Stress & Nervous System
Sleep, caffeine, light & nap plan for your rotation.
24 on / 48 off
Common fire schedule. Bank sleep before shift, protect recovery sleep on day 1 off.
Pre-shift sleep bank
9:30 PM – 5:30 AM
Get a full 7–8 hours the night before. A long shift with sleep debt is the biggest fatigue risk.
On-shift nap window
9:00 PM – 10:30 PM
If calls allow, take a 90-minute nap (one full sleep cycle) or a 20-minute power nap to avoid grogginess.
Caffeine cutoff
1:00 AM
Stop caffeine about 6 hours before you plan to sleep. Small, frequent doses work better than one large dose.
Sunglasses on the drive home
7:00 AM – 7:30 AM
Morning light tells your brain it is daytime. Wrap-around sunglasses on the commute make day sleep easier.
Bright light during shift
7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Use bright light in the first half of a night shift to stay alert; dim it in the last 2 hours.
Recovery sleep (day 1 off)
7:45 AM – 10:45 AM
Take a short 2–3 hour recovery sleep after a 24, then stay up until a normal bedtime so your night sleep stays intact.
Anchor sleep (normal bedtime)
10:30 PM – 6:30 AM
Get back on your normal night schedule the same evening. Keep this anchor consistent on all days off.
Meal timing
8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 7:00 PM
Regular protein-forward meals every 4–6 hours. Avoid heavy meals within 2 hours of sleep.
General guidance based on shift-work sleep research. If you regularly fall asleep at the wheel or can’t sleep despite good habits, talk to a clinician about shift work disorder or sleep apnea.