If you work an on-call, unpredictable schedule, you frequently go to bed and get up at different times. Even if you work a fixed schedule, you may be on the job in non-daylight hours. Your work schedule may be out of sync with the daily activities of family and friends.

Many railroaders get different amounts of sleep from day to day. Their work schedules or family responsibilities sometimes limit their opportunities to sleep as long as they wish or need. Railroaders often face additional demands on their time that include overtime, emergency work, and training.

If you have a railroader in your life, you may share these experiences. You sometimes may find it hard to adjust times for meals and other activities to your railroader’s schedule. This website aims to help you and your railroader thrive on and off the job.

Managing sleep while working unpredictable hours requires strategy.

Career railroaders, or “old heads,” consider themselves survivors. They strive to get the sleep they need to perform their jobs well, take part in family and community life, see friends, and squeeze in sports or other leisure activities.

They have adopted tactics to help with sleep in daylight hours, when sunlight, noise, and other factors make sleep shorter or less restful than it would be at night. They have learned how to manage their sleep at railroad sleeping quarters or hotels that lack the comforts of home. They have developed strategies to help them stay awake and alert when they must work at night. Their families, too, have found ways to help them do their job, make sleep a priority and stay involved in what’s happening at home.

Although it is not easy to implement a strategy to “do it all,” this educational website will help you. You will find information on this site about sleep, health and fatigue countermeasures. We hope you will enjoy exploring its pages, and learn more about the best ways to stay alert and obtain the sleep you need to feel and function at your best.

Sleep strategies differ from person to person, yet there are some approaches that are consistently used with good success among railroaders.

• If you know you won’t be going to work for 14 or 18 hours, try to schedule your sleep accordingly. Maybe take a nap immediately to refresh, then get more sleep later, closer to work time.

• If you are uncertain about your next start time, then sleeping immediately is your best bet, so that you don’t get caught short.

• Make use of time waiting in a siding. Naps and exercise both can boost alertness. If your company permits napping, take a nap when you can. If you must wait longer than that in a siding, take a walk, if possible. Jog or stretch in place. Many apps provide a 10-minute workout you can do anywhere.

• Install shades or blackout curtains in the bedroom. This will benefit sleep at any time. If away from home, consider using pants hangers from the closet to clip the curtains together to block light during the day.

• Install good soundproofing where you sleep, so that family members don’t have to tiptoe around the house while you are sleeping.

• Adjust room temperature to your liking. Most people sleep better in a cool room, with the thermostat set between 60o F and 68o F.

• Place extra blankets nearby on the bed in case you get too cold.

Ellen has been a railroader for more than 30 years. She started as a brakeman, later worked as a conductor/brakeman/switchman, and then became a freight locomotive engineer.

At 54 years old, her workday can start at any minute of any day. The phone rings, and I have 90 minutes to get to work. On arrival, I check the computer for company updates, review paperwork with my conductor, and have a job briefing. We board the train, look over the locomotives, and giddy up and go.

The trip may take six to 12 hours, depending on the train, the weather, traffic on the rails, and work on the track. The worst time for me is between 3 AM and 5:30 AM. I fight sleepiness by snacking then, and I drink at least a half a pot of coffee a day.

I rarely have trouble sleeping. I sleep at night if I can. If I work all night, I take a 30-minute nap in the morning, and try to stay busy all day. If I must sleep in the daytime, I have blackout shades that keep my bedroom dark. I try to pay attention to what my body tells me it needs.

The railroad provides a train line-up I can access from my computer or phone. I use that to see when I might be going work, and plan my sleep time. The line-up can and does change.

I enjoy what I do most days. Railroading is a career. It doesn’t define who I am. I own a house, am a serious gardener, and do some bookkeeping for my union. I work out in fits and spurts at the gym. I enjoy being with my friends and loved ones. I’ve been divorced for more than 20 years, and have learned to embrace my individualism.

Open lines of communication within the family are essential, Mark Kramer and his wife, Paula, agree. In the section below, they tell how they organize their lives to assure they both get the sleep they need, while maintaining a successful marriage, and enjoying time together with their son.

Mark

I started work for Union Pacific in Omaha, in 36, right after I graduated from high school. I began in the building and bridges department, and then became a switchman. Later, I became a brakeman working with the conductor and engineer on a train, and then a conductor. In 1992, I became a locomotive engineer. I carry freight, not passengers.

Even if you’ve been in the industry for 30 years your body’s never used to trying to sleep in the middle of the day or in the early evening. One of the most important things is having a family that will help you try to rest, and understand what you’re trying to do.

