Sleep Inertia

[pittspilot]

This subject has been brought up as the result of Oscar Pistorius case (http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...ve_caused_him_to_mistake_reeva_steenkamp.html)

I have always been interested if anyone has put forward a conscious (or subconscious) method for shortening sleep inertia so that one could come awake fully instantaneously.

I believe that it is biologically possible based on an experience. The 1992 Lander Earthquake occurred at 4:57 am. I was fast asleep in bed in a two story house. I remember sitting bolt upright in bed and being as wide awake as I am now. (maybe more so, I have been at work all day). It took me all of a millisecond to realize why I was awake as the Landers Quake was not subtle. Others have told me about the same type of experience in different contexts.

So it biologically possible, but can it be controlled? Of course, this falls under strategy and tactics because it would be way better to come full awake upon hearing a bump in the night at 3:45 compared to a 30 minute sleep inertial event when I am running at 50% capacity.

Thoughts?

 

[MedWheeler]

As a kid, particularly in adolescence, I had a very hard time transitioning from deep sleep to an aware-awake status. I would be awakened by my mother to carry out a chore or something, and would be unaware of why I would be up. I'd have some recollection of the subsequent conversations that would take place, but would not be fully awake. As an example, I was at least once awakened to walk the dog and put the trash out for collection. I left the house with the dog's leash (but not the dog), placed it on top of the trash can as if it were the lid, and put it out by the curb.

After turning eighteen, most all of my jobs have had me working nights or other non-conventional hours, and some, such as EMS, have me going very quickly from REM-sleep to emergent crisis response, with no apparent difficulties. This probably has helped a lot.

That being said, my bedside firearm sits in a location high enough to require that I get out of bed to a fully-standing position, which will put it at my weak side, and turn my strong side to it to grab it. I don't think I'll do that in my sleep.

 

[Onward Allusion]

I'm in IT and up until about 5 years ago, the company I'm at had some serious system issues. We were experiencing growing pains and had a difficult time transitioning from an environment run by cowboys and loose cannons to one much more structured.

During that period, I would get calls in the middle of the night on a regular basis - 3 or more times per week and usually in the middle of the night. It got to the point where I would answer the phone within 1 or 2 rings. My tone was professional tone, my mind clear, and I was 100% awake even though I had been sleeping soundly 2 seconds ago.

It was training. There were a couple of times where there were bumps in the night and my reaction time was basically the same. Again, I was used to it BUT I'm guessing sleeping so lightly was probably not too good for my health. I don't think I could do it these days without re-training. I still am a pretty light sleeper most of the time, though.

So YES, it can definitely be controled - sleeping with one eye open... but seriously, I would not want to do that ever again unless I truly had to.

 

[holdencm9]

I think naturally, adrenaline helps.

 

[thefish]

Th

So it biologically possible, but can it be controlled? Of course, this falls under strategy and tactics because it would be way better to come full awake upon hearing a bump in the night at 3:45 compared to a 30 minute sleep inertial event when I am running at 50% capacity.

Thoughts?

Yes, it is possible.

Don't hear a "bump in the night" and assume it's go time.

Secure your home at night, arm an alarm, and then the only "bump in the night" will be a 120dB siren. That will definatelly get you right awake.

I hear bumps in the night all the time, but I know that it's only either my kids, or wife up in the night for any one of many reasons, fireplace oilcanning, house creaking, icemaker dropping ice, whatever. so I don't get freaked out about it and immediatelly assume there is a burgular.

Now, if the alarm goes off, that's a different story.

I guess if you didn't want to get an alarm, you could do some conditioning with a clock radio and specific timed tasks in the middle of the night, but that would probably interrupt your sleep schedule pretty good. I could think of a few ways to do it.

 

[Texan Scott]

I have dogs. If the Scotty yaps, I wake a bit, listen, and roll over. When the older Doberman mix bays, I get the 357. I am FULLY awake VERY quickly at that point. I know from experience that when she sounds her "panic" bark, more often than not a person has been on my porch at 2am....
It IS a conditioned response, like the instant response to a child's scream of pain as opposed to general kid yelling. Parents know what I'm talking about.

