24 Hour Club & Sleep Deprivation

smithsmith Huntsville, AlabamaSenior Member
edited May 2013 in General Discussion
Needless to say, staying awake for over 24 hours can be a challenge in itself. Swimming for over 24 hours straight seems somewhat unimaginable to me. It amazes me how certain ultra-marathoners can swim for not only 24 hours, but in time frames ranging from 40-80 hours as well.

In that vein, how do 24 hour club members actually train for sleep deprivation? I've read a little about the training of 24 Hour Club members, but have almost never run across anything about preparing for sleep deprivation.

Keep moving forward.

Comments

  • HaydnHaydn Member
    Not a problem for me swimming 24 hours, the water helps keep you awake. I didnt even prepare, i just decided to do a 24 hour swim. I would struggle to stay awake walking though.
  • ForeverSwimForeverSwim Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCharter Member
    @smith - I believe my tolerance for sleep depreivation has developed over years of not being able to sleep well in the first place, as I am quite used to occasionally not sleeping 1-2 nights/week. Outside of this internal 'issue' I have struggled with, I have heard people doing long swims (12+ hours) after depriving themselves of a restful night sleep in order to simulate being tired. For example, do not allow yourself to sleep on Friday night, and then start your 12+ hour swim on Saturday morning into Saturday evening. This would be one reasonable way to train for such event...
    Let me know if you have any more questions!

    www.darren-miller.com
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S.A.

  • HaydnHaydn Member
    Alternatively, go the bed at 6pm and get up at 2 am for a long swim. Especially if you are planning an E C swim.
  • smithsmith Huntsville, AlabamaSenior Member
    Thank you both for the feedback on this. Much appreciated.

    Keep moving forward.

  • bobswimsbobswims Santa Barbara CACharter Member
    I think the key is sleeping well 2 and 3 nights before the event. If that goes well no sleep the night of the swim will not be an issue. When I am going to do a long drive that will take me through the night I just stay focused on getting enough sleep earlier in the week. Sunrise can be a bit of a challenge for 20 to 40 minutes if you have driven all day and through the night, but then my internal clock restarts and I'm good to go.
  • msathletemsathlete Victoria, British Colubia, CanadaMember

    HIya! I am looking for infomation on staying awake for 50 hours. Last year I swim for about 32 and was awake for just over 40. This year I thought I would kick it up a knotch.

    I experienced some fun-filled hallucinations around the 36 hour mark and am wondering if there is a way to minimize them.

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