Subject: [CQ-Contest] Sleep Deprivation Summary
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1999 14:40:53
From: "S Cooper" coopersg@odl.co.uk
To: cq-contest@contesting.com

From the subscriber that brought you the now infamous 'Last 2' thread. Now! Sleep Deprivation.

...or how to last a 48 hour contest without feeling like death... It was obvious that my 'Sleep Deprivation' message started a thread which some found interesting. I have tried here to summarize the postings which I received. I hope it's of some help.

There is no doubt that the human metabolism will function better over a 48 hour period of little sleep, if attention is paid to fitness and diet. Diet seems to have the most obvious and immediate effect on the ability to last the 48 hour period.

1. It's a proven medical fact that we should sleep in multiples of 90 minutes. Most sleep 90 mins on early Sunday morning, and some on Saturday morning too. In general, it seems like a good idea to get 3 hours in before the contest starts, which is easy in Europe, but difficult in West USA. Varied feelings about whether to get a 'lie in' on the Friday morning, but certainly not good to have a very late night on Thursday. 'Adrenaline' seems to be a big factor for some in keeping you going through the weekend. For others, the opposite is true - relaxed and laid-back gets them through. Whether you're wired or tired, it makes little difference to the final result. It's the ability to sustain concentration that matters.

2. Drink in moderation, but regularly. Drink to quench thirst. Do not drink caffeinated beverages. Caffeine will lower the blood sugar level thereby affecting the ability to concentrate. Coke, tea and coffee contain caffeine. Milk will make talking difficult - radio and TV news readers avoid milk. Unsweetened fruit juice, a little often, is good. It is far more difficult to wake up if you have managed to get to sleep with a high caffeine level.

3. When to eat? Stick to eating at regular intervals. Every 6 hours with a small snack at 3 hr intervals is good. Normal eating times are also good. It's what your body expects.

4. What to eat? The objective is to maintain a steady blood-glucose level of around 4-5 mmol throughout the weekend, with a slightly higher than normal intake of protein. In normal healthy individuals, high blood-glucose levels lead to poor concentration and drowsiness whilst low blood-glucose levels lead to irritability, short temper and loss of aptitude. 4-5 mmol, a moderately low level, will be achieved by avoiding anything containing simple carbohydrates like sugar or bleached pure white flour. So, good is wholemeal bread, bad is plain white bread. Good is potato skins, bad is creamed potato. Good is natural fruit juices, bad is sports drinks. Good is fruit, bad is sweets/candy. Whilst sports drinks will give the body a big hit of energy, this hit is followed by a very deep low in blood-glucose levels. Complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains) are good, in that they take a long time to digest, help maintain a steady blood-glucose level and help avoid surges.

So what should we eat and drink?
sandwiches of wholemeal bread, with meat or cheese
fruit/grain/granola bars
pure orange juice
water
nuts
apples

5. How much to eat? In general, it is best to eat less food than you would normally.

6. Avoid smoking.

7. Keep fit. This is really quite important. If you are fit your body will react less badly to poor sleep patterns.

8. Avoid alcohol.

9. Avoid working on 'stuff' right up to the wire. Prepare well for the contest and 'know' that you have. There is a hidden side to knowing that you are well prepared. This will help you relax prior to and during the event, which is one of the keys to making it through the full 48 hours. It feels good to feel loud, and believe that your signal is getting through - 'I know what I'm doing'. Learn from the previous year. Immediately after a major contest write down what was wrong, what went wrong, what was good, and what was bad. That way, next year you will be a little more prepared, and a little more relaxed.

10. Smile when you talk. Sound happy. Even if you feel like death, don't let the other guy know it! People like to call happy people. Not a lot of good on CW, of course.

Other points worth noting...

Vitamin B can help you feel less tired over a period of time, and may be beneficial. I would not take this as a recommendation to take vitamins though - see your doctor first!

Tablets/medication like ProPlus (in the UK) which are really just concentrated caffeine, will keep you awake but your ability to make even the simplest decision is diminished, and concentration is virtually impossible. Trouble is, I don't think you are aware of this if you have taken them! Someone suggested avoiding salt, but this may not be recommended in hot climates, as lack of salt can lead to muscle cramps. It's unlikely that the lack or even overdose of salt over such a short time frame would have that much effect anyway.

A number of ops mentioned feeling rough for the whole of the week following a contest. I didn't after the CQ WW SSB, but did after the CW. And I haven't felt bad like this before - I recover fairly quickly normally. I don't know what this is all about.

Some ops mentioned a lack of aptitude - the inability to physically send certain complex CW codes. This is probably due to low blood-glucose levels and lack of sleep. The inability to receive more than 3 or 4 characters at a time seems to result from high blood-glucose levels and lack of sleep. What to do? Sleep, I guess!

I don't want to sound like an expert. I'm not a dietitian. I'm not a top-flight operator. But I am diabetic (insulin dependent), and hence, have a requirement to keep my blood-glucose level under control. I made some fundamental mistakes in the last CQ WW CW Contest, and I am passing on what I have learnt, both from personal experience and from the experience of others. I hope others can benefit from this.

Stewart GM4AFF/GM0F