Nocturnist looking to upgrade bedroom

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pollyspockets

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I’m not getting great sleep consistently during the day. I’m finding I need some help with cool bedding, new pillows, and blackout curtains if anyone has recommendations. Also open to other lifestyle modifications folks have found helpful for the night shift life.
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How many uninterrupted hours of sleep are you getting ? If you're getting 5hrs post night shift, I think that's pretty good.
My routine: breakfast + soft eye mask + dark curtains+ freezing room temp. This combo gets me a good 5hrs.
 
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A decent Sleep mask is key, especially if you’re not getting blackout curtains. But you might not be able to do a damn thing about landscapers mowing the lawn at 10am
 
I've been a nocturnist for 5 years.
Here's my starter pack:

To block the light around my blackout cellular shades:
Amazon product ASIN B07H71ST9B
white noise machine. This thing is amazing. Only one, peaceful, non-looping white noise of a fan. You can adjust the volume and pitch. It definitely dampens out landscapers or cars driving by.
Amazon product ASIN B076F2JKYC
I personally love the mattress topper and pillows from the pacific coast feather company hotel collection.
www.pacificcoast.com

Hotel Collection | Pacific Coast Feather Company

Shop Pacific Coast Bedding luxury hotel collection bedding and replicate your favorite hotel stay. Free shipping on most orders.
www.pacificcoast.com www.pacificcoast.com

Lastly, I set my A/C to 66-68 degrees.
 
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Yeah, my belief is that many people completely pass over the most important thing: a good bed. Had a colleague over ten years ago tell me of his setup: completely blacked out room, air conditioned (this was in SC), with the only light being the red light from the smoke detector. And, he says, a "rickety old bed". I thought, "Why bother?" Incidentally, although he's EM, his son had finished med school right then, and he's an anesthesiologist now.
 
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Kryptocoin said:
How many uninterrupted hours of sleep are you getting ? If you're getting 5hrs post night shift, I think that's pretty good.
My routine: breakfast + soft eye mask + dark curtains+ freezing room temp. This combo gets me a good 5hrs.
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I can easily spend about 8-9 hours in bed, but frequently wakening due to being hot, noise
 
pollyspockets said:
I can easily spend about 8-9 hours in bed, but frequently wakening due to being hot, noise
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Just wondering- is the thermostat in the room you sleep in, or is it in the hall or another bedroom? Unless it's where you're sleeping, you might be setting it to 67 but your room might be running several degrees warmer. One of my rooms in particular runs 3-4 degrees warmer.
 
Nocturnist said:
Just wondering- is the thermostat in the room you sleep in, or is it in the hall or another bedroom? Unless it's where you're sleeping, you might be setting it to 67 but your room might be running several degrees warmer. One of my rooms in particular runs 3-4 degrees warmer.
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Use Ecobee or Nest with remote sensor. Can put the sensor in your bedroom and regardless of where the thermostat is, your room will be the temperature you set.
 
GeneralVeers said:
Use Ecobee or Nest with remote sensor. Can put the sensor in your bedroom and regardless of where the thermostat is, your room will be the temperature you set.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my thermostats in the kitchen, do you think a total dumbo in regards to being handy can self install?
 
pollyspockets said:
Yeah, my thermostats in the kitchen, do you think a total dumbo in regards to being handy can self install?
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I think we might have found the real problem here, i bet money your room is running hot.
fyi re nest vs ecobee- highly recommend the latter. The previous apartment building i lived in installed nests In every unit- that frigging thing was the bane on my existence. It tries to be wayy more intelligent than it needs to be and tried to create schedules predicting my future needs based on past usage. I'd set that thing to 67 and wake up with it 4 hours later on 75. Took me like 3 months to figure out how to dumb it down.I have ecobee in my house now and love it.
From experience ecobee is easy to install, but an hvac guy charges around $100 to install one i believe. 2 pack of remote sensors is $75. Your state's energy saving organization usually offers heavily discounted thermostats. Money well spent.
 
Sterns and Foster reserve mattress
High end sheets
Box fan (white noise and cooling)
Silent ceiling fan (cooling)
AC set to 68 - my second floor has its own AC
Black out curtains covering the windows
My sleep room is away from everything else in the house
 
pollyspockets said:
Yeah, my thermostats in the kitchen, do you think a total dumbo in regards to being handy can self install?
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1. Check the "return air" in you bedroom. Chances are that when you close the bedroom door your cool air circulation is blocked.
2. Put a booster fan in the duct work going to your bedroom to ensure better AC in there.
3. Better yet, make you bedroom a separate and independent zone in your AC system with it's own thermostat.
 
Neopolymath said:
Suggest a brand please
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I just did an Amazon search for "Bamboo sheets" and picked the ones that looked nice.
I'd by lying if I told you that I could remember the brand.
Reason I bought them is because Florida is a hot, sticky mess - and the dehumidifier wasn't cutting it.
 
Dakota said:
(wonder what the dementia risk is from never sleeping?).
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You don't have to worry about dementia, because psychosis and death will come much earlier (50% will become psychotic after 5 days of literal no sleep, and just about 100% of people will die if no sleep, at all, for 10 days).

During Hell Week at BUD/S, they even get 4 hours of sleep during the week (not per night - 4/168).
 
RustedFox said:
I just did an Amazon search for "Bamboo sheets" and picked the ones that looked nice.
I'd by lying if I told you that I could remember the brand.
Reason I bought them is because Florida is a hot, sticky mess - and the dehumidifier wasn't cutting it.
Click to expand...

I recommend MyPillow sheets. The extra dose of patriotism gives you sounder sleep.
 
