Internal clocks

My day to day life is pretty structured. I usually wake up and go to sleep at pretty much the same times every day. So much so that I haven't been setting an alarm lately to get up in the morning. Heck, even Cecilia at age 5 1/2 months already has her internal clock set. I think most people are this way.

Now, Steve on the other hand is a totally different story. I am convinced that pilots lack an internal clock. Steve's show time is always different. To give specifics, his show times this month have been as early as 4:45am and as late as 11:35am. Because of these different show times he will also adjust his bedtime. If his alarm is set for 3am he will be in bed by 9pm, and if he has a late show he may not got to bed until well after midnight. Not to mention he also has two red-eyes thrown in there. Now, THAT really messes with your sleep.

Another thing that messes with the interal clock are time zones. In a 5-day trip Steve can be in as many as four time zones, one being as much as six hours off EST.

Or, how about the fact that Steve can nap anytime/anywhere. This, I believe, is consistent with all pilots, and yet another example of having no internal clock.

All of this randomness means that his internal clock is not functioning.



How does this all effect me? One thing that grates on me like no other is when Steve tells me that he is tired. Keep in mind that we have a baby, and she still gets up at night. I get anywhere from 6-7 hours of sleep a night, and get up 1-2 times a night (in all fairness, I still nurse Cecilia so there is no need for Steve to get up at night with her as he wouldn't be able to do anything. And, if I were to ask for him to get up he would do it in a heartbeat). Well rested, I am not. In recent memory the latest I slept in was 8am. My typical day begins at 6am, and sometimes it begins as early as 5:30am. Long gone are the days of getting up at 9-10am.

Now, Steve on the other hand, could sleep in until 10am if his trip allows him. Did I happen to mention that his sleep at night is uninterrupted? No one is waking him up in the middle of the night to eat. Jealous? Yes, I am.

I realize that I am tired in a different way than Steve is tired. But, when he tells me he is tired I honest-to-goodness do not respond to him. I think he gets it.

Comments

  1. Yup, I'm a pretty scheduled sleeper as well, and Greg is all over the place. I think he can easily sleep like 12 hours a day if I let him. I can't nap and he can pretty much nap anywhere. I agree- must be a pilot thing!

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