GenCon, sleep, hard-core gaming and drowsy driving

[Michael Tree]

- Pielorinho, remember that 5-6 am is the worst, right around dawn. Be especially careful then. If you're well-rested when you start your drive, you should be okay.

This is quite true, and applies to dusk as well as dawn. It's not just because of how light affects our sleep cycle, but also becasue of the way our eyes work. The reasons are complicated, but in a nutshell, dusk/dawn light is too dim for the cones in our eyes to work properly, so our daylight vision is impaired, but it's also too bright for the rods in our eyes to work, so we don't have nightvision either. Because of the way the brain is wired, our reaction time and perception of motion are also impaired, and it's much more impairing than it feels.

For that reason, when driving long distances, I recommend always stopping for a break during dusk and dawn. Stopping for a half hour for breakfast or dinner will give your eyes and brain much needed rest, and will keep you off the road at the most dangerous times of the day.

 

[Caliban]

- As Know the Toe and Caliban (and Vivictus and Taren!) illustrated, this sort of thing happens to everyone - and no one is immune. You can't "tough out" fatigue no matter how much willpower you have, because it's physiological and not psychological. Sleepiness is something that happens to everyone, so you're a lot better off recognizing and dealing with it than trying to pretend it isn't going to be a problem. Hey, Caliban, I'm glad you're okay!

Thanks Piratecat.

I think the most amazing thing was that I went across three lanes of traffic at 4:30 PM in the afternoon, barely missed the telephone pole, flipped the truck on it's side, and didn't get a scratch on me or hurt anyone else.

I was wearing my seat belt, and simply climbed out of the truck after it over. My insurance paid me $6,000 for the truck, and I only owed $2,100 on it. So I paid of my credit cards and put a down payment on a newer vehicle.

I find it kind of disturbing that I ended up better off after the accident than before it.

 

[Henry]

I find it kind of disturbing that I ended up better off after the accident than before it.

Has your auto insurance renewal come up, yet?

 

[armac]

Piratecat,

Do you mind if I repost this on another gaming
message board?

I can either credit it to you as "Piratecat from
ENWorld" (and give these boards a plug), or
I could use your real name.

Angus

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

Heh, I wish I had seen this before Origins.

On my way home from the airport, I had a "micro-sleep" and ended up totalling my truck after fishtailing across three lanes of traffic on the freeway and flipping it on it's side in a ditch.

You drove all the way to the midwest for a convention, but went to Origins? I would have waited a month and gone to GenCon instead

Sorry about the truck, though. Good to hear you're okay.

 

[diaglo]

i'm sure P-kitty has read this. but for the rest of you. don't forget to visit my website.

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000701-d000800/d000705/d000705.html

 

[Piratecat]

Piratecat,

Do you mind if I repost this on another gaming
message board?

No, that'd be great! Please credit me as "Kevin Kulp (Piratecat at EN World)", and provide a link here so I can see.

Thanks!

 

[Iceman]

Question about waking up

Hey Kev,

I'm wondering...
What's a good way to wake up in the morning after a night of less-than-perfect sleep (either too short or too much disturbance - I have apnea)?

I don't drink coffee and can't stand soda in the am.
I've heard things like apples are great cause they have natural sugars - any truth here?

See you in two.
-VIC

ps
No RPGA title to fight over this year, what ARE we going to do with ourselves?

 

[jerichothebard]

... I thought it was worth mentioning a few things before folks head off to GenCon. With luck, maybe I can save someone from having an accident.

For people driving and gaming on short sleep:

See, that is why I like being a part of this community - people here actually think about this type of stuff and do nice things for each other! So, even though I am not going to Gen Con (something about being in CA and having no money...), thanks for the tips and thanks for thinking about us!

jtb

 

[WizarDru]

You ever wake up early and feel great, drowse back off, and wake up again feeling incredibly groggy? That's because you slipped back down into deep sleep. Everyone differs a little, but sleeping in multiples of 90 minutes (tweaked as you recognize your own patterns) is a good way to make sure you wake up feeling well rested.

Wow. Thanks, Kevin. This explains A LOT. When I started my current job last year, it required a sizable shift in my sleeping pattern, as I need to be at work by 7AM (requiring me to get up by 4:45AM). Since I don't get back home until 5:30PM, I only have a few hours with the kids, and then only maybe 1.5 to 2 hours to be an adult. As a night person, I tend to want to stay up late, making it even more difficult. Game nights are usually until 1AM (we start after the kids are asleep), so I'm constantly falling behind in sleep, it seems.

Questions, then:

1) Can you 'catch up' on sleep? I've always assumed that if I get extra sleep one day, I can sort of 'pay my sleep debt', so to speak.

2) What kind of effects can long-term sub-optimal sleeping patterns produce? That is, if I don't miss sleep, but short myself on it for long periods, what are the effects?