About 30 years ago, I went with my cousin to Kansas City one weekend. A friend introduced me to Paula there.

Paula During the two years we dated, I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, and Mark lived in Omaha. We drove three hours each way once or twice a month to spend weekends together.

We were in love. We had fun on weekends. I didn’t know Mark often took time off to see me.

Mark I was trying to win her over. I sometimes worked a local then, and had more freedom to arrange my schedule.

Paula It was only after we married in 1991, and I moved to Omaha, that I learned the reality of living with Mark’s unpredictable hours.

Being in a new city, without my own family or friends nearby, I was lonely at first. Other people, even Mark’s family, would invite us to dinner or other events. They thought it strange that we couldn’t tell them until the day before if we would be there.

When Mark was home sleeping in the daytime, I tried not to talk on the phone in our apartment. I worried that cooking smells would wake him up.

Mark When I come home from a trip, and go to sleep, I’m usually dog-tired. I don’t hear anything for at least three to four hours. When I expect to be called for work, and try to sleep in the daytime, I can hear leaves falling off trees.

Paula I found a great job, selling real estate. I have flexible hours. Many of my friends also are realtors.

Our son, Alex, was born in nearly 20 years ago. When Alex was small, I often took him to the mall in the daytime, so Mark could sleep in peace.

Mark I don’t remember being bothered by Alex’s crying. When you have babies, you’re young. You handle sleep disruption better.

Paula I participated in a golf league for a few years. I had to give that up, because I had to cancel babysitters too often. Neither Mark nor I felt it right to have a teenager in our home while Mark was sleeping.

Alex accepted Mark’s schedule from day one. If Mark can’t attend school events or games, Alex tells his friends, ‘My dad’s working.’ His friends understand.

When Mark is home, we try to have family meals together. Sometimes we eat dinner at 4 AM.

Mark When you need to rest before a night run, it can be a good idea to move your mealtime up an hour or two. What you eat is important, too. You are not going to eat chili, and then go to bed.

Paula About 10 years ago, Mark started snoring so loudly I could hear him from another room. He sometimes woke up choking and coughing. He was crabby because he couldn’t get his sleep. I insisted he see a doctor.

Mark The doctor sent me for an overnight sleep study. In 2001, I found out I had obstructive sleep apnea. I use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that helps me breathe better while I sleep. At first, I used it only at home. I found it too cumbersome to take on trips.

I realized I slept so much better with it, and had so much more stamina while I was awake, that I bought a second CPAP device to leave at my away from home hotel, where I stay a couple of times a week. The CPAP machine also helps my sleep by drowning out noise.

About five years ago, we moved to a new house. Paula and I now have separate sleeping rooms. I have black vinyl on the window in my room so I can sleep better in the daytime. Paula needs her rest, too. My phone calls don’t disturb her sleep.

I sleep better at home than away from home, even after all these years. Other railroaders say that, too. When we sleep at the hotel, we often can’t stay asleep for more than five hours.

On the trip home, I have to work hard to stay alert. I chew gum, snack, and talk to my conductor who’s tired, too. We keep each other going.

Paula Railroad pay is good, and Mark gets five weeks’ vacation in the summer. Those are pluses of railroad life.

Most people don’t have a clue about the everyday challenges railroaders and their families face. The husband of one of my closest friends is a pharmacist. He often works at night, but his hours are predictable.

Mark’s nephew recently became a railroader. Mark’s sister finally understands why we can’t promise today to come for dinner two weeks from Friday.

Mark You want to have everything ready to go. That way if you do get caught short, you know where everything is. You can go at a moment’s notice.You want to know where your bag is, you want all your equipment and everything stowed in the same place. You want to stay organized.

You need to know how to use the computer and know how to try and forecast when you are going to go to work.

Paula I try to help him out by making sure it’s real quiet in the house. I like to turn the house phone off, and try to catch anybody that comes through the front door.

Mark and Paula Our family time together is what makes everything worthwhile.

Paula and Mark Kramer were interviewed for the Railroaders' Guide to Healthy Sleep in 2012. In early June, 2013, Paula Kramer was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. She died on June 25, 2013. She was 55 years old.

“Paula understood the importance of sleep education,” said Mark, who asked that this interview remain on the website as a testimonial to Paula’s commitment to healthy sleep for all railroaders and their families.

Dan started railroad work as a brakeman at age 20 and became a locomotive engineer six years later. For more than three decades, he provided passenger service for six different railroads near to his New England home. He and his wife Maureen have reared nine children—four of hers, and five of his—from previous marriages.

