6 Sleep Strategies Especially for Firefighters

By Ryan Provencher, Firefighter Peak Performance 

Reflecting on my career, I’ve come to understand the profound impact sleep deprivation and poor sleep habits have had on my health and well-being. 

When I first joined the fire service, I didn’t think much about it. It wasn’t until an injury placed me on light duty that I realized just how exhausted I was, and how significantly my baseline fatigue was affecting me.

For the first time in nearly a decade, I was able to sleep every night, and the difference was astonishing. It felt like I’d been seeing the world through dirty glasses for years, and suddenly they were clean — I could see and feel so much more clearly. 

The fog of chronic fatigue had been lifted after a few weeks of regular sleep.

We know sleep deprivation and fatigue not only impair our alertness and reaction times during emergencies, but they also lead to long-term health problems. Optimal sleep is crucial for maintaining the performance and safety required on the job, as well as our long-term health and quality of life.

Now, as I return to operations as a battalion chief after 10 years in the training division, I feel the weight of sleep deprivation even more intensely. But with age has come wisdom, and I’ve gained insights I didn’t have in my younger days. They are six key strategies that help me optimize my sleep despite the challenges of shift work:

1. Avoid Sleep Disruptors

If you want to sleep better, pay close attention to what you’re consuming in the evening. Here’s why:

• Caffeine: Found in coffee, tea, and many energy drinks, caffeine is a stimulant that can keep you wide awake long after you’ve called it a day. Even if you don’t feel its effects right away, it can delay your ability to fall asleep and mess with your deep, restorative sleep. Try to steer clear of caffeine at least eight hours before bedtime.
• Heavy Meals: Eating large meals too closely to bedtime can disrupt your sleep. Your body spends time and energy digesting, which can make it hard to relax and fall asleep. This can lead to discomfort, indigestion, and even heartburn throughout the night.
• Liquids: Drinking too much before bed can lead to frequent trips to the bathroom. This interrupts your sleep cycles, and makes it harder to get that deep, restorative rest.
• Alcohol: While alcohol might make you feel drowsy at first, it actually disrupts your sleep. It can cause fragmented sleep, worsen snoring or sleep apnea, and cause you to wake up frequently during the night.

For better sleep, try cutting back on caffeine in the afternoon, avoiding heavy meals and liquids a few hours before bed, and being careful with alcohol, especially in the evening.

2. Follow a Pre-Sleep Routine

Setting up a consistent pre-sleep routine is key to helping your body know it’s time to wind down and get ready for bed. Aim to spend 45-60 minutes before hitting the sack focusing on winding down. Here are a few tips:

• Ditch the Screens: Steer clear of electronic devices, since the blue light can mess with your melatonin, the hormone you need for good sleep.
• Relaxing Activities: Use this time for activities like reading, taking a warm bath, doing some gentle yoga, stretching, or meditating. These can help alleviate stress and tell your body it’s bedtime.
• Journaling: Writing down your thoughts and worries can calm your mind and prevent them from keeping you awake. And it may increase sleep time and improve sleep quality, studies have suggested.
• Stick to a Routine: Try to keep the same routine every night. It trains your body to recognize these activities as cues for sleep, improving your overall sleep quality.

A solid pre-sleep routine makes the transition from your busy day to a peaceful night’s sleep much smoother. Obviously, some of this won’t be available to you on shift, but do the best you can to prioritize your routine at home and at work.

3. Optimize Your Sleep Environment

Creating a great sleep environment is a key component of mastering sleep hygiene. Here are ways to make your space as sleep-friendly as possible:

• Reduce Light Exposure: Use an eye mask or blackout curtains to keep artificial light from messing with your sleep.
• Comfortable Bedding: Invest in a good mattress and pillow to keep things comfy and support a good sleep posture.
• Sound Management: Block out noisy distractions with earplugs off shift, or with white noise at work and at home. There are a lot of great apps available that feature sounds for sleep.
• Temperature Control: Keep your room cool, ideally between 60-67°F (15-19°C). A lower temperature helps you sleep better. Consider a cooling mattress pad designed specifically to regulate temperature, as well.
• Partner’s Habits: If you share your bed, make sure both of you are comfortable. Consider each other’s sleep habits. See “Sound Management” if your partner snores!
• Advanced Techniques: For an extra boost, try mouth tape to encourage nasal breathing. It sounds odd, but this can improve oxygen intake and reduce snoring. I definitely miss my mouth tape when I don’t have it!

