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 Can’t Sleep? Top 3 strategies for better sleep for truck driver health 

 Are you getting enough sleep at night? Do you have trouble staying focused during the day? Not having quality sleep can result in worsened health, and it’s as simple as it sounds. Your cognitive functions, ability to stay alert, assess situations, and handle stress are health qualities that are important in many professions, especially truck driver health and those who have long stressful work shifts. So if you’re suffering through bad nights of sleep, we’ve got you covered with our three strategies for better sleep for truck driver health.

Top 3 strategies for better sleep for truck driver health 

  1. Enforce a sleep schedule.

Your brain requires 7-8 hours of sleep to perform its duties efficiently. Usually, you wouldn’t need more than 8 hours in bed to be fully recharged and ready to go. So how do I enforce a sleep schedule on myself for truck driver health? 

Now for a person with a typical job, I recommend that they go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. However, if you are a truck driver working long late-night hours, these naps are necessary to cover your sleep debt. Try to minimize the time difference on weekends so your body can get used to a consistent and healthy sleep-wake cycle. Eliminate daytime naps as they interfere with your sleep cycles and impact overall agility. 

I understand the above might not work for most drivers. So you have to get creative and try to find some consistency. If your driver time is all over the place, what about your sleep schedule can you be consistent with. Not having screen time 15 – 30 minutes before bed, exercising and getting movement in, not eating a heavy meal before bed, and listening to a relaxing meditation help you relax before bed. Aromatherapy to relax, all of these things can help you get the sleep you need despite your erratic schedule.

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Pay attention to what you eat and drink.

Here’s the thing: your body has an intimate relationship with everything you eat and drink, so no wonder these habits may leave you restless throughout the night. It would help if you didn’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. 

Avoid having heavy meals right before bedtime as the discomfort may keep you up. Having a snack before rest is wonderful, so long as you are away from highly energizing meals or meals with foods that require a lot of digestion power.

Here are eight foods and drinks to consider before bed if you need that quick snack:

  1. Almonds.
  2. Turkey. Turkey is delicious and nutritious.
  3. Chamomile tea.
  4. Kiwi.
  5. Tart cherry juice.
  6. Fatty fish.
  7. Walnuts.
  8. Passionflower tea.

As for drinks: alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are not your friends. Stay away from beverages that include any of these if you want to have a good night of sleep. Alcohol may leave you feeling drowsy but will disturb you later in the night. Alcohol can also lead to weight gain, other health issues, and other truck driver health issues. Consider drinking in moderation and never when it would cause problems while out on the road. 

 Nicotine is a stimulant, much like caffeine, and will keep you awake when your body heavily needs sleep. You may want to remember that cigarettes introduce nicotine to your system and keep you awake. If you can’t fall asleep, look at your smoking habits. 

Create a calming environment

Here’s the strategy that will certainly help you wind down before bed. Turn off light-emitting devices like phones and TVs at least an hour before the time you intend to sleep. Create an ideal space for sleeping soundly. 

Pick up reading, writing in journals, taking a bath, or listening to calm music with earbuds to relieve stress. The blue light emitted from these disrupts the sleep-wake cycle of the brain. This is important to note as a truck driver’s health is tied to stressful environments.

Every driver needs to find time to take a break, even if it’s a mini-break, to refuel and recharge your body and mind.

Light some scented candles for relaxing effects or leave the room pitch black, whatever fits you best. Make sure your room is the right temperature and comfortable. Don’t lie in bed awake if you can’t sleep within the next twenty minutes. Read or listen to slow sleep-inducing music until you’re fast asleep.

Conclusion:

We have crafted this blog just for you, and if you follow the strategies we’ve mentioned above, you will achieve an A1 truck driver’s health, especially in terms of sleep. With these three strategies for better sleep, you will experience a change; you’ll find yourself at peace and better equipped to do your truck driving duties.

 

Better sleep for truck driver health is essential and within reach for any driver with just one of the strategies above. But if you are looking for more sleep strategies, support, and driver wellness help, check out our NEW Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP. 

You can join for 30 days FREE using the code: MTY30

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Trucker’s Shoulder: 3 Healing & Strengthening Tips

Any given trucker will feel strain in their hands, back, and knees after a long week of driving. Some of you may even feel strain in your shoulder, particularly if you’re driving through a beautiful but challenging winding mountainous road. The rounded socket fits the humerus, and each shoulder has four different muscles that encapsulate it. Let’s see how we can make each muscle loose and strong so our shoulders don’t make us squint in pain when we’re making really tight turns.

The rotator cuff

 

For most of the injuries and pains you hear about the shoulder joint, refer to the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff tendon lays along the top of the shoulder and folds down over the shoulder joint. It is responsible for elevating our arm outward, upward and it also stabilizes the shoulder during twisting or rotating movement. Here are some exercises you can do to strengthen it.

 

  • A doorway stretch is great for several reasons. You can moderate how much rotation and force goes through the rotator cuff, it’s easy to do standing or kneeling, and it doesn’t require any equipment.
  • High-low rows. Hold your arms out in front of you like you’re holding two milk jugs. Then slowly bring your fists by either side of your ribs. Do about 10 reps for 3-4 sets. Take your time.
  • Pulling the cord. With a jump rope or tension band, stand on it and make the motion of pulling a chainsaw or lawnmower cord. Rotate with the movement by opening up your outer hip.

 

Front deltoid

 

The front deltoid is the smallest of the shoulder muscles. It’s used for raising objects directly in front of us. As truckers, your arms are extended over the wheel for long periods of time, and you are lifting objects up and over the rear loading bay. If you feel strain in your deltoid, here is what you can do.

 

  • Standing/sitting toe touch stretch. It’s fundamental, easy to do. Sit or stand and without bending your back, try to touch your toes. This stretches the front deltoid, and it feels great. If you cannot do this, bend your knees and keep your weight more forward if you are standing. And if you are sitting, bend your knees and prop your knees with a pillow. 

Trucker's Shoulder: 3 Healing & Strengthening Tips MTY BLog

  • Cross-arm stretch. Move your arm at a 90-degree angle over your chest, and using your opposite arm, pull it over the chest while preventing your back from rotating in its direction.

Trucker's Shoulder: 3 Healing & Strengthening Tips MTY 2

Want to know more about this great shoulder stretch? Check out our video that will walk you through the importance of stretching your shoulders and another version of the stretch you can try out too!

  • Angle stretch. With your arms behind your back, clasp both hands and push your shoulders as far back as possible. This is an intense stretch, so take your time. And if you are not able to clasp your hands behind your back, use a belt or even your Good-N-Tight to help you create the stretch. 

Trucker's Shoulder: 3 Healing & Strengthening Tips MTY 3

Further care

 

If your shoulders do still hurt and you need further care, contact in-home physical therapy services to give you Hospice Care. They help people of many ages deal with chronic pains and rehabilitation. They arrive at your home to give the care, so that saves you time, gas money, and hassle. They’ll bring all the relevant equipment you’ll need and run you through the exercises step by step. It’s a great way to have a helping hand, getting you back on the road to recovery.

 

The shoulder joint is amazing, and without it, you could not be the awesome truckers you all are. So take care of the muscles and tendons by doing some of these exercises and stretches. 

Let us know here at Mother Trucker Yoga what you think in the comments below.

And don’t forget when you are in pain after you do some stretching to lather on some STIFF Mother Trucker pain relief cream to help your muscles heal fast!

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