 

[mcdonl]

pitts, do you live in an area with a fire department call company? I quite frequently will be sound a sleep and 90 seconds later pulling out of my driveway responding to medical emergencies, codes, or fires.

It takes some getting used to, but you will learn how good you can navigate in the pitch blackness under stress. I live on the far end of town so I have to really boogie (In a safe way) to get to calls in a timely manner.

And, it is very rewarding and pays pretty well if you have the right license level.

 

[scaatylobo]

Actual test

I had a test of my abilitys and yes it was a few years back,but this is what happened.

I was living in Da Hood and my house was fenced on all sides by chainlink fencing.
Hearing the fence rattled at about 03:00 in the morning,I awoke and grabbed a large maglight [ my duty light ] and my 1911 Colt and opened 3 door locks and was chasing a male through the yard before he got over the 6' fence in front of house.
I noted as I exited that there was a cruiser light shining through my yard and as I had to open the gate to follow the runner,I saw 2 LEO's [ fellow co workers ] with a perp doing the ghettp macarana on a patrol car.
I saw them look at me as I was wearing my tighty whiteys and a smile,I looked at my feet and saw the runner from my yard in the bushes and 'convinced him' to stand and be taken to the officers at the cruiser.
The matter was told in a very amusing way by the 2 who took the runner & the other back to the assault scene they had fled.
Point is that from a sound sleep you can go to "condition red" ,at least that was my experience and I was happy to know I had "it" in me.
Hope this was not OT to the OP.

 

[pittspilot]

Interesting thoughts guys keep them coming.

 

[CSC_Saint]

The subconscious mind continues to work even though we're asleep, common knowledge there, right? However, your subconscious mind is very efficient at determining what is and is not a possible threat while you sleep. Most people don't realize that the subconscious mind will filter out background noises and sounds that are normal. Easiest way to see the how this works is to stay in different places and see what wakes you and does not. You'll notice that you wake more in unfamiliar terrain because your subconscious mind hasn't trained itself to know what's safe and what is threat.

I can sleep through a bomb, literally done it before, but if I hear the pitter patter and crunch of carpet down the hall, I'm instantly awake and alert as my subconcious brain knows that it's not normal background noise. I can sleep through my daughter crying in the middle of the night, but if she's crying from pain I'm instantly awake. The subconscious mind is capable of jolting you awake and alert if it percieves a threat.

 

[Isaac-1]

This may all work great 9 out of 10 times, but it really is that other time that we should be training for. That time when whatever it is hits you at the wrong park of your sleep cycle, I am sure it has happened to most of us, that suddenly something happen to wake you and even if your used to being awake and alert in quickly this one time it seems to take 10 times as long as normal, your more disoriented that you would have expected and looking back on it your not sure what your actions were in the first few seconds after you were awakend.

 

[4season]

I think naturally, adrenaline helps.

Adrenaline can sure do funny things. I used to work for a home healthcare supply. When I was on call that pager would go off anytime during the night. I could wake up, calmly and politely return the call, talk them thru some simple steps to get there equipment going again, and be back in bed asleep in 10 minutes. By the way we did not provide emergency service, my standard response to a middle of the night panic was "If grandma is turning blue, don't call me, call 911." But there were plenty of times I would have to go out in the middle of the night to fix or replace an oxygen setup when I would have to go from full asleep to fully dressed driving down the road in 5-10 minutes. However I remember one night waking up to the smoke detector going off, and in 5 seconds I went from full asleep to the other end of the house to get my son, realizing along the way that there was no fire, it was just the dust burning off the heat coils when they kicked on for the first time that winter. Within 10 seconds I was having to explain to my wife, who was stumbling sleepy down the hall, why instead of rescuing our 6 month old from his bedroom I was climbing on a chair to take the smoke alarm down. That night took a few hours for the adrenaline to drop off to go back to sleep.

 

[beatledog7]

For a year I lived under the port side bow catapult on an aircraft carrier, and I learned to sleep through a launch. For two years I lived on a submarine, where the sudden absence of familiar sounds would snap me awake.

It's all in what one is used to.

 

[gfpd707]

pitts, do you live in an area with a fire department call company? I quite frequently will be sound a sleep and 90 seconds later pulling out of my driveway responding to medical emergencies, codes, or fires.

