It's a Team's Life

Sleeping going down the road

We thought we would have no trouble sleeping while going down the road as both of us had no problems sleeping in the passenger seat while the other was driving.   We were in for a rude “awakening”. It is much more difficult to sleep lying down in a bed while going down the road.   Our first mattress was a factory sleeper bed that had springs and we found that we were trying to sleep while bouncing down the road.   We joked we were trying to sleep on the bounce up and then on the bounce down than we would hit the bed and wake up.   We bought a new mattress built for the truck at a Verlo Store.   The mattress is eleven inches and has a 4” memory foam insert built into the mattress.   This was a great improvement over bouncing going down the road.   The only complaint I have about the mattress is that it retains heat in the summer.   In the winter when the sleeper gets cold the bed becomes as hard as rock but warms up quickly.   When trying to sleep we keep the curtains closed between the cab and the sleeper and cover the windows to keep the sleeper as dark as possible.   I also learned to use ear plugs which helped drown out the road noise.   The sounds of trucks going by my head only a few feet away at high speeds kept me awake.   I also have bought Lavender Sheet Spray at Bath and Body works which I will use on occasion.   I have also found if I read for a little bit before shutting off the lights I sleep better.   This was the hardest part we had to learn about team driving.   You need a good night’s sleep in order to drive your shift.