A Time When 10-07 is Best

It has been awhile since I have had time to visit with the men and women in blue. I have ridden patrol several times since the last time I wrote. I am conducting my latest concern -- fatigue. Sometimes known as a lack of DEEP SLEEP or REM SLEEP. Of course we all get tired. I'm talking about the times when not getting enough special sleep time can affect your marriage, your quality of work and perhaps your very safety. The title of this article isn't about the Ten Code 10-07. It is about getting 7 hours of sleep every night. I know, many of you are saying, " I don't need that much sleep." I use to say the same thing. I would say, " I usually get 5 hours sleep each night and that is fine." " I'm one of those people who don't need 8 hours a night." I also use to say, " I'm not very friendly the first thing in the morning." or " I hate people who just bounce out of bed an act all happy and talkative in the morning." After two cups of coffee or more and a couple of hours quiet time I was just fine. When I was a teacher I use to try to get the first period as a conference period since I rarely had parent conferences and I had time to wake up. As I became involved in researching Police Officer Stress Management I use to ride deep nights, teach school all day and then grab a 4-5 hours sleep after the kids went to bed and think I was rested. The more I researched stress management the more I began to realize the importance of deep sleep or rem-sleep.
As I continue this series on the value of sleep I would like you to get a red pencil as you read along. From time to time I will tell you, " This would be a good place to underline in red." Those places are meant to be especially helpful for the people who make our lives safer and saner -- the police. I will sign off now as I am getting ready to take a young man to his first Police Explorer Meeting and then I am going to the house to try to get 7 hours of sleep :). See you next time when we will take a look at some of the research and how 4-5 hours of sleep a night may be putting you and me in danger, and, most importantly how you could even be doing damage to your heart. I'm serious officer! I didn't realize that until my doctor (who is a brilliant scientist) jumped in my face for not getting enough sleep. Please stand by for the good news if you change just a few habits. Until then I'm 10-08. Call me if you want to and we will talk about stuff .(512-282-3158 / 512-971-1918)