Sleep during Disaster/Crisis

[MPMalloy]

The closest thing I have to the video below is my time on the street. I handled it by being decent to all & not being pushed around or run off. However; when it came time to sleep, if I was around anyone I did not know well, I told my friends I was going to find a spot. We would hang out in a fairly large park, so finding something secluded was not really a problem. I wouldn't go to far from my friends.

CP seems to be speaking to the "lone wolves"/"solo survivors" about holing up and getting rest. Setting a watch is a simple thing. Stand-to:

Army officers believed that the most likely time for an enemy attack was early in the morning. Therefore an hour before dawn every morning, each company was given the stand-to order. All the men in the front-line would stand on the fire-step with rifles and fixed bayonets. After an hour, when the light was considered too good for an enemy offensive, the sergeant gave the stand-down order and only the sentries remained on the alert. An hour before dark a second stand-to was ordered. When the light had completely gone, the stand-down order was given.

Has anyone here used the techniques described in the video? If so, what were your experiences? My experiences differ from the video, in that; no one was trying to kill me.

[RoneKiln]

The closest I can relate to was when I was working long intense events in Sweden. Between the insane amount of work, desire to play, and extremely long summer days few of us were accustomed to, we became extremely sleep deprived. The extremely long days and frantic pace of work made it easy to lose track of time and miss meals as well.

I learned if someone pushed themselves too far for several weeks and then went and got a good night of sleep, they would shut down and be useless for two days as their body went into recovery mode. We warned them to take several short naps over several days instead of getting a single good night of sleep. This helped them recover and maintain highly functional without shutting down. We just had to help remind them to take the naps cause it was so easy to lose track of time. It worked quite well, especially if they got a good night of sleep after the several days of naps had let them recover a bit.

While that was very hard and stressful work, it was also insanely fun and rewarding, and you were always surrounded by amazing people. The different environment may affect the effectiveness of taking several naps throughout a day.

My biggest takeway from the video is to barricade your doors better during an apocalypse.

[JeeperCreeper]

Didn't watch the video yet...

But one thing I picked up from traveling and being a nomad, when sleeping with gear, always have it strapped to you. For packs and bags, I always look the straps around my feet or arms, etc.

Makes it tougher for the snatch and grab when you're nodding off.

When I was in the service, I got really good at sleeping in odd locations and good at staying warm. Using clothing to prop helped. For example, I could sleep in airports in dress uniform by leaving on my jacket as it would help wedge me up. Zipping or buttoning yourself up can help you relax when sitting as it allows your trunk to relax without toppling over.

I also got really good at sleeping like a mummy. I got teased that it looked like I was sleeping for my funeral, but arms crossed and ankles crossed can help keep you warm whenever you're supine. Think mummy or water slide position.

If curled, arms under the knees can help if you're flexible.

[PistolPete]

It's a good topic to consider. Personally, that's one of the reasons I keep a dog, even though pets are a pain sometimes. It's a set of ears to wake me up if something wonky is going on.

Something he didn't mention is how the situation may make it harder to get good sleep. I had an intruder maybe 10 years ago and I barely slept for a month, every tiny noise would wake me up. By the end of that month I was really off my game. This means that fatigue from lack of sleep is likely to hit a lot faster in an emergency situation since it's a stressor of it's own.

Great topic!

[TacAir]

With a nod to my buds in the Rangers, we use the "1 sleep system per two folks". One is up and (hopefully) alert. The other can sleep better knowing someone has their back.

A park, public shelter (shudder) or is Das Auto - one awake has been our 'standard' for decades.
I always take the 'dawn' shift, lets my DW have a warm spot to crawl into. And if possible, some hot chow on waking..

This in addition to a defensible space, if possible.

That may not always be possible tho

[MPMalloy]

Didn't watch the video yet...

But one thing I picked up from traveling and being a nomad, when sleeping with gear, always have it strapped to you. For packs and bags, I always look the straps around my feet or arms, etc.

Makes it tougher for the snatch and grab when you're nodding off.

When I was in the service, I got really good at sleeping in odd locations and good at staying warm. Using clothing to prop helped. For example, I could sleep in airports in dress uniform by leaving on my jacket as it would help wedge me up. Zipping or buttoning yourself up can help you relax when sitting as it allows your trunk to relax without toppling over.

I also got really good at sleeping like a mummy. I got teased that it looked like I was sleeping for my funeral, but arms crossed and ankles crossed can help keep you warm whenever you're supine. Think mummy or water slide position.

If curled, arms under the knees can help if you're flexible.

I learned quickly to sleep with everything on. We'd do a "rucksack flop", until it was a no-go one day.

[tony d tiger]

Re: the video clip - yep.

Power naps at times of lower vulnerability and keep your stuff close.
Dog is a good companion, too... but may give away your location.

I think I went ~36 hours awake during an ARTEP one time, and got cranky when I got a chance to lay down it felt like only a catnap but I was told it was several hours, when I woke up.

I once went ~48 hours w/o sleep and driving home on leave in snowy weather... I wouldn't try that again. experience teaches us that which we'd rather not know.