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Sleep Strategies
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by WO1N on June 10, 2000
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Excellent article, Randy. This mirrors my experiences also, particularly taking 2 to 3 days to recover! Mondays at work can be embarrassing even with a solid 12 hrs of sleep on Sunday night after the contest.
The sleep strategies in a multi-multi are much different. I often request operating slots that allow me to stay up the entire first night because I am so wired I can't sleep. If I can get an off time slot right after sunrise then I'm golden for the rest of Saturday. The past few years we've had 10 or so ops at K1TTT's. That has allowed us to schedule a 6 hr off time for everyone during the course of the 2nd day/night. At that point I have no problem sleeping at all!
Again, great article,
Ken
WO1N
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Sleep bank
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by G4iFB on June 11, 2000
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Good article! Good to see someone dispelling the crazy myths about 'altering sleep patterns by staying up later and later before a contest'!
I did some literature research on this a few years back when I worked for a power company. Operators on night shift have a vitally important operational and safety role to manage the station through the dead of night, when things get pretty quiet. One thing which stuck out, for me, was the advice to make the surroundings as bright as possible using strong lighting. this kind of fools the body into thinking it's still daytime, so the nighttime drowsiness is less evident.
Good shack lighting is simple enough to arrange at home, not so easy at a contest site (especially Field Day!). personally, I prefer bright white fluorescent strip lights which flicker less with the inevitable voltage fluctuations as you key the rig. Fluorescents are also highly efficient on power consumption. Halogen lights are a second favourite, especially if you rig up a battery-backed supply system (they are, of course, 12V units). The battery also reduces flicker and gives you the added advantage of emergency lighting if the mains/genny goes down. Beware the power requirements, though, as bright 50W halogen bulbs take around 4 A each at 12V (and as a consequnce, the bulbs get extremely hot - BEWARE THE FIRE RISK!).
GL all es hpe CU FD etc., 73 Gary G4iFB
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by ha1ag on June 21, 2000
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Excellent article !
I can only second the need of physical fittness. During my students year I actively played football and in those years I had much less problems with staying awake. Now, being 10 years older and and having 15 kg's more I have to struggle!
What I'd like to add and emphasize is the importance of your own life-rhytm. I usually go to bed around or after midnight and wake up around 6 o'clock. I have two dips, which are associated with my sleep cycle. The first dip I have around 23 GMT and the second at 04 GMT. Around these times I have to struggle to keep awake regardless of the activity on the bands. If I manage to get through the 40-60 minutes long dip, I will be OK till the next one.
About the nutrition... I eat hardly anything before or during the contest. I have some Muesli-bars with honey. However, I drink a lot. Here I really mean a lot: like 7 - 8 liters of mineral water during the 48 hours. Of course it has its consequences, but I don't mind. Every 1.5 or 2 hours I get up for 4-5 minutes to stretch my muscles, get a leak. During these breaks I decide what I'll do during the next cycle. The quick stretching is really refreshing.
73 de Zoli HA1AG
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RE: Sleep Strategies
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by n5xm on June 21, 2000
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Wonderful article! I have only been contesting for a couple of years, with all but one effort at a little gun station, but it's always been a blast as I've learned the strategies and tactics that allow me to sneak into pileups, which is very satisfying knowing that I got the station in the log before other more powerful stations could do so.
I am very familiar with sleep deprivation, as I've worked in Surgery, taking call for 26 years, working into all hours of the day and night, and Randy, you've got it nailed, man. Last year, ab5se, k5oy, and myself managed second nationally at Field Day from n5zs station in 2E, actually having more overall Q's but a few less CW contacts, so that will probably be the highlight of my contest career, but it is amazing how slow time can go at 0900Z.
I recall one single op effort from my shack, working phone, when I couldn't talk, and the words coming out of the headphone sounded like a foreign language. I felt like a zombie. My rate must have went down 75%. A hot shower and some coffee helped, but when you hit the wall, it's all over. So thanks for your insight. My goals are different in the sense that unless I'm working a multi-op from a real contest station, I'm in it to make some contacts, and have some fun, but sleep deprivation is real even then. 73
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