My top three sleep aids are the eye mask, ear plugs, and mouth tape. This might not be the most romantic setup, but they’ve seriously improved my sleep. Setting up the right environment can really boost how well you rest, and these simple tweaks can make a big difference in your overall health and well-being.

4. Go to Bed Early On and Off Shift

Getting your sleep schedule in sync with your work shifts is crucial for handling sleep deprivation:

• On Shift: Try to go to bed early on shift when it’s possible. This may improve your chances of getting full sleep cycles, depending on call timing. We can’t control when the calls come in, but a consistent early bedtime improves your chances of getting quality rest, which is key when you’re working unpredictable hours.
• Off Shift: When you’re off shift, aim to go to bed early so you can get enough sleep. This also helps reset your sleep schedule, and prepares your body for the next work cycle. It’s a great way to recover from any sleep debt and get back on track.

Maintaining a consistent bedtime, whether you’re on or off shift, makes a big difference in how well you manage sleep deprivation. It helps your body adjust and keeps you feeling more rested and alert. Any improvement in gaining quality sleep will improve your overall health long-term.

5. Take Naps

Napping can be a great way to boost your energy and stay sharp, especially if you’re dealing with sleep deprivation and fatigue:

• Power Naps: A short nap of 20-30 minutes can be incredibly effective. It boosts alertness and cognitive function without making you groggy.
• Longer Naps: If you need more rest, a 90-minute nap lets you complete a full sleep cycle. This can provide deeper, more restorative benefits, helping you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of your day. 

It’s important to note that napping longer than 90 minutes can be detrimental because it increases the likelihood of entering deeper stages of sleep. Waking up from these stages can lead to grogginess, sleep inertia, and impaired cognitive function that can last for several minutes to an hour. 

Additionally, longer naps can interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night, disrupting your regular sleep schedule and sleep quality.

• Optimal Timing: For the best results, try to nap during your body’s natural low points, like early morning or mid-afternoon. This timing aligns with your circadian rhythm and maximizes the benefits of your nap.

Incorporating strategic naps into your routine can significantly help manage fatigue and keep your performance levels high. Just remember to time them right and be intentional about duration, depending on what you need.

6. Maintain A Healthy Circadian Rhythm

Maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm is difficult during shift work, but keeping it in check is key to quality sleep. Here are a few tips:

• Morning Light Exposure: Start your day by getting plenty of natural light. This helps set your internal clock and aligns it with the day-night cycle, making it easier to wake up and fall asleep at the right times. I have found a 20-minute walk with my dog first thing in the morning to be a great way to start the day when I am home.
• Regular Sleep Schedule: Stick to a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same times every day, even on your days off. This regularity reinforces your body’s natural sleep-wake pattern and improves your overall sleep quality.
• Night Routine: Aim to wind down and get to bed by around 10 p.m. (or earlier, if needed) each night. Turning off lights and creating a calming pre-sleep routine helps regulate your circadian rhythm.

By keeping your circadian rhythm steady, you’ll find it easier to get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling energized. Consistency is key, so try to stick to these habits as closely as possible as you strive to mitigate the challenges of shift work.

Managing sleep as a firefighter can be incredibly challenging, and there is a lot that we can’t control on shift. With that said, incorporating the right strategies into our daily routines can make a big difference.

By avoiding sleep disruptors, setting up a solid pre-sleep routine, optimizing your sleep environment, syncing your sleep schedule with your shifts, and incorporating naps effectively, you can significantly improve your rest and well-being.

As you strive to master your sleep, you may consider wearable technology, like the Oura Ring and WHOOP band. These tools can provide valuable insights into your sleep patterns and recovery, help track your sleep stages, and offer data-driven recommendations based on many of the strategies listed above. 

It’s important to note that while these devices are helpful, they don’t match the gold-standard accuracy of clinical sleep monitoring.

Ultimately, the goal is to find what works best for you and to stick with it. By making these adjustments and paying attention to your body’s needs, you can enhance your sleep quality and performance both on and off the job.

Ryan Provencher is an operations battalion chief with more than 30 years of fire service experience. He holds a bachelor of science in kinesiology and exercise science with a minor in nutrition from Washington State University. He has extensive experience as a fire department peer fitness trainer and health/fitness coordinator, is the founder of Firefighter Peak Performance, and serves as executive fitness advisor for CRACKYL Magazine.

This article originally appeared on FirefighterPeakPerformance.com. Get your free membership today.