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Travel Fitness: How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep As A Trucker

Expert truck drivers must master the skill of sleeping in the cab of their rig. Finding a way to sleep while your teammate is behind the wheel or in a parking lot full of loud, idling semi-trucks might be challenging.

 

Check out these truck driver sleeping strategies if you’re having trouble getting the recommended seven or more hours of sleep every night while on the road.

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 Travel Fitness: How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep As A Trucker

Eat Smaller Meals 

Having worked hard all day, driving for many hours, you may feel like indulging in a substantial dinner as a reward. While this sounds like a great idea, and this kind of food will be easy to find at a truck stop, for example, it’s not the best if you want to get to sleep, stay asleep, and sleep for as long as you need. That’s because greasy, fatty foods take longer to digest; therefore, if your body is still working hard, it will be more challenging to sleep. 

 

If you desperately want a more unhealthy meal, make it your lunchtime. For dinner, it’s better to have vegetables and protein instead. Not only will you sleep better, but it will also help you be generally healthier. 

Have A Comfortable Place To Sleep

One of our best truck driver sleeping recommendations is to ensure that your bed is a relaxing sanctuary where you can unwind after a long day on the road. The double or single bunk in your sleeper cab can seem more like home with the addition of a high-quality mattress topper, a warm sleeping bag or sheets, a familiar blanket, and a comfortable pillow.

 

The more comfortable you can make the bed you’re sleeping in, the better you’ll sleep. So although you might not consider it a real bed or think too much about it when you’re not in it, investing in some good bedding and as much comfort as possible is a good idea. It really will make a difference. Be it at home or on the road. A mattress seems like an expense you don’t need right now. But so are medical bills for aches and pains that could have been avoided. Travel fitness and how to get a good night’s sleep as a trucker isn’t a joke sleep is critical to our overall health and is one of the top issues affecting the overall health that ages us. 

Have Time To Unwind 

One of the issues for truck drivers is their schedules. There isn’t much time to get enough rest sometimes, depending on where they have to go and when they need to be there. However, even if your timings are pretty tight, you must still get enough sleep and, on top of that, schedule some relaxation before you sleep. This could be just an extra 30 minutes, but it is necessary for good sleep. 

 

If you go straight from the road to dinner to bed, your mind won’t have time to settle, and you’ll find it hard to sleep because your thoughts will still be whirling. This is why you need a little time to do something to relax you. This might be reading, listening to music, going for a walk, or enjoying Delta 9 Gummies, for example (although remember, you must not drive and have gummies simultaneously, and every driver should have a conversation with their employer before ingesting CBD regardless). 

Listen To Something Soothing

You can do anything that relaxes you, but it’s best to stay away from screens. The blue light they emit can make it even harder to fall asleep. 

Sleep is essential for all drivers to put their best foot forward as professional drivers when it comes to travel fitness how to get a good night’s sleep as a driver, don’t forget to check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s meditations to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer so you can get that REM Zzzzz.

5-5-5 Breath Simple Meditation for travel fitness how to get a good night’s sleep as a trucker AUDIO SLEEP TRACK!

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How Can I Control My Anxiety?

If you are dealing with anxiety, it’s easy to feel things spiraling out of control. After all, one anxious thought often leads to another, creating a vicious cycle of negative thinking that can be hard to pull away from. However, it’s important to note that there are specific steps you can take to better handle the situation.

 

For example, you could: 

 

Set aside some time to ‘worry.’ Spending hours every day worrying is not a good use of time – nor is it productive. This is because it often stands in the way of you making positive changes to improve the situation you’re worried about in the first place. However, sometimes, worries can consume our every waking moment. One way to reduce this is by setting aside a little time to ‘worry’ about something. For example, if an anxious thought enters your brain, give yourself five minutes to worry about it. Then, take a deep breath and think about what you’re going to do to resolve it. 

 

Consider taking supplements or gummies. In some cases, supplements and gummies can be a great, natural way to ease anxiety. For example, Delta 9 THC Gummies contain premium, dispensary-grade THC, a product used in wellness treatments for centuries. In addition to boosting your mood, it could also help you to deal with the physical symptoms of your anxiety, such as muscle ache, pain, and tension. However, as a CDL Professional Driver, be mindful that some companies do not permit the use of CBD products, and many CBD companies cannot guarantee 100% certainty that their products are THC free and not all products are created equal. Always proceed cautiously and consult a well-educated wellness professional or your primary care doctor before taking any new supplements. 

 

Get excited about exercise. Regular exercise is more than just a step on your health journey. It can also help with anxiety. This is because working out boosts your body’s production of mood-boosting endorphins. As a result, it’s essential that you commit to a regular exercise schedule. If you find it hard to maintain exercise motivation, branch out by trying various activities until you find one you truly love. Here at Mother Trucker Yoga, we believe in starting small and focusing on consistency. Remember, effective workouts can exist out of the gym, whether you join a local sports team or take up running.

