend is creating a growing number of people who are forced to try to sleep during the day.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Foam Earplugs
• Understanding Spouse
• Poster Board, foil, black-out curtains
• Portable fan

1. Talk to your spouse/co-habitators. It is important that everyone understand that your schedule is different from theirs. In order for you to have a decent quality of life with your shift work, everyone will need to understand and pitch in.
2. Create a cool, dark space. Trying to sleep in a hot room is the pits. It is also nearly impossible to sleep in a well lit room. It is imperative that you do whatever you can to create the darkest sleeping space possible. Just closing the shades or the curtains simply won't do when you are trying to sleep through the brightest part of the day. You need to cover the windows. A layer of white poster board, for looks (from the outside), followed by a layer of aluminum foil works well. Then close the blinds and curtains. Also consider something to stop the light from coming in under your bedroom door. A room in the basement can be very helpful to accomplish this step.
3. Control noise. There are two ways to control noise. One is to eliminate the source of the noise. Unfortunately this can be impossible when the neighbors are mowing the yard, trash trucks are driving by, and the kids are playing in the living room. The next option is to mask the noise. This can be accomplished through the use of a portable room fan. A running fan will effectively create a "white noise" that your mind will quickly cancel out, but will be loud enough to cover many of the ambient sounds that might otherwise drive you insane. If you find that is not enough, I would suggest a set of soft foam ear plugs that are available at any drug store. These will take some getting used to, but will eliminate most of the sounds that will keep you awake.
4. Avoid the light. Do your best to stay in your darkened area during your rest hours. A quick trip to the brightly lit kitchen for glass of water is often all it takes to temporarily wake-up, ruining your chances of quality sleep.
5. Maintain core sleeping hours. It is natural for your family to want you to adjust your schedule on your days off. You should do your best to do so. However, maintain at least 3 or 4 hours of core sleeping time that overlap with your work sleep schedule. Don't expect your body to completely flip sleep patterns every weekend. If you do, you will never get a true sleep pattern and your family time, while perhaps consisting of more quantity, will surely be of less quality.