Sleeping

[Catfish]

I can't fall asleep for the life of me in a hotel. This was made more glaring over the past week at nationals. I can usually get by at 1 or 2 day matches in a hotel but spending 5 nights in a hotel for nats and not sleeping worth a damn has flat worn me out.

At home, I'm usually asleep before I hit the pillow. On the road, I'm up about every hour on the hour.

I've tried taking OTC sleeping pills, and if they do knock me out, I usually stay groggy through the morning and if I was shooting a match, that's not good.

Any advice?

[G-ManBart]

I just got back from two weeks of vacation (managed to get a match in the middle too!) and both my wife and I were worn out by the time we got back. I found that in the nicer hotels they have better beds and pillows and that makes a big difference. I honestly think that I'd prefer having my own pillow to my own bed as most at hotels just suck and I can't get comfortable. I do try to get the temp as close to it is at home and make sure the blinds are totally closed to block out as much light as possible. Keeping the fan/AC running can make some white noise that will block some of the sounds from the hallways. Also, never thought about it before, but the light coming in under the door from the hallway can be distracting. I think I'm going to put a towel on the floor at the base of the door to block out the light next time I'm in a hotel.

[lynn jones]

try 2 of these:

[Singlestack]

I spend a LOT of time in hotels. I have found, for me, I sleep better on my pillow. I always carry my pillow with me when I'm on the road. It is a little comfort from home.

I usually have trouble my first night out so I take a Advil PM and sleep like a baby.

[AlamoShooter]

Go to more out of town matches, ..no Im not being my-self. and Or if you go to a Sunday shoot sleep in another bed and room the night before. What I like the best is to take my wife to the event and ..Youknow

She does kind of wonder though if she doesn't go and I shoot well

I do know that you can talk your self INTO any thing... Like = "I hate sleeping in Hotel Rooms"

Change that to "This IS a Great Room" "I CAN get some good rest in this room"

Say it out loud say it like you are talking to a small child.

[38supPat]

Go to more out of town matches, ..no Im not being my-self. and Or if you go to a Sunday shoot sleep in another bed and room the night before. What I like the best is to take my wife to the event and ..Youknow

She does kind of wonder though if she doesn't go and I shoot well

I do know that you can talk your self INTO any thing... Like = "I hate sleeping in Hotel Rooms"

Change that to "This IS a Great Room" "I CAN get some good rest in this room"

Say it out loud say it like you are talking to a small child.

Or try "This is a great room, many people have had sex on this very bed."

Feel better now?

[Scooter]

Having sex might help.

[carinab]

Having done many a major match and stayed at less then desirable accommodations (like the weekly hire floor at the Elkton in Quincy....yeah, thought I'd be shooting a bonus stage), here is the recipe:

Comfortable ear plugs that you can wear all night (alternatively, ear buds with some sort of "your the bomb at shooting" message on mp3 repeating)

A single adult beverage for relaxation

One melatonin tablet

Just like you have a routine when you LAMR, have a beddy-bye routine that relaxes you (I won't speculate WHAT that would include)

[BSeevers]

Melatonin, no groggy.

PS Earplugs for your loud snoring roommate

PSS My relaxing technique includes a range hostess but that is not a sure thing

Edited September 15, 2007 by BSeevers

[jimbob_texas]

I can't fall asleep for the life of me in a hotel. This was made more glaring over the past week at nationals. I can usually get by at 1 or 2 day matches in a hotel but spending 5 nights in a hotel for nats and not sleeping worth a damn has flat worn me out.

At home, I'm usually asleep before I hit the pillow. On the road, I'm up about every hour on the hour.

I've tried taking OTC sleeping pills, and if they do knock me out, I usually stay groggy through the morning and if I was shooting a match, that's not good.

Any advice?

Stop spooning with Dave before bedtime. That's not good for you.

[Viggen]

Bring your own pillow.

Use earplugs.

[dajarrel]

For me the beds are not a problem....but the pillows are terrible. At Tulsa, they looked like three big marshmallows on the bed. I sure wish I had taken my pillow with me.

dj

[Gameplayer]

Ditto on your own pillow and earplugs.

[big_kahuna]

I can't fall asleep for the life of me in a hotel. This was made more glaring over the past week at nationals. I can usually get by at 1 or 2 day matches in a hotel but spending 5 nights in a hotel for nats and not sleeping worth a damn has flat worn me out.

At home, I'm usually asleep before I hit the pillow. On the road, I'm up about every hour on the hour.

I've tried taking OTC sleeping pills, and if they do knock me out, I usually stay groggy through the morning and if I was shooting a match, that's not good.

Any advice?

Stop spooning with Dave before bedtime. That's not good for you.

