• Joshua Iz

    a dj, producer, designer, writer and global traveler based in Chicago.

The Sleeping DJ

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; — Shakespeare

There are two things that bond the stylistically diverse and geographically scattered group of internationally traveling djs: 1) we don’t get enough sleep, and 2) we all want more of it. The problem is, our jobs are so uniquely sleep-challenged that none of the normal tips to help with getting a good night’s rest are practical or even possible to follow. Sleep truly is bliss and in this article I will share some of my personal experiences in order to help my fellow djs maximize their sleep.

First, let’s go through these 10 tips for better sleep from the Mayo Clinic:

  1. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on weekends. One of the major challenges djs face in trying to get sleep is the sheer craziness of our schedules. We show up to work at midnight and are often up until well after the sun comes up (or later). We have to be “up” for the gig – not just awake, but the life of the party. The social aspect of drinking/partying and after parties are a necessary part of the job but these add their own factors which create additional pressures on our precious sleep time. Like many djs, I like “staying up” as much as I like sleep, however it is important to find a balance between these two opposites.
  2. Don’t eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. If you are a dj and you drink, this one is out the window.
  3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening. Here, I am assuming “evening” means before you go to sleep but if you drink or smoke, this doesn’t make sense.
  4. Exercise regularly. This, in fact, is the one tip on this list that you can follow, and I recommend you do. Exercising releases endorphins which keep your mood up and will make you more tired at the end of the day which should help when trying to fall asleep.
  5. Make your bedroom cool, quiet, dark and comfortable. Does this apply to your mate’s guest bedroom in the middle of the day? Or your hotel room in Miami?
  6. Sleep primarily at night. Yep, not gonna happen.
  7. Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. While when on tour I would love to always have the luxury of a Westin Heavenly Bed, it simply doesn’t work out that way.
  8. Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Here are some of their suggestions: To prepare for sleep, try reading a light, entertaining book or magazine; listening to soft music; making simple preparations for the next day; a light bedtime snack, a cup of hot tea, or a glass of warm milk; hobbies such as knitting or jigsaw puzzles; listening to books on tape. Ahhh, that’s what I’ve been missing – a hobby!
  9. Go to bed when you are tired and turn out the lights. Great, thanks for that info.
  10. Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Sleeping pills can be extremely helpful when trying to re-adjust your sleep schedule as well as helping to turn the party off. After a big gig I am often buzzing just from the excitement and sometimes a sleeping pill helps to wind me down. Nevertheless, any kind of sleeping pill can cause dependency so they should be taken in moderation and only when absolutely necessary. That said, I also like them for the plane on long haul flights as they help you maximize that time and be prepared for the next day.

Flying Club

Coming back from the Sonar festival in Barcelona last weekend, I was on the last flight of the day back to London Gatwick Airport and the plane was full of djs returning home after a long weekend of all day and all night parties. Many of these djs were personal friends and I spotted a few of them leaning against the window of the plane, floating off into a dreamlike state for what seemed like the first time in days. For the traveling dj, sometimes the plane is the only (and best) place to get some much needed kip, even if it is on a relatively short flight.

On long haul flights, I always try to get as much sleep as possible. Not only does this help me to be more rested for my gig, but long flights are tedious – there are only so many romantic comedies I can watch and magazines I can read. Some people fire up their laptops and create entire albums on the plane but I am not one of them…my ideal 10 hour flight would be to fall asleep just after the meal and wake up to the sound of “Flight attendants, prepare for landing.”

Here are some tips to sleep on long flights:

  1. Upgrade to Business Class. If you have miles or upgrade certificates with a particular airline, use them on long haul flights to upgrade. Your overall experience will be much more pleasant and many airlines have full lay-flat seats so you can really relax. In business class you are often given a little hospitality pack with an eye mask and ear plugs. Take advantage of these perks.
  2. Choose the right seat. If you can’t upgrade, choose an economy seat that gives you the best opportunity to get in the most comfortable position possible. Check and see what kind of plane you will be flying on and then check out http://www.seatguru.com/ then pick the best seat for that plane. I find that windows give you something to lean against (instead of drooling on the passenger next to you). Exit rows may have more legroom but often the seats don’t recline so keep that in mind. Non-exit row bulkhead economy seats are often ideal as they have more legroom, but then you can’t have anything on the floor during takeoff and landing. Bulkhead seats are often closest to the lavatories and allow some extra room to step over the passenger next to you if you have to use one mid-flight.
  3. Create your own business class experience. If upgrading isn’t possible, bring ear plugs and an eye mask to shut out the noise and light on the plane. Get some moist towelettes to refresh you throughout the flight. Buy a large bottle of water so you don’t have to ask the flight attendants when you are thirsty. Remember, the air on planes is extremely dry and it just sucks the moisture from your skin so it is important to keep well hydrated. Wear comfortable clothes (I’ve even seen people change into pajamas) and remove your shoes for the flight. Before the flight, I usually I buy a newspaper, magazines and mints and get a plastic bag. Then I put everything I need for the whole flight in that bag and keep it next to me so I never have to get up.
  4. Develop a flight routine. I always plan to sleep just after the meal service. Drinking red wine with the meal (along with a lot of water) seems to help me fall asleep. If I have a sleeping pill, I take it just when the meal is served so usually it kicks in just when I’m finished eating. Before the meal service, I put my blanket on and get my pillow ready so as soon as they clear my tray, I am usually out in no time.
    On short flights, even a little bit of sleep can help you feel refreshed. Get a window seat close to the front of the plane so you can board first and start napping. Even 20 minutes of sleep can give you a boost for the rest of the day.