Apollyon said:
You don't have to worry about dementia, because psychosis and death will come much earlier (50% will become psychotic after 5 days of literal no sleep, and just about 100% of people will die if no sleep, at all, for 10 days).

During Hell Week at BUD/S, they even get 4 hours of sleep during the week (not per night - 4/168).
Click to expand...

I've definitely felt psychosis setting in after my non-voluntary night shift stretches these last two months. My building is tearing up tile around the pool deck, and the jackhammering has made sleep nearly impossible between 8 AM and 12PM. I've considered hotels, but hotel maids intentionally begin slamming doors at 9AM to wake people up so......
 
Night life is my life

@Tenk gave me best advice ever, duct tape and trash bags over windows. I took it further and sealed edges of door so when it shuts zero% light gets in. Even after eyes adjust I saw nothing in darkness. I got the best sleep ever.

Then moved from residency and wife said you can't put duct tape over the windows and now I just don't sleep. "black out curtains" are a joke. I use a passable eye mask.
 
AlmostAnMD said:
Night life is my life

@Tenk gave me best advice ever, duct tape and trash bags over windows. I took it further and sealed edges of door so when it shuts zero% light gets in. Even after eyes adjust I saw nothing in darkness. I got the best sleep ever.

Then moved from residency and wife said you can't put duct tape over the windows and now I just don't sleep. "black out curtains" are a joke. I use a passable eye mask.
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Dude why didn’t you tell me?

Blackout EZ Window Covers, 100% Total Window Black Out for Night Shifters, Home Theaters, Napping Kids, RVs and More!

Blackout EZ is the only window treatment that provides 100% total blackout
blackoutez.com

These are amazing!
 
Just bought a new house

will look into there

fantastic

thx
 
8 Sleep mattress cover. Life changing. It's definitely pricey but now I wish I'd done it sooner, it's made that much of a difference in my ability to stay cool in bed and stay asleep.
 
Apollyon said:
You don't have to worry about dementia, because psychosis and death will come much earlier (50% will become psychotic after 5 days of literal no sleep, and just about 100% of people will die if no sleep, at all, for 10 days).

During Hell Week at BUD/S, they even get 4 hours of sleep during the week (not per night - 4/168).
Click to expand...

Just how is it that you know so much odd military data?

Not being argumentative. You frequently surprise me with this and similar data.

You and southerndoc.
 
I've been doing almost all nights for 2 years now. Biggest things that help me are routine and room temperature. I don't have a wife or kids so the routine is fairly easy to keep consistent, but I feel it helps get me relaxed so I can sleep, especially if the night was rough and I keep thinking about cases.
Also, how do you guys keep facemasks on? I basically need duck tape.
 
I'm not 100% nights. I wear shades home after my night shift to minimize light exposure. 68 degrees, black out shades but it's not 100% (I've never been able to wear eye shades, they always fall of my face) Earplugs don't work because I have chronic tinnitus and it makes the ringing more loud. +/- noise machine. Melatonin 5mg, valerian root ~2g. Occasionally, I'll take an ambien if I'm wound up and need to sleep immediately. Occasionally Benadryl but I really hate the grogginess so I try to avoid Benadryl or vistaril. If I get in early enough and am just winding down, small glass of scotch helps me relax and finally get tired (or sleepy time tea). I'll usually sip on that and play video games for about an hour and then I'm usually yawning and able to go to bed. I don't think there's any perfect way to do nights. Some people are just genetically better able to handle nocturnal life. I've always been fine with nights once my body is adjusted but terrible at it when alternating between days. I know an older guy (nocturnist) I used to work with in his 60s who could flip between nights and days with zero issues and seemed incredibly rested and happy on his shifts. I have no idea how he did it.
 
This is my set up with black out cellular shades and sleepy time tracks (first picture with the door open, second pic with it closed). A small amount of light comes through the top pull down tab because they're top down bottom up, but I think this is the best compromise between light blocking and functionality/esthetics for my SO to be able to use the window treatments seamlessly when I'm not sleeping. The most light comes through under the bathroom and entrance doors, but not enough to bother me. I've never been able to sleep with a mask on.
 

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I used aluminum foil in college taped over the window in my apartment. It's jenky as F but it worked.
 
LWOBS_16 said:
8 Sleep mattress cover. Life changing. It's definitely pricey but now I wish I'd done it sooner, it's made that much of a difference in my ability to stay cool in bed and stay asleep.
Click to expand...
Can you start warmer then get colder with this thing?
 
Dakota said:
When working 12s - get home, eat, go to bed, sleep 4 hours, cry before going back to work.

When working 10s or shorter - get home, eat, go to bed, sleep 4 hours. Stay awake for a few hours, back in bed for a few hours before going back to work.

I used to use benadryl with moderate success but stopped over concerns about dementia (wonder what the dementia risk is from never sleeping?). Melatonin never really helped. Several co-workers swear by provigil.

Alternative option - fellowship?
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Rookies, I cry on my hour drive in to work. All about efficiency.
 
Check out the free app called White Noise (the lite is the free version - it's plenty). You can customize sounds, and even record your own to create custom loops. Sometimes I feel like crickets and campfire. Sometimes I want a thunderstorm. Lately I like to pretend I'm lying in Delta One somewhere over the Atlantic, albeit without the flight attendants murmuring in the galley. (Soon... soon...)
 
sylvanthus said:
Rookies, I cry on my hour drive in to work. All about efficiency.
Click to expand...
Efficiency levels

Rookies: Cry before going driving to work.
Veterans: Cry on the way to work.
Peak: Cry through work.
 
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