General Cycling Discussion - Falling asleep in cycling clothes.

Many times I commute home from Midnignt shift and get home about 9 am.. I am so tired, I fall asleep and sleep soundly on the floor for maybe 6 hours... I can sleep anywhere.. On the floor I eat a little breakfast and look an the AM newspaper.. And I am gone.. I have been told some go on long bike tours and do not shower for days.. Does that not ruin your sleeping bag?
The cycling shorts advertise anti- bacterial chamois.. I do not seem to have a problem with bacterial growth.. If You do not have the energy to take a shower and go to bed, is falling asleep on the floor bad for your potential saddle sores.?
PS- My boss thinks commuting home is tough on the sleeping pattern. We constantly change shifts- day, night, night day. After only one week.. I say I am so tired, I actually have little problem switching shifts.. That is why the floor is a great place to sleep..

as long as your comfortable with that, I don't see any problem, after that short or rather sleep, you take a shower when you wake up everything will be just right....

The surprise for my wife, when she came home- I was soundly asleep on the floor- all day. I sleep better after cycling home, on the floor over the traditional day shift.
Day shift getting up at 4 am- Get by on 4 hours sleep since staying up all night is my pattern.. I did wash up yesterday, before getting into bed for the next day at least.. Talk about ruining a sleeping bag !

the general rule is dry skin is healthy skin and wet/damp skin is unhealthy skin. fungus grows in damp, dark areas (jock itch, athletes foot, mushrooms growing on your lawn in the spring)

but some people don't have a body chemistry that lends itself to these type of infections.

My boss thinks commuting home is tough on the sleeping pattern. We constantly change shifts- day, night, night day
If your boss is SO CONCERNED about your sleeping pattern then he should not make you change shifts constantly. That is what is harmful to your sleeping patterns, and to you.

I've gone through what you are going through and it is bad for your physical and emotional health. However much money you make, it is NOT WORTH IT .

I could do a tour without a full shower, but I'd have to at least splash my face with water, even if it's coliform water

I agree with Mike,
those swing shifts will kill you eventually.
Since that may not concern you; I would also point out that means no more riding :confused: Look for another job; after you get an offer, you can always try to negotiate a better schedule.

I think what actually helps out in terms of the shift changes, is the physical aspects of biking to work. Just swapping about sleep time- difficult adjustment. Do something physical on the way home- I sleep. Other option is drugs... Take the ride anyday.. We have a couple days off between shifts- so I find I can get through.. This shift - like a fireman's shift give me off almost half the month for riding..
I could not go on a tour and not shower. I would be crabby as hell... But the question- not getting clean and saddle sores...?

as to the shift work... i've never done it but i think it depends on the person. i mean a regular cycle is better and more natural for everyone but some people are more flexible than others. most people i know have to have a very fixed schedule and get 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night... i am overly flexible and can get 2 hours sleep one night or go to bed really late or really early or whatever... when i travel time zones i'm not too affected...

but it does make sense that the cycling helps you sleep better... especially if you develop a routine that you sleep after cycling it should become a cue to your body to sleep-- plus it is benefitial to sleep after exercise.

as to the sleeping in your cycling clothes: when i do long tours and particularly mountain tours where there are no or limited facilities i will go for many days of riding without a shower... and as long as you're not building up some sticky nasty gross growing stuff in your shorts it shouldn't be so bad (i.e. change or wash your shorts every night) --- although as someone else said i think people are different - i sweat a lot but don't produce much oil and i tend not to smell as bad as most people after exercise...

i know at least a time or 2 in the last year i have gotten back from a ride and fallen asleep in my cycling gear - probably woke up a few hours later and got out of them b/c i like to sleep in much less...

The worst thing when my wife got home, she did not like my smell- as she was about to make dinner.

Saw a guy actually fell asleep while riding once. We were about midway through a century when the rider next to me started leaning on me, couldn't figure out what was going on :confused: The look on his face as he awoke was priceless.

Come to think of it, it doesn't say much for my conversation skills now does it :sleep:

Another reason I think it safer to ride over drive an auto. I ocassionally ride home.. When you start to fall asleep on a bike, I think and hope the action of loosing momentum on the bike wakes you up( I have experienced that) but in a car- no such luck.

I sleep on the floor as well :D

Sometimes i`m coming home from my work and i`m very tired especially on cold days.
I grab a pillow and go to sleep in my working clothes on the floor for about 30/ 40 minutes, i take a shower and change clothes after i wake up.

Sleeping on the floor rocks! :sleep:

I have fallen alseep while driving, very very scary. Woke up in the dirt area between the two directions on the interstate. Never on a bike tho. Usually I just have a hard time moving when I want to sleep, so speed is slow, and I keep yelling at myself "if you go faster, you can go to bed sooner".

Alas, whenever I get home, I'm wide awake. :rolleyes:

Believe me, it is better to sleep sound on the floor than to suffer from insomnia in the silky bed.

The clear conscience is the best pillow.

Regarding wearing shorts too often without washing, I rode a week long tour several years ago with only two pairs of shorts -- and nothing to wash those shorts with. I wore one pair of shorts five straight days. The result was a essentially a yeast infection! Treatment for it was a cream for feminine yeast infections (I don't remember the brand).