Long-distance sailing is an amazing experience. But, as in everything in life, it has certain difficulties. Sleeping while sailing is one of them. Maintaining a good quantity and quality of sleep is an important aspect of your well-being. In fact, sleep deprivation is for many sailors one of the most well-known solo boating disasters. One of the most crucial aspects of your health is sleep. If you’re going on a long journey, it’ll be difficult to stay safe if you can’t sleep. Single-handed sailors must adopt a completely new sleep regimen in order to sail as securely and pleasantly as possible. So, in this article, I’m going to answer the question if sleeping is possible while sailing as well as give some extra tips about sleeping and sailing. Follow me!

Consequences from Lack of Sleep

Sleep deprivation is almost unavoidable during a lengthy ocean voyage, and it has negative body consequences. Symptoms include memory loss, trouble thinking or concentrating, unpredictable mood swings, poor balance, and accidents. Sleep deprivation impairs the most sophisticated brain activities, such as understanding, adapting, and planning in quickly changing situations. Simple psychomotor performance and physical strength and endurance, on the other hand, are unaffected. To put it another way, you can still work—you just don’t know what task to perform.

Keep in mind that hallucinations are just one indication of sleep deprivation, and singlehanded sailors aren’t the only ones that need sleep. The majority of cruising boats only have two people on board when crossing the ocean. Sickness, injury, or even the death of a crewmember can place a strain on those who are still physically capable. It’s worth noting that bad weather can overwhelm self-steering systems, forcing you to handle the boat by hand. When you’re at the helm all day and night, it’s critical to get the most out of your sleep. From time to time you might also need to extend your watch. When navigating through traffic or approaching ashore, for example. Sleep and food will aid you in making the best decision possible by allowing you to think properly and select what steps or route to pursue.

Naps can have a bad side known as sleep inertia. When you wake up at the wrong moment, you have to climb out of this gravity well. It usually lasts only a few minutes, but it can last much longer, and it can cause extreme confusion, disorientation, and poor performance. You’re drowsy and clumsy. You can wake up feeling even more exhausted than when you went to bed. The symptoms of sleep inertia can be life-threatening if there is an emergency situation on deck. Although sleep inertia occurs in fully rested adults, sleep loss exacerbates its consequences.

REM Stages

So, when are you more prone to suffer from the consequences of lack of sleep and how can you avoid it? The answer, in turn, necessitates an understanding of the various stages of sleep. Actually, there are five: 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM (rapid eye movement). Normally, you cycle through each of the stages in order, then start over. Each step lasts 5 to 15 minutes, bringing the whole cycle time to 90 to 100 minutes.

The transition between consciousness and a light slumber from which you can readily arise is in Stage 1.

Stage 2 is light sleep, in which the brain waves settle down with only a few bursts of fast activity.

Stage 3 marks the shift from light to deep sleep when sluggish brain waves are punctuated with smaller, quicker waves. During Stage 3, some persons experience sleepwalking, night terrors, and talking in their sleep.

Deep sleep (stage 4) is characterized by sluggish waves. When people wake up from this stage, they usually have some sleep inertia.

REM The brain imitates activity in the waking state during sleep.

Keep in mind that you have to avoid waking from slow-wave sleep (Stages 3 and 4). Like this, you will avoid sleep inertia because those are the deepest stages of sleep when the body recovers. It feels like your head is full of cotton when you wake up from slow-wave sleep. It is preferable to wake up while in light sleep (Stages 1 and 2) or even REM sleep. Sleep inertia is higher in a 50-minute nap than in a 20-minute or 80-minute nap. You’re normally in Stage 4 sleep after 50 minutes. You’ll likely be sluggish and unable to understand what’s going on if you wake up after 40 to 50 minutes. It is preferable to sleep for 20 minutes or 80 minutes. You should be on the backside of slow-wave sleep after 80 minutes, he explains.

Sleeping while sailing single handed

>>Also Read: Sleep Deprivation While Sailing and How to Combat it

Small and Frequent Naps is the Key when Sailing

This is a very important thing to keep in mind when sailing and sleeping. Sleeping most of the night and some of the day is one of the ways a sailor can cruise large distances away from the coast. You’ll sleep for 20 minutes at a time. This is simple to accomplish with a 20-minute alarm clock. You’ll get up every time it rings to check the horizon, reset the alarm, and try to fall back asleep.

Another approach to do this is to set a 22-minute alarm cycle, and then get up and look around for 1-2 minutes after each bell. You won’t have as much time to look around the boat or at the horizon if you do this, but you won’t have to constantly reset the alarm. Many sailors follow the same approaches. Some people set 10-minute alarms, while others simply blackout and sleep without checking anything. None of these procedures is advisable because the first is extremely difficult and the second is dangerous.

