text: Chapter 11
  morning departure when it may be difficult to fall asleep, but long-duration flights afford the opportunity for
  afternoon sleep. The following tactics support in-flight sleep:
  * Stop caffeine intake 6 hours prior to take-off. Do not drink caffeine until approximately 30 minutes
  before landing.
  * Eat a meal prior to boarding or immediately after take-off. Forego any later in-flight meal service
  that will interfere with your sleep.
  * Do not consume alcohol before or during the flight. Alcohol will make you feel drowsy, but it
  actually impairs sleep.
  * Control effects of cabin noise, light, and temperature by using foam ear plugs (or noise-cancelling
  headphones), a sleep mask, and blanket. Select a window seat so that passenger and flight
  attendant movements do not disrupt your sleep.
  After Travel
  11-40. Adjust activities in new time zone based on the following guidance:
  * Schedule meetings during routine alertness cycle and avoid meetings during your routine sleep
  cycle.
  * Use 200 milligrams of caffeine (equivalent to two cups of coffee) prior to critical meetings to
  support alertness and mental acuity. Stop caffeine at least 6 hours prior to a scheduled sleep period.
  * For fast turn-around travel (1–2 days at each time zone), maintain home time schedule as much as
  possible. Schedule critical meetings during peak alertness. For eastward travel, this means
  scheduling meetings to occur in the late afternoon or evening of the new local time. Sleep or nap
  during the new local day.
  * Avoid alcohol since it exacerbates sleepiness and mental deficits as well as impairs sleep.
  * Use sleep-inducing agents only under a physician’s supervision and approval.
  * Avoid over-the-counter sleep aids. These compounds do not improve sleep and they can impair
  post-awakening alertness and mental acuity.
  * Avoid over-the-counter melatonin (marketed as a sleep aid) since it does not increase actual sleep
  time.
  * Manage light exposure depending on the alertness boost needed. Some sources of light found in
  offices and hotels boost alertness. While this exposure may be useful to boost alertness, it may
  also lead to poor sleep quality and duration.
  * Make the computer’s display adapt to the time of day and use the blue light blocker during non-
  daylight hours to facilitate nighttime sleep and strengthen circadian rhythms.
  * Be aware of sunrise and sunset times to determine bed time. Go to bed when the sun goes down.
  Be active and move around when the sun is up. Use naps to achieve 7–8 hours of sleep every 24
  hours. Naps will improve alertness and performance.
  Before Missions
  11-41. The notion that one can adapt to sleep loss is a myth. Although Soldiers generally benefit from
  training as they fight, this does not hold true for sleep loss. Soldiers cannot be trained to perform better on
  less sleep. Although chronically sleep-restricted Soldiers do become accustomed to a reduced level of
  alertness, which they think is normal, objective assessments to reveal deficits show that there is no evidence
  of habituation or adaptation to sleep loss. The only possible benefit to training under conditions of sleep loss
  is if it increases the Soldiers’ awareness and appreciation for the extent to which sleep loss impacts their
  physical and mental abilities. See table 11-1 for strategies to maximize mission sleep.
  11-42. Although Soldiers cannot train to perform better on less sleep, they can bank sleep. Sleep banking
  is achieved by significantly extending the nightly time in bed to more than 8 hours per night. Soldiers must
  bank sleep for multiple consecutive nights prior to embarking on a mission that is likely to result in inadequate
  sleep. The extra sleep they obtain in this manner creates a bank of sleep they use to sustain alertness and
  performance during subsequent sleep loss (acute sleep deprivation or chronic sleep restriction).