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Sleep deprivation
I am on a busy ambulance anywhere from 10 to 20 calls a shift day. I did not realize how much the lack of sleep would affect me. When I get home I crash during the day. I wake up feeling like crap. I was wondering if anyone takes vitamins to curb the effects of sleep deprivation. Or if there is anything else I can do to feel more refreshed when I do sleep.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Eric Gregory on
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How long is a shift for you?
Are you getting adequate food and drink during your shift?
How long are you sleeping before you wake up feeling like crap?
What does your diet look like, well balanced or twinkies and a cup of coffee when you can grab one?
Taking a good multivitamin may help you some, as will ensuring you eat as regularly as you can.
Crashing at the end of a hard day at work is not that unusual, but if you're still feeling crappy when you wake up you may not be sleeping long enough or you may be going to sleep with other issues like not having eaten sufficiently or even being a bit dehydrated.
Talk to your shift mates, what do they do to combat this problem.
If it's a chronic problem perhaps talk with your doctor, maybe he can help you formulate a good diet and excercise plan or other regimen to help you feel more normal.
Another thought is you may be sleeping long, but are you sleeping well. Any issues emotionally dealing with the things you see at work or other things that are waking you up frequently?
Occasionally I'll go through a period where although I get a full 8 hours of sleep in a night I just never feel rested. At those times I'll buy a bottle of 1mg Melatonin and take one about 30 minutes before bedtime each night for about a week, doing so helps get my body back to a regular rhythm.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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What is the sleep environment that you are going home to? That in itself can make a huge impact. If you are going home to house with kids, neighborhood noises, daytime noises, light, heat, etc all can make an impact. There are many people who work third shift who have notes on their doors etc asking people not to ring doorbells, etc. If you live in an apartment, etc, well may not be able to do too much. Have you gotten an eye mask that you can wear to help darken the room you are in?
I know where you are coming from and I find myself coming home and going to be too, even on days where we had a rather quiet night. My mind is set between the home and the station and even at the station I find that I don't get a restful sleep because I tend to keep an ear open for the tones. At home I do find myself waking often through the night, but can still fall asleep.
Something else that may help is regular exercise, even if feeling groggy or like crap, it helps to get a workout in and the enhances the chance of getting a better nights sleep before a shift. Another thing is to create a schedule for after a workday to be able to go home and get some sleep, even if for a couple hours, and don't have coffee at shift change if off going. I have found that to work for me and haven't reverted to medications, herbal teas, etc, but those may be something to look into. Also make a regular schedule to go to bed on those non-shift days, a good night of sleep at home can help overcome those long shift days.
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Permalink Reply by 55 TRUCK on
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My advise is this...GET OFF THE BUS! Most fire dept. that run there own transporting ALS or BLS rigs, put the new meet on them especialy if there a Paramedic. Do you know how long you will be on the medic? is there a chance of bidding a spot on a engine or Truck? I to worked for a dept. that ran there own transporting medic. Being a Fireman/paramedic I spent alot of time on the bus. Indianapolis doesn't run the transporting side of ems. I am on a Engine now one of the bussiest in the city, we do 10 to 17 runs a shift. No sleep deprivation. I don't have to take poeple to the hospital and spend time typing reports etc. Being on a Engine,Truck or squad that does alot of runs is much better than even being on a slow Bus!
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Getting off the bus can be easier said than done and not all depts are comprised the same way as yours. EMS is a revenue generator and has been an entity that has helped keep staffing levels for many departments, so it shouldn't be just so easily feigned off as "giving up the card". I many of those depts that do run EMS, the ambulance crew is also a firefighting crew and responds to fires as well as medical calls, and do jobs like search, backup, etc, not just pt care.
It also depends on the setup of a dept and would further disagree with the "get off the bus" advice if one doesn't understand the set up for that dept. For one dept an hour from me, paramedic is a requirement to get the job and one does at least 5 years working on the bus before able to just be on a truck or pump. In a dept just south of the state border, it is set up with a 12 hour rotation. A medic is on the ambulance for 12 hours then on a different rig the other 12.
In my dept paramedic is a requirement to get hired yet we have a max number of days one could work on the ambulance before rotating to another rig. For us the max is 3 rounds (9 days) before going to either a pump or the truck. However, that may mean that someone goes to a different station to do so. So each station house can set up their own rotation and the house I'm at we have it basically worked out to two rounds (6 days) on the ambo and 2 rounds off. There are some who may be promoted to LT or Engineer who choose to ride for 9 days so they don't have to go to another station and there are those who do prefer being on the ambo as well.
The point is that there can be a balance as well that can help make it work with providing EMS AND transport. without reverting to the knee jerk of "get off the bus". I don't know the OP's dept make up and how things are established, heck he could be a private EMS provider and not on a fire dept. However, there should be a way to work out a rotation so that one does not get burned out on the job. And quite frankly, even if not riding the ambo, one can get burned out if the engine or truck is going on the same medical calls as the ambo. As such the aspect of sleep deprivation is still relevant.
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Permalink Reply by PATTI NEEDHAM on
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I have no desire to do anything in the morning i am getting off duty until about 30 minutes after i get off. I am tired and excited at the same time. I know that sounds weird but i think you understand so i go to the gym for about 40 minutes. Go home take a shower. Put on my jammie's and take cat naps on my couch with my doggie. I do this 90% of the time.
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"Blah, blah blah, get off the damn bus" doesn't account for the bigger picture now does it?
You are in Indy and the rest of the fire service does not revolve around your same operations, staffing and tactics. It can be quite easy to look from your own little world to come up with advice such as "get off the bus", but that doesn't account for the realitites of other departments now does it?
While it can be easy to make such a statement, what gets lost in such a statement is the reality that many depts rely upon EMS as a revenue generator to help off set cost for fire protection. In many communities this really IS a big deal, moreso than to just pass it off as nothing with such uneducated advice. EMS is a revenue generator for many depts and has been a branch to keep staffing and so forth and just shouldn't be easily passed off because you may particularly disagree.
So let's also look at the reality of the aspect at hand and sleep deprivation. In many and most depts engine and truck companies do EMS in some capacity and the reality is sleep deprivation can affect more than just those on the bus. Should that just be so easily feigned off as well?
Realisticly the aspect of providing EMS can affect more than just the one person. "Getting off the bus" is an easy and selfish response that doesn't account for the larger picture. Are you thus advocating that FFs be selfish and look out for themselves as opposed to the greater good of all? If this person gets off the bus only means someone else goes on it....so who does it? You?
That is the point here. It is easy to say some "blah, blah, blah....get off the bus" yet doesn't account for the larger picture now does it? Fact remains someone has to ride the damn bus, so who does it? Do you not think the same aspects won't affect someone else? Sure "get off the damn bus" is an easy answer.....yet reality is a good rotation can accomplish the same goal, along with answering the EMS aspect as well.
Care to debate this in an adult manner 55? Or will you just stick with a childish....blah, blah, blah?
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John, I thought that would get you goin. I was just busttin your balls...lol.
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dork
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All kidding aside. David, we do need more information about your dept. Is it a all carreer or a combo dept, number of firemen and out of that number how many are paraidiots, how many Ambulances does your dept. have, how many stations, coverage area, Do you fight fire off the Ambulances, How long is your average transport, etc?
I would say that I noticed you haven't been on the job very long. It will take a bit of time for your body to adjust to it. Even guys who've been on the job awhile have to adjust a bit when going from a slow house to one that does alot of runs.
You should also talk with the guys on your dept. who've been on awhile I am sure they can give you some good advise.
Are you with Elkhart fire dept.?
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