Good sleep important to safety, mission Published May 17, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Rojek 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Ah, the weekend - a time to stay up all night and sleep all day. Yet, come Monday morning, for some reason it's always hard to get up when your alarm blares. Why that "hard-to-get-out-of-bed" feeling come Monday morning? Proper rest doesn't happen overnight (so to speak). In order to keep their rest cycle in check, and remain "Ready to Fight, and Win, Tonight," Airmen should try to adhere to a self-set schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday can work wonders for better rest, said 1st Lt. Ross Canup, 51st Aerospace Medicine Squadron aerospace physiologist. "Don't expect to stay up all night on Friday and Saturday and get up at 6 a.m. Monday feeling fine," said Lieutenant Canup. "You'll get 'weekend jet lag.'" People need an average of seven to nine and a half hours of sleep each night, he said. Teens and those in their early 20s need more sleep, while beginning in their late 20s people need no less than seven hours. "The average American gets six hours and 54 minutes of sleep each night," said the lieutenant. "We are chronically fatigued. This has a huge impact on performance and safety." In fact, the number two reason for traffic fatalities in the military is fatigue, he said. In order for Airmen to keep themselves and their wingmen safe, they should make some behavioral and environmental changes to create a better sleep pattern. First, make the bedroom quiet and cool and as dark as possible. If light seeps in through the window, using an eye mask can help create an internal environment conducive to sleep. "Block out as much light as possible," said Lieutenant Canup. "Turn off your computer if it has blinking lights. Get rid of distracting factors." If noise is an issue, ear plugs can be used. They are sold at the Base Exchange, or people can purchase custom-made sleeping ear plugs. As for behaviors conducive to sleep, people can actually condition themselves to get proper rest. Having a routine that is done every night before bed can help get the body ready for slumber. "Take a drink of water, brush your teeth and floss, read and then lie down and sleep," said Lieutenant Canup. "Your body gets habituated to this if you do it all the time." Steering clear of huge meals, intense exercise, caffeine and alcohol near bedtime can also help with sleep problems. Huge meals can upset the stomach and intense exercise, while it may cause weariness, actually pumps adrenal hormones into the body. Caffeine is bad before bed for obvious reasons, but some people may not understand the effects of alcohol. "Alcohol messes up your sleep," said Lieutenant Canup. "If you have four or five (large drinks) and sleep for 14 hours, all that happens is your liver detoxifies your blood. That's all your body has time to do." Changing these behaviors will not only help people sleep better, but in turn will keep them healthy. "Poor sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and depression," said the lieutenant. "More sleep will decrease factors like these, including stress." Poor health and poor rest can lead to costly mistakes in the mission, so getting to sleep is vitally important. But what if a person just can't get some shut-eye? "Don't stay in bed," said Lieutenant Canup. "Get up and do something dull. I guarantee you'll fall asleep." For more information on proper rest, there will be a one-hour sleep class May 31 at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Health and Wellness Center.