Heavenly Bed

As mentioned before, not every hotel or sleeping situation while on tour can be the Westin, but there are a few things you can do to while staying in hotels: keep your room cool and as dark as possible; use your eye mask and ear plugs if it’s loud or during the day; use the hotel gym or pool or go for a run if you are having trouble sleeping; request late afternoon/evening flights and get late check out or even pay for an additional half-day (a lot of hotels will do this as long as you are out before their cleaning staff leaves for the day). While staying with friends, make sure they have a separate room with a door – we’ve all been in the situation where you exhausted and are staying on their couch and then people are still partying in the room you are supposed to sleep in at noon the next day. As a general rule, if I don’t know the promoter or the situation, I require a hotel.

REMnants

When back at home, or just off for a few days while on tour, this is the best time to try to catch up on sleep. It’s tough to just slip back into a regular sleep schedule but if you can at least get 5-6 hours at night (or more if possible) and augment that with a short 45 minute nap during the afternoon (I’m a huge fan of naps), that helps a lot to keep you well rested and prepared for the next weekend. Sleep is crucial, not only to help your body recover but to help your mind filter through all the day’s (and night’s) events. Going for days with little or no sleep breaks down your immune system and severely decreases mental and physical performance. The main goal is to give yourself enough time to get into REM sleep as this helps your body and mind recover.

The first night you are back from being abroad, try as hard as you can to stay up until the time you would normally go to bed. Do not use caffeine to try to stay up and if you are exhausted then go to bed early. But, staying up until your normal time will help to get you back on schedule faster and avoid the problems with jet lag. As always, you should drink a lot of water – at least 1.5 liters per day. Try to eat at normal times and if you don’t have to go out, avoid drinking alcohol or large meals right before bed. If you have obliterated your body over the weekend, use mid-week days off to eat healthy, nutritious meals, drink loads of water, exercise, and get outside whenever possible. A 20 minute walk outside in the sun will give you valuable Vitamin D as well as create natural endorphins which will improve your mood as well as help to regulate your sleep patterns.

While it may feel like you hardly ever see your own bed, invest in a good one. As you spend close to 1/3 of your life in bed, you want this to be as comfortable as possible.

Have any other sleep tips for your fellow djs? Leave them in the comments below.

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Joshua Iz at Fabric 15 May 2010

Fabric May 15 2010Joshua Iz returns to Fabric this Saturday, 15 May 2010!

I’ve been playing at Fabric for 10 years now and not only is it an honor to have a residency there, it is bar none one of my favorite places to play in the whole world. While I am often playing with Diz, this time I am solo this time in Room 3 with Terry Francis. Me and Terry always have a party in room 3, playing crazier and crazier tracks in the wee hours in the morning and generally just having a blast. I’m sure this Saturday will be no different.

This gig is also the kickoff to my Vizual Summer tour – I’ll be based out of London from 15 May to 14 July and playing around Europe.

There’s a lot of good music out there and I’ve picked up some good bits to drop. I’m also looking to test out some of my new jammies on the Fabric system!

For more info: http://www.fabriclondon.com/

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Slumbervision: Watching TV to Fall Asleep

Like many people I have a tv in my bedroom and I find that often I can’t go to sleep without it on. Nevertheless, it takes the right show to help me drift off into a restful, dreamlike state. If a show has a lot of flickering, explosions, annoying noises or too many commercials, falling asleep with the tv on is damn near next to impossible. So, I’ve spent many a night finding the best shows that help me wind down after a hectic day.

Here is my totally non-scientifically tested list of my favorite shows to fall asleep to:

1. Anything on the NASA channel [NASA Channel]
If there is an active Space Shuttle mission (like now), watching the NASA channel is reminiscent of being in the ambient room at a rave in 1994. During planned sleep time while the astronauts are tucked into their cocoons, you are presented with a view of Earth from orbit on the International Space Station. Sometimes twenty minutes will go by between the time when an announcer explains minutiae about the mission in a whispered tone. Usually I’m not even awake for more than twenty minutes with the NASA channel on so this is definitely the winner. Plus, the NASA channel is just cool. Crash point: 15 minutes.