Another option is to take a more easygoing approach. This is typically done when you aren’t in a rush. You’ll also have the advantage of being completely rested for the final 48 hours of your journey. You’ll need to be on your toes because this is when there will be the most traffic. You will sleep 3-6 hours at a time during the day, and when the night falls, you will lower all sails, hoist two red lights vertically and two black balls, and finally set a drogue.

If you have these hoists ready all you have to do now is raise them up the backstay with a mainsail topping lift. A power cable will be disconnected and plugged in. It will only take a few seconds to drop or set this. You’ll practically come to a halt in the water. Even if you only move a fraction of a degree, it is close enough to tell all neighboring vessels that you are not making way and that there is no present navigation.

This should only happen in the middle of the ocean, so instead of simply port-hopping, cruise around 100 miles off the shore. But, keep in mind not to do this if there is any traffic near you because there is a considerably larger risk of difficulties. When you get closer to the port, switch to 20-minute intervals, which won’t be too bad because you’ve had a lot of sleep. When it comes down to it, many people can spend up to 40 hours without sleeping before experiencing hallucinations and losing their judgment. Who knows what you might see and how you would react if you do this to yourself. You should organize your schedule so that you are not awake for long amounts of time.

Things to Keep in Mind if Sleeping while Sailing

  • Bear in mind that you should wear lifejackets and lifelines must be attached even if you are asleep in the cockpit.
  • While on a single watch, you should never, ever leave the cockpit.
  • Note that if a large squall hits during the night, the sail area will lower by furling the jib.
  • It’s possible that you’ll need to feel exhausted before you can get a good night’s sleep. The light winds are one of the most difficult aspects of sleeping for many people. But, others have reported that when it is dead calm out on the sea, it can be really frightening, and your wild imagination will keep you awake. To correct this, start the engine and let it run slightly above the tick over. You will be motor sailing even though the modest wind will be enough to push you along. The steady hum of the engine can help you sleep easier. Many people prefer background noise, possibly because it makes you feel safe and secure.
  • Always take a look at the weather conditions while on night watches and reef properly before it gets dark. To preserve night vision, you can also utilize a headlight with a red LED. Rod cells in the eyes are responsible for night vision, and they require 20-40 minutes to adapt to a change in light.
  • Your choice of watch system is determined by a number of factors, including the number of people on board, the mental and physical demands of the situation, and personal preferences. For example, some people find it difficult to sleep down below during the day, while others prefer a shorter night watch and a longer day off-watch. Keep in mind the REM sleep rule of four hours. The average person sleeps for four hours, two hours, and one hour, with waking times (or close to) in between. With only three people on board, a three-hours-on, six-hours-off watch system ensures that you will receive your four hours of sleep. Sleeping for two hours on and four hours off is not the same as sleeping for four hours.
  • Monophasic sleep is defined as sleeping for eight hours straight throughout the night. Polyphasic sleep is the division of a single sleep cycle into numerous naps. Even though it has a new name, taking regular naps at sea is nothing new. Sailors have a reputation for falling asleep anytime or wherever their eyes are closed. The optimal nap length, on the other hand, is a more nuanced subject that varies from person to person. Most professional sailors only nap for 20 minutes at a period, allowing them to monitor performance and sailing conditions often while obtaining the bare minimum of sleep. Less than 10 minutes, on the other hand, appears to have little effect on recovery.

Single-Handed Sailing and Sleep

Solo sailors can either exploit the 20-minute interval to sail at night or effectively “deaden” the boat so that they move barely but get a lot of sleep, depending on where they are. It’s also a good idea to steer the boat further offshore so that they don’t have many boat contacts. They should always test your equipment to ensure that their alarm and radar are reliable. It’s also critical to have lots of warm clothing on available, as well as a head torch that can be utilized in the dark.

It is highly rewarding to complete a solo sailing voyage. When sailing alone, there isn’t that much to be concerned about. When you’re solo sailing, the truth is that you won’t get much sleep. You’ll have to learn to function on very little sleep. It may seem like hell for the first week or two, but it gets a lot easier with practice. You’ll have to set a course, then get some sleep for 2 to 4 hours before waking up for a while and then return to bed for another 2 hours or so. You’ll be able to go back asleep quickly if you scan the horizon swiftly and don’t allow your brain to turn back on.

Sailing while sleeping is a peculiar sensation that demands a boost of confidence, but if you get used to it, you’ll be able to make incredible progress. This half-awake state can be strange, and there’s nothing wrong with lowering the sails and taking things slowly while getting some rest.

Because anchors aren’t fully foolproof, you’ll want to keep a close check on where you are now vs where you were before you went to sleep. If your cabin is adequately dehumidified, you will have a much better night’s sleep. Mold and mildew can not only make it difficult to fall asleep, but it can also pose a serious health risk if left untreated. I strongly advise you to keep a marine dehumidifier container near your bunk.