Be careful... spooning leads to forking.

[AustinMike]

I don't need to be in a hotel to have trouble sleeping. I just can't get my mind to shut down some nights in my own bed. An herbal tea with Valerian (or in pill form) seems to work for me.

[JThompson]

It's a pillow and fan for me G-Man's white noise comment is spot on. If I have a fan and my pillow, even if the bed sucks, I can usually pop off with not problems. If it's a road trip I always bring my own fan.

[STInky]

+1 for ear plugs and your own pillow. I got hooked sleeping in ear plugs when I worked 3rd shift and had to try to sleep during the day.....

Now it seems I usually can't sleep without them.

[Chris Keen]

Great ideas guys. The pillows at Tulsa really were crap. One was not enough for me, but two of them stacked up was too much. Perfect if you want a crick in your neck for the next days shooting. Ear plugs are a must when your roommate snores like a Grizzly Bear. "Hey, if you're going to be a bear ..... "

I'll have to try the Melatonin stuff, because like AustinMike sometimes I can't cant turn off. I lay there thinking about the stages I have shot, as well as the ones I'm about to shoot. Nationals is a big event and there's more to it than just the shooting. I had a blast but yes, I did not get much sleep.

[cking]

Ear plugs and pillows will help, but on a long trip you find yourself running down. So I use the napping during the day, it only takes a few minutes nap to charge the battery. Especially after lunch. Find anyplace comfortable where you can rest your head, or bring a folding chair. Put you ear plugs in put on some shades sit and relax and pretty soon I'm asleep for 15/20 minutes then I awake and ready for few more hours. I like someplace where I can watch women walk by, if possible, that rocking of the hips motion as they are walking away from you, puts a smile on my face, a fond memory in my mind and .... well you know.

[RacerX1166]

I travel a lot and, as odd as it seems, sleeping in a hotel is an acquired skill for me. If I'm on a group of back to back trips, I sleep like a baby; If I haven't been out for awhile, I have some trouble.

Anyway, I've always found that a melatonin helps and keeping the fan on in the room works well. Don't take my own pillow but the hotels I stay in (usually Courtyards) always have a bunch of pillows on the bed and I can approximate my own pillow setup from home by adding or fluffing.

In fact, this last trip, I found a setup I liked better than home so I ran out today and got new pillows.

[jimbob_texas]

For me the beds are not a problem....but the pillows are terrible. At Tulsa, they looked like three big marshmallows on the bed. I sure wish I had taken my pillow with me.

dj

I took mine!

And then left it there.

[Nemo]

I used to have the same issue. After more nights in hotels than what I care for, I'm used to it. I just turn on the TV and 5-10 minutes later I'm out.

Have a beer or two before hitting the sack. Don't mix them with the PM stuff.

[No.343]

I travel a bit and it's often hard to sleep the first couple of nights. I try to make sure I do everything that I can get done the night before the flight, so I'm usually up past 1AM which makes me pretty tired. After work go hits the weights and sit at a table, not the bar, for a small steak, rice and a glass of Baileys Irish Cream for dessert. Set the alarm before you take your shoes off, just in case you fall asleep.

[MichiganShootist]

I used to travel a lot between the mid-west and Asia.... jet lag was a bitch. It's a 12 hour + one day time difference. Melatonin does help... lots of pilots and airline staff use it and you can take many times the dosage on the label if you talk to your own doc about it first....in fact I take it for a few days before I travel and I start to sleep on the schedule of my destination. If that means getting up a couple hours early and going to bed a couple hours early... big deal...

As to the ear plugs and the "bring your own" pillow. I never did the take a pillow.. it just sounded a lot like a "blanky" right out of Peanuts.

I suggest that you consider using the ear plugs at home too for a week before you travel. (not the electronic kind )

When I retired "Up North" to a place where I can hear my cat walk across the carpet at night.. then my "road" sleepng really went to hell. All the sounds at the hotels were MUCH more of an issue because I wasn't used to ANY noise.

For hotels-- ask for (demand) a room at the end of a hall. The farther you can get from swimming pools, ice makers, screaming kids, and elevators the better. BTW cheap "white noise" can be found by letting the water in the shower run all night or by tuning the radio between stations. .... I've done that a hundred times.

Another alternative is to sleep deprive yourself a bit before a trip... so you'll sleep when you can... get up an incremental hour earlier every day for a week before the trip....Don't sleep on any plane... You really don't make it to REM and...and remember.. the night before a big match TGO probably wakes up a bit too

Edited September 17, 2007 by MichiganShootist

[Bob Hostetter]

I have always found that sipping 2 (or 4) shots of ice cold Patron Tequila while smoking a good cigar helps a lot................