2. Cash In The Attic [BBC America]
If you’ve ever been to the UK, you know that they will put anything on television there. Like snooker for 9 hours on a Saturday. And if you’re bored with that, you can probably change to one of the other 4 channels and watch Cash In The Attic. Luckily, the programming geniuses at BBC America thought that Americans were finally ready for the action-packed powerhouse that is Cash In The Attic. For the uninitiated, CITA is like Antiques Roadshow in reverse – instead of you bringing your junk to the appraisers, they come to your house and look through your junk and then sell it for you at an auction (in the UK they say ‘at auction’). The participants try to raise money for a particular event or cause such as remodeling their bathroom or throwing a retirement party. The show flows really well and the experts are truly packed with information so you definitely learn a bunch of totally useless facts about somebody else’s crap. Crash point: midway through the auction.

3. Antiques Roadshow (UK/American versions) [PBS/BBC America]
Watching both the UK and American versions of Antiques Roadshow exposes some glaring differences between the two programs: 1) Things in the UK are really, really old; Antiques in the UK are not just things your grandma had, they are like before electricity old. 2) The US version places way more emphasis on the valuation, because all Americans care about is filthy, dirty money. 3) Antiques Roadshow UK flaunts their oldness in the US’s face by hosting the show at magnificently restored 12th century castles with elaborate gardens while we host ours at places like the Dubuque Convention Center or the Mariner Ballroom at the Baltimore Hyatt. Screw you Antiques Roadshow UK! You know what we have that is really old? All the land that we took from you after kicking your ass in 1776! But I digress… Both shows are great to fall asleep to as pretty much all they do is flip over an old bowl or open an old watch but I think the UK version actually wins out as the music is a bit more peaceful. If you can find the UK version on PBS you are sorted (note the UK slang) as there are no commercials. The US version often has really cool Native American artifacts, but those are actually interesting so you might not fall asleep as fast. Crash point: UK Version: when they break away to give you a tour of the castle; US Version: when they break away to tour some boring craft museum

4. Various Space Shows [Science Channel/Discovery/NGC]
Shows about the origin of the universe are awesome because you get to see amazingly beautiful visualizations of traveling through space, black holes, supernovae and Neil DeGrasse Tyson. These visualizations are so sophisticated now that they really help you feel like you are flying through space which is perfect to help you drift off into never-never land. Nevertheless, you will find that there is such a thing as too much Michio Kaku. Some of these shows include: The Universe, Naked Science, and How The Earth Was Made but the all-time winner is Cosmos which they have now upgraded with new computer animations. Thankfully, they kept the 80′s ambient music for the bits when Carl Sagan is in his spacecraft, floating through the solar system and beyond. Cosmos was better on PBS with no commercials but I’m glad they brought it back, just so I can relax and fall asleep. Crash point: floating through the asteroid belt

5. Blue Planet: Seas of Life [Discovery]
Sir Richard Attenborough’s voice is reminiscent of your grandfather telling you an amazing story from his childhood; the only difference is your grandfather had no idea what he was talking about. With Blue Planet, the fluid motions of sea creatures and languidly flowing vegetation on the sea floor put you to sleep like a baby on a road trip. Deep sea scenes are especially good as the sea is almost pitch black except for the bioluminescence of the fantastical creatures found miles below the surface. Add in some soothing whale calls and you’ll be 20,000 leagues under your covers in no time. Crash point: dolphins

6. Forensic Files [tru TV]
Only a narrator as good as Peter Thomas could make grisly beatings, dismemberment, high velocity blood spatter, brutal stabbings, bloated corpses, morgues, autopsies, decapitation, violent rape, attempted suicide, gunshot wounds, human skulls, arsenic poisoning, exhumed graves, rigor mortis, blunt-force trauma, drowning, fractured bones, cyanide, ice picks, skull fractures, carotid arteries, coagulation, bone fragments, industrial accidents, suffocation, shallow graves, crushed pelvises and exploding brain matter sound like a soft lullaby on marshmallow clouds. Crash point: just before the case goes to trial

7. Charlie Rose [PBS]
Charlie Rose is a bad ass. He’s got the most respected talk show on TV, he played basketball for North Carolina in college and he’s probably the only person in the nation with a southern drawl who sounds intelligent. Even if you were planning to crash out on a long-haul flight and Charlie Rose sat next to you, you would stay up just to talk to him. He just exudes cool and gets all the heavy hitters on his show. That said, you actually have to pay attention to get anything out of it so if you are even a little bit tired and you turn the volume to just above audible, it’s like two old guys whispering in the next room. Unlike most things on television, there are no visual cues, fancy graphics or heart-wrenching music to tell you what to feel. It’s just a black background and an old wood table and some people talking. In fact, I’m falling asleep just describing it. Crash point: ‘Back in a moment…stay with us’ Nope.

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