Sleep deprivation

wingman · Post by **wingman** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:02 pm

This will be my second burn. I had a blast last year, but had one big problem. I couldn't sleep because of the constant noise. I know the old saying 'you can sleep the other 51 weeks' but I literally went through the last 4 days of the event without any sleep at all, and crashed hard at 10pm on saturday night, the one night I really wanted to stay up for.

I used eyemasks, wax earplugs, and ambien but nothing helped.

Any recommendations on where I could set up camp this year so I can get a little shuteye? I don't have kids so the family camp is out. It appears that there is no designated quite zones.

Thanks,

Mike

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:22 pm

Nixon.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:47 pm

Hushville. Not a designated quiet zone, but no amplified music or generators on the block. You must pre-register though.

Post by **Eric** » Tue May 20, 2008 4:01 pm

Hushville is a good bet- or you can try Walk-In Camping off of the very back street (L or M this year?).

The catch with Walk-In is that it's just that- you can't drive your car up to your camp & park it, you park along the street & carry everything in with you. Great if you're full-on survivalist, not so great if you want to camp next to your car.

Another option is to try the back streets, which tend to be a little bit quieter. There is no guarantee, however, that the person who camps next to you will agree with that assessment. They may decide that 5:00 & I is the perfect place for their overnight ambient noise gathering.

My last option, if you bring or have access to power- bring a white noise machine, and put it close to your head. Seriously. Those little buggers help, and it might cut the background noise enough for you to get some shut-eye.

You didn't say where you were camped, but if you were in an area considered a quieter part of the city & Ambien didn't help, there may not be anywhere that will work for you.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue May 20, 2008 4:45 pm

I slept better at Burning Man after spending time in Larry's truck when he drove reefers (refrigerated vans you hippies). That refrigeration unit running right behind the cab, and my head, trained me to sleep through many things. Try sleeping with noise beforehand?

thisisthatwhichis · Post by **thisisthatwhichis** » Tue May 20, 2008 5:08 pm

Yea, Eric has it right..... outside streets, and away from the two ends (sound camps).....

Or, drink and dance a lot more, b4 bedtime......... It works for me..........

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:18 pm

Does anyone have a tape of the background noise out there?
There is always a hum everywhere.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:55 pm

Any bedding issues? Too full of pee?

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Wed May 21, 2008 11:31 pm

Depends

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Thu May 22, 2008 6:41 am

Oldguy wrote:Depends

damn, that was so funny i have to go change mine now...

emotion_sickness · Post by **emotion_sickness** » Thu May 22, 2008 8:45 pm

i think sleep deprivation is a crucial part of the experience...dont fight it, embrace it! or just drink heavily till you pass out!

last year i had construction-grade earplugs, the kind made of soft plastic with 2 or 3 rings or baffles or whatever you want to call them...they go all the way into your ear canal & seal it off completely, (make sure to clean all the playa dust out first tho...ears can get nasty!) i was just down the street from the Deep End & couldnt hear a thing! and on my air mattress i slept like a baby for a good 2 hours before it got too hot in the tent...

but then again i also fell asleep on a mattress in the red dome right next to the big blue dome/dance club out on 10:00 & esplanade (cant remember what their camp's name was) while it was in full swing, with no earplugs at all...so apparently noise isnt that much of a problem for me

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:21 am

I use Black Leightning over-the-ear for most noise reduction.
Radically more comfortable than most and much better bass reduction.
I only used them once when we had the world's noisiest generator in camp.
They can be used with inserts too, which I do for cannon.
Restricts your head movement if you're sleeping, but when you need them, nice.
I've never used earplugs otherwise.
About the time someone cranks something up and I'm about to kill them, I'm out.
I think erratic noise bothers me much more.
Near the esplanade last year, but not at the far ends.

If you want better, they make active over the ear protection with adjustments.
Make sure you get closed style.
These can range up to some serious money, but they work.
And if you want masking, pink noise is what you want.
Nothing earplugs will do for bass through the ground.

Token · Post by **Token** » Fri May 23, 2008 10:00 am

Make soap.

Start a Fight Club.

Post by **mdmf007** » Fri May 23, 2008 10:20 am

If I am awake long enough, 3-4 days working an incident. I start to see bluish green blobs come out of the ground and float away.

before i see the blobs though, i see the white indian - hes an indian in full headdress and white leathers and beads, standing in the road, off to the side or so. You only catch glimpses of him. Just long enough to realize who he is.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Fri May 23, 2008 10:35 am

mdmf007 wrote:If I am awake long enough, 3-4 days working an incident. I start to see bluish green blobs come out of the ground and float away.

before i see the blobs though, i see the white indian - hes an indian in full headdress and white leathers and beads, standing in the road, off to the side or so. You only catch glimpses of him. Just long enough to realize who he is.

mine's a skinny grey wolf and he's standing right in front of me telling me not to run over him and to swerve and plunge right off that cliff. really. I call him Sleep Wolf.