Note that it will most likely be difficult if this is your first journey. On a sailboat, some people can sleep soundly. It will be substantially more difficult if there are heavy gales, especially if you are single-handed and using bare poles to steer the boat. It will also be difficult to sleep on your boat if you require a soft mattress, a very quiet environment, and a lot of space.

Can you sleep while your boat is on autopilot

>>Also Read: Best Sleeping Bags for Sailing

Important Equipment to Have Onboard

Windvane

A windvane might be one of the most useful instruments for navigating and sailing while you sleep. Windvanes can be guided by a compass, receive data from a GPS, or use other data to navigate. The windvane is unique in that it steers the boat using the power of the wind and the water. That means the stronger the wind is and the faster your boat is moving against the water, the more power the windvane will need to steer. In adverse weather and on open sea, the windvane is important to have.

Windvanes, on the other hand, have significant drawbacks. The windvane is more difficult to master than most other navigational instruments for most sailors. Learning this difficult navigation skill might be very irritating at times. Many sailors, on the other hand, believe that learning to sail with a winvane can help you become a better sailor. You’ll need to guide the boat correctly to set the windvane, regardless of what input sources you’re using. Before you expect your windvane to handle the boat for you, you should be able to steer it with two fingers, regardless of how powerful the wind and waves are. This is why using a windvane can help you become a better sailor. Once you’ve gotten the hang of steering the boat and adjusting the windvane, you might find it pretty simple to operate.

Radar

A radar is an absolutely vital equipment that you cannot go without if you will be sleeping while your boat is underway. While having your boat drift off course can be annoying, not having an autopilot or a windvane is unlikely to put your life in danger. On the other side, failing to have a radar can do exactly that. Radars warn you of potential collisions with objects on your course. A radar can detect a ship approaching you on the open sea or warn you that you have deviated from your course and are in danger of crashing with a reef.

It can also alert you to potential environmental risks that you were previously ignorant of, such as a newly sunken ship that is not visible on your maps or GPS. Radar may also provide weather information, but its ability to alert you to hidden threats while you are sleeping is what makes it so important.

GPS

Without a GPS on board, very few sailors attempt to sail anywhere except the most familiar of waters. For most sailors, GPS aids navigation in a way that is genuinely practical. You can connect a GPS to a more advanced windvane or autopilot. Like this, your boat knows where it is and where it should be pointing automatically. You can program the GPS to maintain a very narrow track to avoid obstructions. Or, a more general course with flexibility to maintain the best possible speed in challenging situations. One of the most important functions of a GPS is to warn you when something goes wrong.

A GPS can tell you if you are being pushed off course, allowing you to fix the problem before you are pushed too far. Even if you believe yourself a capable navigator, you may find yourself thrown off course before noticing it. Before you go too far off course, a GPS can warn you that you’ve been forced off route. Even if you don’t want an alert, a GPS makes it simple to recognize you’ve gone off track when you wake up.

Autopilot

Autopilots are often simple to set up and use, as well as being quite practical. Note that the compass can be used to direct autopilots in a specific direction. More advanced models can use a GPS to plot intricate routes and can also be programmed to retrace previous routes. Autopilots work by using a motor to point your tiller or wheel in the direction you specify. Modern models may be able to account for wind or water conditions and change the route to some extent.

However, unlike the windvane, which uses the strength of the wind and waves to give it strength, all autopilots work primarily by fighting against the pull of wind and water. As a result, while the autopilot is simpler to use for most sailors, it is not as reliable in all weather conditions. When things are reasonably quiet, even if they are slightly unpredictable, autopilots perform well. When the weather is particularly bad, though, an autopilot is unlikely to be as useful. So, can you sleep while your boat is on autopilot? Technically, you can leave your boat on autopilot, if there’s not much other traffic and there is no need to spend all your time wide awake on the wheel. However, you still need to keep watch and I wouldn’t recommend sleeping while on autopilot.

Can You Sleep While Sailing? – The Bottom Line

So, yes, sleeping while sailing can be done. Sleeping is unquestionably possible; it is a fundamental necessity while sailing alone or with others. It is also one of the most crucial considerations to make when setting sail for a lengthy voyage. The majority of your sailing should revolve on the sleep schedule you set. The above-mentioned tricks will allow you to stay focused when you need to be, as well as get some quality rest when you can. On a solo voyage, keep in mind that a lot of things might go wrong. If you get into trouble, make sure you have a satellite phone and a good first-aid kit. When you’re in high-traffic regions near ports, many people sleep in 20-minute intervals. You can also sleep around 3-6 hours when sailing over oceans far from the coastline.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this article and you are now able to set sail without any concerns. Wish you all a safe & pleasant voyage!