Does night fishing mess up your sleep patterns?

[charleville]

Charleville, I love to fish the surf at night, just me and a billion stars.
Totally awesome!

Yeah - same for me out in the boat.


Actually, one place that is awesome at night is the Jacob's Well channel. Motoring back to the Jacob's Well ramp after having fished the 'Pin late at night is an extraordinary experience. It is usually well after midnight when I come back and at that time, it is like gliding along on a massive sheet of glass, all lit up because of the big lights at the ramp area.

Most night fishing is a surreal experience to me but that trip back to the ramp at Jacob's Well when there is not a zephyr of wind to stir up even the slightest ripple on the surface is something to remind you to not die before your time and then a bit.

I am with you on the stars also. It is the only time that I ever see shooting stars.

Also when you motor back from Mud Island to Manly late at night, you usually encounter lots of different smells drifting across the Bay - freshly cut pine, phenol, perfumes, - all sorts of smells. Truly surreal.


The therapeutic effects of these night time boating and fishing experiences on what goes on in one's head are infinitely more beneficial beyond anything written by Freud, Jung, or even Dr Phil!


Many, many times I have to force myself to pull up anchor and come home. Even then, I will usually do a bit of drifting before finally starting the motor.


.

[Lovey80]

The best thing I can advise is if you like coffee try to limit your use of it until you need it. Caffine is an excellent tool/drug that if used wisely can be of great benefit but like with any drug continuos use on a daily basis will get the body tolerant to it's benefits and when you need the "pick me up" it either wont work or you'll need that much it's not worth your time.

Just a thought

Cheers Chris

[charleville]

This retirement idea sounds bloody good to me.
I only have to work my guts out for another 25 years
and I am there!!!

....................


BTW - If anyone has a spare million or so lying
around, PM me...... Thanks.

...as if!


However, you might learn how not to have to wait 25 years if you read a few websites such as these ...
http://www.retireearlyhomepage.com/
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/

There is a lot of American tax related stuff around their super schemes (so-called 401k plans, Roth plans etc etc etc over there) there but the basic principles are very sound if you go looking for stuff about the 4% principle.

A very good basic starter book to get you thinking about early retirement philosophy would be "Your Money OR Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. Joe retired at 31 and died a few years ago at 61. Just as well that he did not wait for age 65 to retire. (Don't buy the Aussie book of a similar name by David Koch - get the US book)
http://www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org/


.

[NAGG]

Any fishing messes up my sleep patterns!!!
I go to bed & then .. stay awake till the alarm goes off Worst still ... when you are driving 16-18 hours to go fishing Nagg

[mik01]

What sleep patterns? Usually when I know I am going fishing I get to bed in plenty of time however I just can't sleep. Must be the combination of excitement and thinking about possible boat preparations and making sure I don't forget anything.

Poodroo

mate I'm exactly the same. its gotten to the stage where I am considering seeing the doc for sleeping pills - seriously.
i keep going over everything that I have to remember in the morning (before leaving), and can't sleep. I then wake up 3-4 times during the night, and finally wake up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off!! typical

anyone here know if taking the odd sleeping pill the night before is or isn't a good idea when you need your wits about you early next morning?

[FNQCairns]

mate I'm exactly the same. its gotten to the stage where I am considering seeing the doc for sleeping pills - seriously.
i keep going over everything that I have to remember in the morning (before leaving), and can't sleep. I then wake up 3-4 times during the night, and finally wake up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off!! typical

anyone here know if taking the odd sleeping pill the night before is or isn't a good idea when you need your wits about you early next morning?

Not much is more important than a good nights sleep.

He may probably prescribe a smooth muscle relaxant (whatever that actually is), still a sleeping pill but not at all like a spoilt housewife type of sleeping pill I think.

Many years ago an old girlfriend who was a nurse played a trick on me and gave me a good dose of these in a banana smoothy, I suspected something was up as she never made me anything, anyway I simply pushed through them with ease ruining her joke at the time.
They have worked well before and after this episode if I wanted to get to sleep, with no after effects but that was years ago.

The antihistamine called Phenergan gets me to sleep easily whenever sleep time at normal doses and I am around 1/4 heavier than the typical adult dose usually advised.

cheers fnq

[oldboot]

A couple of things I have found work when doing long or broken hours working sound, lighting & AV jobs and on long trips.

1. eat and drink propelry all the time..... especilay in the days before during and after the weird hours.
Under no curcumstances allow yourself to become dehydrated.
Avoid alcohol, caffene, and carbhydrates.
Low GI foods and plenty of protein, lots of water.
Control you food intake, eat small meals and frequently.
Caffene is usefull in the aftermath for getting you thru and dark chocolate is much better than coffee.....and small amounts.....remember caffene is a stimulant and it borrows energy, which you will pay for with interest later.

2. sleep well in the days before.....

3. take a short sleep before you go out, no longer than 45 minutes, even if you have to put off going out by half an hour.

4. Eat something low in carbohydrates and fat before you go to bed. low fat milk is good.

If you want to push your body..... controll of what & when you eat is the secret.
I often work with bigger, stronger and more hardened crew....I fing if I controll my food intake I can out last them and stay awake more safley for the long drive home.
My wife is a nurse and regularly got noddy on the way home with the silly shifts they work.....untill we both discovered controlling food intake.

In short eat like a diabetic should.

You will still be whacked, but nowhere near as hard.

cheers

[NAGG]

Not much is more important than a good nights sleep.

