Training for food and sleep deprivation

gmanflyarmy · 12-03-2010, 11:28

One day I was working out and it hit me....a person could be a complete physical freak and still fail at various points in the SF selection. Correct? They could read all they want for preparation, but still fall victim to surprises or things just hard to train for. The two I thought of is sleep and food. Now, I have not attended SFAS or any other part of the pipeline, so I'm only figuring that instructors will try to make candidates uncomfortable as possible...within reason, to represent situations they could in encounter later-on. Is this correct?

So that said, is there any smart way to condition one's body for to these mental tests? That is training for sleep deprivation and/or minimal food?

Dozer523 · 12-03-2010, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanflyarmy

One day I was working out and it hit me....a person could be a complete physical freak and still fail at various points in the SF selection. Correct? They could read all they want for preparation, but still fall victim to surprises or things just hard to train for. The two I thought of is sleep and food. Now, I have not attended SFAS or any other part of the pipeline, so I'm only figuring that instructors will try to make candidates uncomfortable as possible...within reason, to represent situations they could in encounter later-on. Is this correct?

So that said, is there any smart way to condition one's body for to these mental tests? That is training for sleep deprivation and/or minimal food?

I think you should let it hit you again.

gmanflyarmy · 12-03-2010, 11:37

rephrase: "and it occured to me"

**The Reaper** · 12-03-2010, 11:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanflyarmy

One day I was working out and it hit me....a person could be a complete physical freak and still fail at various points in the SF selection. Correct? They could read all they want for preparation, but still fall victim to surprises or things just hard to train for. The two I thought of is sleep and food. Now, I have not attended SFAS or any other part of the pipeline, so I'm only figuring that instructors will try to make candidates uncomfortable as possible...within reason, to represent situations they could in encounter later-on. Is this correct? ?

No.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanflyarmy

So that said, is there any smart way to condition one's body for to these mental tests? That is training for sleep deprivation and/or minimal food?

Smart? No.

You want sleep deprivation and starvation? Go to Ranger School. Or SERE.

TR

**Pete** · 12-03-2010, 12:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanflyarmy

............So that said, is there any smart way to condition one's body for to these mental tests? That is training for sleep deprivation and/or minimal food?

Short answer - NO

Long answer - NO. But the long answer starts with - Do you cheat on yourself when nobody is looking?

You don't train for it - you deal with it. The mental part is dealing with it.

Notice how almost all of the threads like this return to the mental state of the individual?

A strong mind can carry a weak body father than a strong body can carry a weak mind.

So you can go without sleep to see what it feels like and go without food for a while to see what that feels like - but knowing what it feels like is not the same as running through the woods at 0200, bouncing off a tree, realizing you have uncounted clicks to go - and get on with it.

jon670 · 12-03-2010, 12:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmanflyarmy

One day I was working out and it hit me....a person could be a complete physical freak and still fail at various points in the SF selection. Correct? They could read all they want for preparation, but still fall victim to surprises or things just hard to train for. The two I thought of is sleep and food. Now, I have not attended SFAS or any other part of the pipeline, so I'm only figuring that instructors will try to make candidates uncomfortable as possible...within reason, to represent situations they could in encounter later-on. Is this correct?

So that said, is there any smart way to condition one's body for to these mental tests? That is training for sleep deprivation and/or minimal food?

i personally believe there is no mental conditioning you could do in preparation. however,i believe a strong will & faith correlates more closely with your body's ability to endure hunger & fatigue.

i've only brushed briefly with sleep deprivation during the invasion in '03. there was no benchmark available to me (as in prior experience) to measure this against, but i handled it as best as i could.

my meager $.02 .

-jon.

Dusty · 12-03-2010, 12:30

If you're anticipating a mission that involves food deprivation, eat until you're nearly a candidate for the fatboy program beforehand.

With regard to lack of sleep-you could practice being tired, but you'd be wasting your time.

drymartini66 · 12-03-2010, 12:30

Agree on all previous posts. I've gone through my share of sleep deprivation in my brief military career via deployment, training and such. For me there was no book, you just deal with it. I always just concentrated at the task at hand and knew that if I slept or such that I would be letting my fellow soldiers down.

Snaquebite · 12-03-2010, 12:56

Quote:

You don't train for it - you deal with it. The mental part is dealing with it.

Notice how almost all of the threads like this return to the mental state of the individual?

A strong mind can carry a weak body father than a strong body can carry a weak mind.

This 16 year old (in the thread below) surely didn't plan to accomplish what she did the way she did it, But her mind was ready and strong enough to help her do what she shought she needed to do.

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...ad.php?t=31339

As her coach said...

Quote:

Her vison was locked on her goal."

12-03-2010, 13:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty

If you're anticipating a mission that involves food deprivation, eat until you're nearly a candidate for the fatboy program beforehand.

Ever noticed that two weeks before Infil, PT kinda drops off - minus rehersals, and eating becomes an exercise in itself.

I still never got enough sleep, well rested maybe, but sleep? No.

Napping is still one of my favorite pass times.

drymartini66 · 12-03-2010, 13:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by wet dog

Ever noticed that two weeks before Infil, PT kinda drops off - minus rehersals, and eating becomes an exercise in itself.

I still never got enough sleep, well rested maybe, but sleep? No.

Napping is still one of my favorite pass times.

Yep, 5 mins. here, 10 mins. there. Surprising how much it helped.

Dusty · 12-03-2010, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by wet dog

Ever noticed that two weeks before Infil, PT kinda drops off - minus rehersals, and eating becomes an exercise in itself.

I still never got enough sleep, well rested maybe, but sleep? No.

Napping is still one of my favorite pass times.

lol I do "standing naps" out shopping with Mrs. Dusty all the time.