Sleep Deprived Marines and Our Mission

From my Triond page: "The longest period I ever went without sleep was fifty six hours when I in the Marine Corp stationed at Marine Corp Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan in 1989. I was assigned to a squadron where we worked on KC-130 F/R cargo transport and refueling aircraft. I was an aircraft hydraulic mechanic.

The coup d’etat against the government of Philippine President Corazon Aquino began on December 1, 1989 by “members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines belonging to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) and soldiers loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos”. The palace of the President was almost seized. It was defeated by the Philippine government with assistance of the United States by December 9, 1989.

On November 30, 1989, I was awakened from my rack in the barracks by several Sergeants banging on my door. “Get Up! Get Up! You have 10 minutes to get dressed and out on the front walk in formation!” This instruction was given up and down the hallway as they pounded on every marine’s door. Usually when your door gets pounded on at 0300, there is something serious happening or about to happen. I jumped out of my rack, threw on my green tee shirt, camouflaged trousers, blouse (shirt) and cover (hat) and combat boots and ran out the door so fast that my boot laces were dragging behind.


Read more: Sleep Deprived Marines and Our Mission

You might also be interested in The Veteran's Post Card and A Piece Of Local Military History

How to Sleep with a Snorer

According to Ellie McGrath, Good Housekeeping,"Love can be blind and, for a while, even deaf. I was somewhat aware that my husband-to-be had a snoring problem, but I didn't realize the extent until a friend he had traveled with presented us with an unusual wedding present: a black collar studded with little electrodes. Whenever my husband snored, he'd get a harmless electric shock that would wake him up — with the goal of conditioning him to stop snoring altogether. After a few nights, though, my husband called for an end to the torture, pointing out that a heart attack would permanently end the snoring. Like so many other couples, our bedtime rituals became reminiscent of Monday Night Football: swift kicks, sharp elbows, and time-outs.

According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, twice as many men as women report that they snore every (or nearly every) night — 32 percent of men versus 16 percent of women. "The majority of people we see, study, and treat are men," says J. Catesby Ware, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, and professor of medicine and psychiatry at Eastern Virgina Medical School. The majority of sufferers are women.

Snoring can take a heavy toll on a relationship. A study by John Shepard, M.D., medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that the bedmates of heavy snorers lose an average of one hour of sleep per night. Dr. Shepard calls the phenomenon of partners being awakened by snoring spousal arousal syndrome. Unfortunately, it's not the kind of arousal most people crave in bed. Another study released last year, from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., found that when heavy snorers with sleep apnea underwent treatment, they and their spouses reported better sex lives and a smoother relationship. For more on this article see: How to Sleep with a Snorer

Waking up Teens

According to Science Daily, "Teenagers' morning drowsiness is often caused by out-of-tune body clocks, in a condition known as "delayed sleep phase syndrome." Scientists now say that timing exposure to blue light -- avoiding it during the first two hours of being wake, then getting a good dose of it -- can help restore the sleep cycle, so teens feel sleepy earlier at night and are more awake in the morning.

TROY, N.Y.--Teenagers are notorious for staying up late, hitting the snooze button and always running late. Now, however, new research shows they can adjust to a schedule simply by sitting in front of a light". For more see: Waking up Teens
Scientists Show Blue Light Can Help Reset Sleep Cycle