He may probably prescribe a smooth muscle relaxant (whatever that actually is), still a sleeping pill but not at all like a spoilt housewife type of sleeping pill I think.

Many years ago an old girlfriend who was a nurse played a trick on me and gave me a good dose of these in a banana smoothy, I suspected something was up as she never made me anything, anyway I simply pushed through them with ease ruining her joke at the time.
They have worked well before and after this episode if I wanted to get to sleep, with no after effects but that was years ago.

The antihistamine called Phenergan gets me to sleep easily whenever sleep time at normal doses and I am around 1/4 heavier than the typical adult dose usually advised.

cheers fnq

I'll try to find out the name of that relaxant.
I'm no fan of sleeping pills (or any drugs) However , While I was down with my back injury & after 3 weeks of sleep deprivation ( no sleep at all) I asked my doctor for something! .... & I got the pills! It was a big help ... with no knock out effect ... Worked a treat!
Nagg
PS ..... I'm going to look for something from a Herbalist ( No ... not pot ) before I do my next big trip!

[chris58]

i have the other problem, i am a security guard and work 7pm to 5am 4on 3 off so i find it hard to sleep "normal time" ps. bty i am 50 and it only gets harder

[the gecko]

Thanks guys. I reckon cardio and diet is probably the key. Unfortunately, I am 10kg overweight and dont get any excercise apart from throwing a castnet.

Hi Dan, I am the boss, and thats the problem... too many customers ATM. I need some staff. I often schedule 'appts' for 9-10am to give me a late start, but its still hard. I keep telling myself I will stop fishing at midnight, but theres always those tiddlers bites that keep you thinking a good fish will hit any minute. I do get a lot of good fish in the last few hours too.

Mad Pierre, I drink 2 cans of red bull during a session. Is there any evidence that they stuff your kidneys? Id like to know more, I thought the caffiene was minimal and the vitamins were good. I do find they make you wanna pee all nite while youre trying to sleep. I drink no more than 2 coffees on any given day.

Oldboot, they are good tips. I do find my body craves sugar hits the day after fishing. I thought this was normal, but I agree its borrowed energy. So low carb is they key?

cheers
Andrew

[MattChew]

I don't really get tired when I'm fishing, the sheer anticipation of catching fish and being on the water outweighs how tired I might be feeling. The only thing you have to remember is to not be tired, especially while you are in charge of a boat or a car. Just make sure you save 4 cans of V for the drive home and then get a couple of hours kip during the day.

Ta
Matt

[Dirtysanchez]

Simple off the shelf stuff like Zyrtec antihistamines work well, but if you want to get up at say 4am for a fish, take a half only, otherwise you won't wake up til 7am
I've been a shocking sleeper for years and tried a lot of prescriptions, but most of them are barbituate derivatives, so when you wake up you feel like herman munster for about an hour or 2, and thats bad for your job.

Also I have found that natural relaxants are OK, Zinc and magnesium supplements tend to relax muscles and assist with your natural immunity system. I have taken both for a few years now and have not suffered a bad flu.

Definitely exercise in the mornings works, it sets your system into a healthy rythym and by 10pm you are stuffed and happy to go to sleep.

I used to love night fishing at the pin too, but unfortunately the blokes I went with were big drinkers so inevitably you'd be half blotto by midnight and you'd pass out in the cabin

[mik01]

Simple off the shelf stuff like Zyrtec antihistamines work well, but if you want to get up at say 4am for a fish, take a half only, otherwise you won't wake up til 7am
I've been a shocking sleeper for years and tried a lot of prescriptions, but most of them are barbituate derivatives, so when you wake up you feel like herman munster for about an hour or 2, and thats bad for your job.

Also I have found that natural relaxants are OK, Zinc and magnesium supplements tend to relax muscles and assist with your natural immunity system. I have taken both for a few years now and have not suffered a bad flu.

Definitely exercise in the mornings works, it sets your system into a healthy rythym and by 10pm you are stuffed and happy to go to sleep.

I used to love night fishing at the pin too, but unfortunately the blokes I went with were big drinkers so inevitably you'd be half blotto by midnight and you'd pass out in the cabin

I'll definitely try those - prefer not to take sleeping pills but the fallout of not being able to sleep the night before an early fishing start is the next arvo when I get home. I am so tired I can't last until the next night for sleep.

cheers,
Mick

[Didley]

Gecko.
Get your priorities right, mate, Start working a 4 hour day or give it away altogether, fishing is far to important to have work interfere.

[mad_pierre06]

Mad Pierre, I drink 2 cans of red bull during a session. Is there any evidence that they stuff your kidneys? Id like to know more, I thought the caffiene was minimal and the vitamins were good. I do find they make you wanna pee all nite while youre trying to sleep. I drink no more than 2 coffees on any given day.

Oldboot, they are good tips. I do find my body craves sugar hits the day after fishing. I thought this was normal, but I agree its borrowed energy. So low carb is they key?

cheers
Andrew

Andrew, i think it's more the long term effects of those who drink the three or four a day, every day. I worked woth a bloke who would burn the candle both ends, working a evening job as well, then drink four cans of Red Bull during the work day. He ended up on dialysis. I think your two just during that particular session, as long as you drink plenty water, wouldn't be too damaging.

I find it interesting regarding the low carb stuff, there's some good info in this thread. 'Specially with the way i'm finding things at the moment, i feel like a zombie most days even though i'm getting as much sleep as i used to when working days. It must be because the time when i sleep goes against the body's regulator.
Cheers mate. Good luck.