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Fri May 23, 2008 11:13 am

I use those soft orange ear plugs... I find if you swish them really tight and stuff them Deep in your ears I can Sleep.... I also camp at 9:15 and the second to last ring.... I also find if I dancing all day and most of the night helps- and even if you think you can't sleep lay down and close your eyes for awhile any way.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri May 23, 2008 11:16 am

Altoid tins are great for keeping eraplugs from getting dusty. I tuck mine into the mesh bag in the tent by my head.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:32 pm

Sleep is a matter of additude.. The only time I had a noise problem was 48 hours of tech "no".. With no let up.. I lost my good additude..

I helps to change your sleep hours before going to the playa..

My camp mate in his 80's can sleep through anything.. He just truns off his hearing aides..

I'm hard of hearing on one side mostly.. It helps to lay on the good ear..

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:23 pm

ear plugs never worked for me. Last year I got a can of spray-foam insulation. Shook it up real good, worked the spray tube down into the ear canal and gave it about a two second squirt. This seemed to work great for me.

SpiffyKnobber · Post by **SpiffyKnobber** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:21 pm

[quote="Teo del Fuego"]ear plugs never worked for me. Last year I got a can of spray-foam insulation. Shook it up real good, worked the spray tube down into the ear canal and gave it about a two second squirt. This seemed to work great for me.[/quote]

Uh- you're kidding, right? Seriously people- DON'T do this. STUPID AS ALL HELL- serious damage or permanent damage can occur. If you're that concerned about sleep, get form-fitted ear plugs or build yourself a sound proof box with ventilation to sleep in. GET CREATIVE!! Just be safe!

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:02 pm

SpiffyKnobber wrote:
Teo del Fuego wrote:ear plugs never worked for me. Last year I got a can of spray-foam insulation. Shook it up real good, worked the spray tube down into the ear canal and gave it about a two second squirt. This seemed to work great for me.
Uh- you're kidding, right? Seriously people- DON'T do this. STUPID AS ALL HELL- serious damage or permanent damage can occur. If you're that concerned about sleep, get form-fitted ear plugs or build yourself a sound proof box with ventilation to sleep in. GET CREATIVE!! Just be safe!

He He Heeee

thisisthatwhichis · Post by **thisisthatwhichis** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:36 pm

No thats.... FUCKING LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!!... IBD.....

Ah, Fuck, I jus spilled my cocktail..........

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:24 pm

That is actually a good idea.

When you remove the foam in the morning, your ear canal will be wax free and clean,
just like you used one of those ear candles to do the job !!

Post by **AntiM** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:38 pm

Isn't that an episode of Grey's Anatomy?

Aya · Post by **Aya** » Sun May 25, 2008 12:23 am

I used headphones with an audiobook(A dirty Job) on the nights I had trouble sleeping, I used the huge earphones that cover the ears completely and it helped greatly, when I found myself drifting to sleep I shut it off and fell right to sleep.
I also played solitaire on my DS and that worked well too.

Post by **mdmf007** » Sun May 25, 2008 9:58 am

Barbie wrote:I use those soft orange ear plugs... I find if you swish them really tight and stuff them Deep in your ears I can Sleep.... I also camp at 9:15 and the second to last ring.... I also find if I dancing all day and most of the night helps- and even if you think you can't sleep lay down and close your eyes for awhile any way.

Isnt the Deep end there as well?

Post by **Eric** » Sun May 25, 2008 12:16 pm

mdmf007 wrote:Isnt the Deep end there as well?

the Deep End is a daytime dance camp- they start sometime in the early afternoon and go to about... 6 or so, I think. Like most people on the playa, I'm without a watch so time is strictly optional. The point being that you could camp right next to Deep End & sleep, if you go to bed before sun-up.

plowman · Post by **plowman** » Mon May 26, 2008 5:12 pm

I've always found that my body tells me when it's time to sleep.
When it shuts down so do I. When it recharges all I need is a
big cup of coffee to kick start my engine.

But the best way for me is to sleep on my right side
(almost deaf on the left)

I laughed so hard about the spray foam insulation, it made the
neighbors dogs start barking

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:37 am

SpiffyKnobber wrote:Uh- you're kidding, right? Seriously people- DON'T do this.

I'm sorry, what did you say?

ummm, you're new here aren't you?

serendipity · Post by **serendipity** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:41 am

naps really help. sometimes you are just not going to get enough sleep at night, so nap! build a shade structure, camp on on outer-ring street, and nap away the hottest hours of the mid-day with a wet sarong draped over you if you are too hot.

i like a good long evening nap, from about the time the sun hits the mountains on its way down to a few hours after dark. its early evening, you can get recharged for the night and even make it home in the predawn for a few more hours. its like split shift sleeping.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation

A few tips

naps!