It takes some getting used to, but you will learn how good you can navigate in the pitch blackness under stress. I live on the far end of town so I have to really boogie (In a safe way) to get to calls in a timely manner.

And, it is very rewarding and pays pretty well if you have the right license level.

I too go from dead asleep to minutes later having to make life or death decisions. My wife takes at least 20 minutes to wake up. I have gone from being fast asleep to driving a fire truck down a snowy highway and then having to cut someone out of a car. Its all about conditioning your body to react in a certain way.

 

[bainter1212]

Of course, when you get older and have numerous aches and pains, sleeping deeply is hard to do anyway That being said, Basic Training was pretty much the turning point for me. Always been able to jump right out of bed after that.

 

[billymarr]

As bainter1212 put it I have been the same way since basic. Also helps living in war zones over the years. I find I am more alert when I get 4 to 6 hours sleep then when I get 7 to 8.

 

[Bobson]

I've got a few questions about this as well. My own experiences with going from a state of deep sleep to a state of pure, woken awareness in a matter of a second or two (some of those experiences being here in the states, as well as a few having taken place in the middle east) leave me extremely curious what effect this has on the heart itself, and on the human body in general.

Specifically related to the physical stress experienced when this occurs, is anyone in a position to chime in on this with either medical knowledge or firsthand experience?

 

[mcdonl]

Bobson. This was not a perfect test but my normal HR is around 60BPM resting and my BP around 120/80 controlled with medication. I am 44. Last night I got a call for a 34 year old man not breathing. 5 minutes later I was in the back of the rescue and my HR was 88 and my BP was about 128/82 so I was certainly "jacked up" but not as bad as I thought. I could not "feel" it like I do when I enter a burning building or witness someone coding.

I do not know if it is more like exercise (makes your heart stronger) or conversely every time you get in a state of panic or arousal it weakens your heart. I just took a reading because I was thinking of this thread.

Psychologically it certainly has an impact. Things that are a life as death emergency to some people are routine to me.

Now. All of that said my observations are only focused on the notion of rapid awakening and dealing with emergencies. No threat to my life other than the road conditions last night.


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[gyp_c2]

Ha!

...That's easy...
...Babies!...
That particular critter can induce death-like trances and instant, full-on awareness in less than a heartbeat!

 

[ATLDave]

I'm sure the extent/severity of this varies from person to person. And the severity of it will vary depending on what part of your sleep cycle the interruption lands on.

FWIW, this is exactly why, contrary to what some here advocate, I don't like the idea of a loaded gun within arm's reach of the bed. I want to have to do some manipulations (open a box/safe, drop empty mag, operate slide, take off safety) before I even have the option of pulling a trigger. Would that slow down my reaction time? Sure. But I have dogs in the house, and I figure they'll buy me a few seconds while I go through the above. No approach is perfect, and I'm more than willing to trade off a little reaction time in order to reduce the chance of accidentally shooting someone who doesn't need to be shot.

 

[CSC_Saint]

FWIW, this is exactly why, contrary to what some here advocate, I don't like the idea of a loaded gun within arm's reach of the bed. I want to have to do some manipulations (open a box/safe, drop empty mag, operate slide, take off safety) before I even have the option of pulling a trigger. Would that slow down my reaction time? Sure. But I have dogs in the house, and I figure they'll buy me a few seconds while I go through the above. No approach is perfect, and I'm more than willing to trade off a little reaction time in order to reduce the chance of accidentally shooting someone who doesn't need to be shot.

+1 to that. My nightstand gun is also amber(mag in, empty chamber) for the very reason you have described. My time in Iraq illustrated just how easily a sleepy and not fully awake person can do considerable harm to those around them unintentionally. Thankfully no rounds ever actually got discharged in this manner, but there were a few close calls. What saved us from tragedies was the manipulation of our weapons thus bringing the sleepy guys fully awake and realizing that they were about to make a big booboo. I myself had one of those close calls.

Granted, these incidents happened overseas in combat environments, however, they could just as easily happen in the home environment. Don't take this as a "you shouldn't do it your way, my way is better and safer", just be aware of this possibilty as you make your defense plans and preparations.