I go to work at 3:30 PM in the afternoon. I get done at 2 AM. Even though it’s Monday through Friday—like every engineer’s dream—you find yourself absolutely fighting sleep on that last trip. You do all you can do to stay awake.

By the time I get home, I’m wide awake. All right! Let’s watch TV! I’m finally getting to sleep around 3 AM, sometimes 3:30 AM, then getting woken up again at 7 AM in the morning with the noise and ruckus. Then, Ah—the sun’s up, I want to get up. Everything in my system says wake up. So now, the next night that I go to work, I haven’t really made up that lack of sleep. So if I’m not careful, after two or three days, I can be one exhausted puppy.

Years ago, when one of my children had to leave for school at 7 AM, I often drove him there. Sometimes, I was so tired, I sent him to school in a taxi.

Today, even if I awaken at 7 AM, I may stay in bed until 10 AM and try to get more sleep. Since I can see a little daylight around the draperies, and hear traffic noise, I often toss and turn. I seldom nap.

I live only about a mile from my rail yard, a six-minute drive. Starting at 4 PM, I provide passenger service, returning at 8:10 PM. Because I live close by, I can go home on my break for 2.5 hours. I leave at 10:45 PM for another round trip, and return at 1:30 AM.

If I have union-related meetings to attend, I try to schedule them for late morning or early afternoon.

On Saturday, my day off, I go to bed at 10-11 PM. I have no trouble falling asleep, because I’m sleep-deprived. I sleep seven or eight hours. On Sunday, also a day off, I’m in a perfect state of mind. That night I also go to bed at 10-11 PM. Having caught up with sleep, however, I often wake up around 4 or 5 AM. I try to sleep longer, because I know I’ll be working that night.

The son I used to drive to school at 7 AM has now graduated from college. He just started working for the railroad himself. He’s an assistant conductor. He knows about the hours I keep, but I believe he’s always wanted to be a locomotive engineer.

-Dan, locomotive engineer

Plan ahead

Suppose you awaken in the morning after sleeping seven to nine hours, and expect to work that evening or at night. Take a mid-afternoon nap before you start work. It can help you stay alert on the job.

Don’t wait to nap until late afternoon or early evening. The normal upswing in alertness that occurs then may make it difficult or impossible to sleep.

If you work at night, expect to feel sleepiest roughly between 4 AM and 6 AM. Once you get through that time, you should feel more alert, thanks to your body clock, which triggers a morning rise in alertness. This upswing will occur even though you continue to stay awake longer.

If you finish work in early morning hours, you have to choose between attempting sleep in the morning, when alertness continues to rise, or waiting until afternoon, when alertness wanes. You may sleep better in the afternoon. You run the risk of cutting sleep short, however, if called to work that evening or night. It’s a tough choice.

Anticipate lower alertness during your internal night

If you must flip-flop your schedule, and work when you previously slept, expect to be less alert on the job. Consume caffeine at the appropriate time to boost alertness.

Sleep as long as possible at the same time every day

If you work a consistent shift, sleeping at the same time seven days a week helps stabilize your body clock, and increases the amount of good quality sleep that you obtain. The more sleep you can get at the same time each day, the better you’ll feel. Scientists call this regular period of sleep anchor sleep. Get the rest of the sleep you need whenever convenient. Sleeping just before you go to work can boost your alertness on the job.

Get your anchor sleep at night if possible. Some weeks, your work schedule may require you to sleep in the daytime. Sometimes you may not be able to sleep as long as you wish. Anticipate that you may have sleep inertia when you awaken. Give yourself time to let sleep inertia wear off. Be sure you feel alert before driving to work.

On days off, you may be able to sleep longer, and still participate in family life. If you include anchor sleep as part of your sleep plan, you likely will sleep better overall. You also will feel better on and off the job.

Talk to your family and others in your household about the importance of your having a ‘protected’ sleep period. Return the favor by accommodating social/family obligations between sleep periods.

Stay busy to stay sharp

On the job, talk about what you are doing as you do it. Interact with co-workers to maintain focus.

Call signals out loud, even if no one can hear you. Speaking engages both the hearing and thinking part of your brain, and helps you stay on task.

Pay attention to co-workers’ alertness. If their attention flags, say something, or step in if needed.

Stay active. Don’t sit still for long periods. Move around and stretch when you can. Activity helps you stay alert.

Find information about other strategies for improving alertness here.

People who frequently short-change themselves on sleep forget how great it feels to be well-rested. They get used to feeling tired all the time and try to convince themselves that they can manage just fine. They often cling to sleep myths.

Myth: I regularly get six hours of sleep or less, and I feel fine.

