Sleep and daily structure in prolonged crises

In long crises the biggest problem is usually not the single moment of shock but the ongoing strain. Uncertainty, noise, cold, unfamiliar sleeping places and worry rob people of sleep. Lack of sleep in turn makes people more irritable, more anxious and slower in their thinking. This creates a cycle: if you sleep badly you worry more – and if you worry more you sleep worse.

The body has an internal clock that is set mainly by light. Daylight in the morning and during the day signals “be awake”, darkness in the evening signals “sleep soon”. When usual routines disappear – work, school, regular meals – this clock easily gets out of step. Fixed times and daylight help it keep the beat.

A daily structure also affects the mind. When the day has a clear sequence, there are fewer empty hours for brooding, and everyone knows what comes next. The US Army survival manual names fatigue, uncertainty and isolation as stressors in their own right – a daily structure works against all three at once.

Write down a simple daily plan and put it up where everyone can see it: getting up, meals, tasks, news times, rest time, sleep. It doesn't have to be perfect, just reliable. For children in particular it is reassuring to see: after lunch there is play, after supper comes the story.

If someone has to stay awake at night – because of a small child, a sick person, a fire in the stove or for safety – set up shifts. The aim is for everyone to get an unbroken block of sleep, instead of everyone dozing half awake all night. If you are alone, agree fixed contact times with relatives or neighbours as far as communication allows.

Improve the sleeping place: warm, dry, as dark and quiet as possible. A sleeping mat or blankets against the cold from below, an eye mask against light. Head torches with a red or dimmed mode disturb others less. Listen to the news at fixed times instead of constantly – one person can follow the situation and pass on what matters.

The body needs a transition from day to night. It helps to make the last hour before sleep calm: reading aloud, talking quietly, a game without excitement, calm breathing. Difficult conversations and crisis news are better placed during the day.

Caffeine from coffee, black tea, cola or energy drinks keeps working for many hours – better to avoid it late in the day. Alcohol may make you sleepy, but it worsens sleep in the second half of the night and your judgement the next day. It is not a sleep aid.

If sleep is missing at night, short rests during the day help – especially before demanding or risky tasks. Anyone who wants to take sleeping pills or sedatives, or who has been hardly sleeping for some time, should discuss it with a doctor. Deliberately, no recommendations on this are given here.

Severe tiredness is dangerous. It slows reactions and impairs judgement, often without you noticing it yourself. When overtired, do not drive, do not handle tools, fire, stoves or generators, and do not make risky decisions alone. Anyone who “pushes through” for days without sleep puts themselves and others at risk.

Carbon monoxide (CO) forms when something burns incompletely – for example in grills, gas stoves, outdoor heaters or generators. The gas is invisible and odourless and can be fatal during sleep, because you don't notice warning signs such as headache and dizziness. Such devices never belong in living or sleeping rooms. A CO alarm is a sensible safeguard. If you suspect CO, get into fresh air immediately and call the emergency number (112 in the EU).

Earplugs are only fine if warnings, alarms or calls will still be noticed – for example because someone is keeping watch. Children should sleep close to familiar people so they can find someone if they wake up at night.

During a longer power cut, daily routines often shift on their own: it gets dark, cold and quiet early, TV and internet are gone. Evenings become long. A deliberate plan – a shared supper, reading aloud by candle or lamp light, a fixed bedtime – turns that time into recovery instead of brooding.

Emergency shelters are often noisy, bright and crowded. Not everything can be controlled there, but some things can: an eye mask, earplugs (if someone is keeping watch), a corner for the family, familiar objects for children. Agreements with the neighbours on the next camp bed help too.

In long isolation, for example in quarantine or in cut-off places, structure is especially important. Fixed times for movement, tasks, contact with others and breaks hold the day together. Sleep and contact with other people are not side issues here but the foundation for staying able to act over days and weeks.