Rush Hour(s)

I've discovered something strange in my area.

Most people dread rush hour. It's when everyone clocks out, disconnects, and heads home. When I first started with Budget five years ago, rush hour in my area (New Jersey) was roughly from 05:00PM-06:00PM, with the final bits of congestion thinning out by 07:00PM. How do I know this? I've done the same commute to and from work just about every day of those five years. Honestly, it was easy to tell.

But this has changed. The rush hour has started to begin at 04:00PM (not too long ago really), and often, runs late into 07:00PM. Heavy traffic and congestion around these times are inevitable, as everyone is starting to go home. But! I've noticed that rush hour is not only longer now, but more hazardous. People often hang in large clusters on the highway, put putting along. As I look into these vehicles, I see the same thing all the time:

Fatigue. Or stress. Think about it- I'm sure you've been stuck in rush hour traffic at least once in your life. Have you once seen a happy face? Or hell, an emotionally neutral one? People look hollow. Vacant. Drained. These people are just moving forward through time and space to their next destination, unthinking. Probably exhausted, too.

I suspect that rush hour has gotten longer for two reasons. One, we are working more. A shift in the rush hour time, especially the beginning, may indicate traffic from supplementary or odd-houred jobs (when compared to the usual 9-5). Approaching 05:00PM, traffic is almost stopped, crawling inch by agonizing inch toward home. It only gets worse as it gets later, which could indicate that people are working later now, leaving work later. Longer hours, multiple jobs.

Busy does not mean productive. People drive home on their cellphones, probably still connected to their job somehow. I've seen people drift to the side of the road and jerk back, implying driver fatigue. Car crashes, stupid mistakes, everything. We are too tried and we are trying to do too many things.

Think long and hard about what is slowly happening, and how we are moving forward. How long will an average work week, or a shift be in twenty years? What will be expected as "just part of the job?" Think about it.

Deadly Commute

If you're anything like me, you get up REALLY early and drive to work for a while.This seems innocuous enough, but it can get dangerous. Not to mention all the usual hazards of driving, but there is something that I fight every day that I simply wasn't expecting. Fatigue. More specifically, falling asleep when I'm driving.

Fortunately, I have never completely fallen asleep at the wheel and driven off a road, or gotten into a car crash. But there have been times too close for comfort. Falling asleep at red lights, or in bumper to bumper traffic is another problem. This is a common problem as I learned from some basic research. There is even an article on how to stay awake while driving.

Ugh, if I had a nickel...(source)

This seems like a boring subject, I know. But it is something that many, many people face every day when driving to, or coming home from work. You know how it is! Whether it's a poor night sleep, lack of sleep, boredom, things make us tired, and sometimes we have no control over when. And falling asleep while driving doesn't always end well. There are consequences which should be obvious.

Sleepy drivers, as I found out, can be just as dangerous as drunk drivers. I found this article that laid it all out quite nicely. It's a real problem with real consequences. Like any problem, there are usually a whole host of ways to solve it.

As for me, I've learned tips and tricks here and there, and I even recognized a few from the article that helps me stay awake when I'm pushing through my morning commute. Drinking cold water helps, along with moving your body so that you can never get completely comfortable. Strong flavors work well too, especially ones that you don't like. I avoid energy drinks like the plague when driving- if the drink wears off while I'm behind the wheel, now I have double the amount of grogginess that I have to deal with.

Don't be this guy! (source)

Your commute's time of day and work schedule can also screw you up so badly that you may develop Shift Work Sleep Disorder, or SWSD. I never even knew about it until I did some research. Evidently, people that suffer from this disorder either can't fall asleep, or fall asleep at inopportune times. Combine this with a commute that varies in time and involves a lot of steady driving, and you have a recipe for disaster, trust me.

I know this subject is dry, but if you are like me, you know how scary it is to feel yourself slipping into sleep while you're driving a damn car. Hopefully, this entry helps someone stay awake on the road out there. For all our sakes.

Adult Naptime and Disposition

Coming to grips that I still need nap time as an adult is more difficult than I anticipated. Let me paint a picture, and then I'll tie it all together like I usually do. Several weeks ago, I was enjoying the weekend with my wife. I was off from work, and things were good. Suddenly, my mood became dark and I was extremely irritable. I became depressed, angry, and stoic. We were out and about in town, so all I wanted to do was go home and hide.

When we finally got home, I decided that I was fed up with feeling this way, and I didn't want my wife to deal with my stupidity either. Seeing no other options at the time, I went into my bedroom and tried to go to sleep. It was then I realized I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open.

Once awakening FOUR hours later, I felt completely changed, and ready to face the world again. I fight fatigue all week long, and it's not because my job is boring. It's something we all have to face and fight. But, when I start fighting fatigue during periods of time when I can rest, I start to have problems. And I'm not the only one. Check out this blogger. He says the same thing I do, and I'm sure I'll not be hard pressed to find more like him and I.

And then there's the concept of a siesta. Italy has one (source): "A siesta can be taken anytime during the day but typically it is when the sun is at it's hottest so anytime between 12 and 2pm and often after lunch." There's even an entire Wikipedia article based on it and the importance of naps! Artists have created paintings of them too:

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Die_H%C3%A4ngematte.jpg

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_migdiada.jpg

So, what happened? Other countries have siestas. Not all (which includes us) but some. There is no denying that sleep is important. So why do we ignore dream time? In fact, we even chastise those who are using their time for sleep, even a short ten minute break from consciousness. This woman describes a story about how her husband does not approve of her napping habits. She, at one time, even tried to stop her "habit" of napping, but wound up having to do it in secret. In her own home!

The working world is a world obsessed with time and productivity, even if such "values" diminish our ability to effectively deal and utilize both metaphorical resources. Would it be a crime to allow a twenty minute, non-paid optional nap break? Also, would it be wrong if workers chose to use lunchtime, or time before and after shifts to sleep?

As far as the working world is concerned, yes. Not only is it wrong, it's a heinous crime. Why? In all honesty, the world is simply going to get faster and more complex. People will have to do twice as much with the twenty four hours we are allotted each day, and eventually we will all wear ourselves out.

What do you think? Do you think I'm right, or I'm just cranky and need a nap?