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Give yourself a break. Another way to reduce anxiety is by letting go of perfectionism and giving yourself a break. Remember that taking time off from work and social activities is okay, especially if this time will allow you to take better care of your mind. In most cases, taking a break gives you a chance to clear your mind, process what you are going through, and even help you find a quick solution to your problems. Taking a break also involves ensuring that you get plenty of sleep.

 

Speak to someone. Opening up to your friends and family or even a professional is one of the most effective ways to combat stress and anxiety. This is because having someone listen to you proves you are not alone. This can help the entire situation seem much more manageable. Talking out loud also helps us to better process our emotions and feelings. Finally, speaking to others means they can share tips, tricks, and coping mechanisms with you that can make a real difference in how you approach your anxiety moving forward. 

 

What Truck Drivers Need to Know About CBD

Emerging studies on the long-term effects of common prescription drugs (e.g. painkillers, corticosteroids) have raised significant public interest in natural alternatives to conventional medicine. Everything from turmeric capsules to essential oil-infused topical balms are now commonplace in American homes, and understandably so. However, it’s safe to say no natural compound has skyrocketed in popularity quite like cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD.

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What is CBD?

CBD is one of several chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. CBD is the primary cannabinoid in non-psychoactive varieties of cannabis, such as hemp. It is distinguishable from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in that it does not impair judgment or motor function as a side effect, which is commonly known as a “high.” CBD is currently being studied for a range of potential health benefits, which will be discussed in the next section.

 

There are plenty of different CBD products available today, including oils, tinctures, capsules, and edibles. You can also buy CBD concentrates — which are made from pure CBD extract — or isolates, which are CBD extracts with all other cannabis compounds removed entirely. Isolates come in both oil and powder forms; uses of CBD isolate powder include infusion into everything from smoothies to DIY soap bars.

 

So what can CBD do for you? In this post, we go over how CBD can benefit a large number of prospective users, as well as whether or not it’s right for truck driver health in particular.

 

A Look at The Scientific Literature

CBD has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms of disorders characterized by chronic anxiety, mood disorders and seizures. It is also being studied for its role in relieving associated conditions of common diseases such as persistent nausea or dizziness from cancer treatment, mood swings from Alzheimer’s disease, muscle spasticity from multiple sclerosis or tremors from Parkinson’s disease.

 

Perhaps the most notable and well-documented aspect of CBD’s therapeutic potential is its natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. It can be used as an add-on or supplementarily with conventional therapies and medications for a variety of chronic pain conditions including fibromyalgia, back pain and migraines. Users also report significant relief from chronic inflammatory disorders such as arthritis and gout. Truck driver health issues like these are very common.

 

How exactly does it work?

CBD is one of several cannabinoids whose effects are derived from their interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a network of receptors categorized into groups; the cannabinoid-type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid-type 2 (CB2) receptor groups are the most relevant. These receptor groups are primarily located in the nervous system, peripheral organs, and immune system.

 

The observable therapeutic effects are rooted in its modulatory influence on CB1 and CB2 receptors, which can positively affect the body’s sensitivity, uptake, and response to hormones (e.g. serotonin, dopamine) and neurotransmitters (e.g. cytokines, prostaglandins) which have beneficial implications on everything from pain or anxiety disorders to recurring sleep dysfunction.

 

Given its significant number of health-positive properties, lack of psychoactivity, and legal status across the United States, CBD has become incredibly popular among consumers from a variety of walks of life. However, it isn’t entirely without risks or downsides for truckers, which we’ll briefly go over below.

 

Should You Take CBD?

There’s a risk that these products could raise a red flag on an employer’s drug test for controlled substances. This is due to THC’s schedule I drug classification under the DEA’s drug scheduling system. Although CBD enjoys legal status across all 50 states at present, it still is a component of the cannabis plant, so less sophisticated test kits could detect it or other secondary cannabinoids as a false positive.

 

As of this writing, it’s not recommended to supplement with CBD without consulting your employer about it directly. After doing so, be sure to use only the isolates form. With all other cannabis cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids removed, isolates significantly reduce the chances of a problematic drug test.

 

When Would CBD Be Right for You?

To completely avoid the risk of drug test issues, it might be best to avoid supplementation altogether until after retirement. Our Stiff Mother Trucker Pain Relief Cream or Mini Acupressure Ball are examples of safe, risk-free options for managing pain. For inflammation, sleep dysfunction or tremors, there are also market alternatives to CBD. When it comes to truck driver health issues it’s important to play on the side of safety and never put your career on the line. 

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CBD is increasingly well established as a natural compound with impressive therapeutic potential. However, it isn’t without its risks in terms of workplace drug tests. Be sure to do your due diligence to find out if CBD supplementation is right for you.