Facts: Perhaps only one person in 25 functions at their best on an average of six hours of sleep per day. In one study, a group of healthy young men were allowed to sleep an average of six to seven hours for five days—about one hour less than they needed. After missing this small amount, they performed as poorly on a series of tests as they did after staying awake an entire night.

Myth: I can tell when I’m wearing down.

Facts: People who are nodding off, with eyelids drooping and head bobbing, still may claim, “I’m not sleepy at all.”

Sleepy people lose the ability to appreciate how sleepy they are. They seldom realize how poorly they perform compared to when they are well-rested.

There’s no warning signal that flashes when you’re about to fall asleep. You may experience brief lapses called microsleeps. You think you’re awake, and then—oops—you’re not.

Myth: Missing an hour or two of sleep is no big deal.

Facts: Sleep debt keeps you from thinking clearly and reacting quickly. It slows eye-hand coordination and decision-making, and increases the likelihood of making mistakes.

A chronic sleep debt harms bodily processes, such as blood sugar regulation. It increases the risk of becoming obese, and developing diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that women who averaged five hours or less sleep per day gained far more weight over the 16 years of the study than women who averaged seven hours’ sleep per day.

Myth: I can catch up on my days off.

Facts: A couple of days of good sleep will help pay down a modest sleep debt. However, if the debt has been building for many days or weeks, it will take more than two days of good sleep to wipe it out.

If you sleep longer than usual on days off, you may throw off your body clock. To make up for missed sleep on days off, use recovery naps rather than extending your main sleep period.

To read more about the most common sleep myths Robbins R, Grandner MA, Buxton OM, Hale L, Buysse DJ, Knutson KL, Patel SR, Troxel WM, Youngstedt SD, Czeisler CA, Jean-Louis G. Sleep myths: an expert-led study to identify false beliefs about sleep that impinge upon population sleep health practices. Sleep Health. 2019 Aug;5(4):409-417. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2019.02.002. Epub 2019 Apr 17. PMID: 31003950; PMCID: PMC6689426.

Experienced railroaders have devised tactics to cope with their often unpredictable hours. They have figured out how to best get sleep in daylight hours, when sunlight, noise, and other factors make sleep shorter and/or less restful than it would be at night. They create an environment that encourages sleep (e.g., ear plugs, black out shades), even in railroad sleeping quarters or hotels that lack the comforts of home. They nap when they can to boost alertness.

These railroaders know it is normal to have ups and downs in alertness and sleepiness over the day. They pay attention to their own body rhythms, sleep and use appropriate countermeasures to avoid lapses in attention and nodding off.

Your life will feel more balanced if you make an effort to optimize your comfort wherever you are. Here are some tips to help make you feel more comfortable away from home.

• Bring something familiar with you to the hotel to cue you where you are if you wake up feeling confused. For example, one railroader brings an alarm clock that projects the time on the ceiling so that when he wakes up and opens his eyes, he recognizes it and knows where he is.

• Check in with your spouse/family. You may sleep better knowing they’re OK.

• If you are riding in the crew van with others, try to be prepared with food and drinks so you don’t need to stop at the store. If you have sleep apnea, consider bringing a second CPAP machine to your hotel so you get good sleep away from home, too.

To optimize your comfort and opportunity to get good sleep, use an eye-mask to block light and earplugs to block out unwanted sounds. Try to fall asleep with the TV off. Use a fan for white noise. Use the “do not disturb” feature on your phone to only let select, important numbers ring through.

Try to find comfortable seats to wait in when you’re not actively working. Bring a cushion for extra padding and get some rest if you can.

These two seemingly opposed internal processes—the body clock and the sleep drive—work together to make it possible for people to stay awake for 15 or 16 hours, and then sleep roughly seven to nine hours straight.

For many railroaders, however, sleeping this long in one bout is not possible. Trying to balance work schedules and other responsibilities means that sleep often must be broken up into chunks.

If you are facing this situation yourself, here are strategies that sleep specialists suggest:

Know your daily sleep need. Do what you can to get that amount of sleep.

Try to sleep as much as you can at the same time every day, five or more hours, if possible. Sleep specialists call this regular block of sleep, anchor sleep, because it helps keep body clocks in line.

If you can’t sleep for five hours, get as much sleep as you can at one time. Sleep at night, if possible. Humans are wired to stay awake in daylight hours, and sleep at night, so nighttime sleep usually is more restful.

Supplement your longest sleep bout with one or more naps. If your company permits napping at work, when waiting in a siding, for example, take 20- to 30-minute naps to boost alertness. Sleep as long as you can before your run.