Self protection when disadvantaged

[P95Carry]

I am thinking more than anything, of the average person's diminished abilities when for instance, woken out of deep sleep. In the normal course of events, it takes me an age to ''switch on'' in the morning, tho I do know that a middle -of-night noise awakening can bring consciousness to a fast and sharp edge. But not always.

Same might apply in fact if napping during the day - there is a finite time required for most of us, during which assessment and function are diminished.

I do wonder from time to time just how well I would manage if someone broke in at, say - 3.00 am when everyone is fast asleep. Our dog would probably not even wake cos he is so deaf (old age ya know!).

So - anyone have thoughts, how they cope in such conditions? Any ''best way'' to improve one's rapid abilities? I can't think of too many and sure would NOT want to over react - or OTOH be too darned slow either.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bumper]

I put an exterior door lock on my bedroom door and lock it when we go to bed for the night. The dog is old but someone trying to open the door will wake the dog, which will wake me.

[AZG23]

a dog that isnt deaf seems to be in order here. :)

Everyone should have layers to their defense. Strong solid core doors and locks on the outside, as well as locks and deadbolts. Reinforced hinges and strike plates. An alarm or good K9. One should have good exterior lighting as well. There are more things you can do as well...but these are good basics.

I keep a firearm ready to go right where I can get to it if the dog lights up....the rest are in the safe. While at home, I have one on me and sometimes one other up high away from the chillins..

[P95Carry]

Yep - AZG - exterior lighting - good point. I have motion detect lights front and back - which should be at least useful initially.

Must admit - no alarm as such and chances of getting a dog with good hearing are currently low!

I am thinking much as anything of that few seconds during which we may be ''fogged'' with sleep and have to make (important) decisions.... even if a K9 is in the frame.

[Jacob Lee]

This may sound a little strange, but in my self defense and F.A.S.T defense classes, I teach a funny little drill for that. I tell the students when they first wake up in the A.M. say 3 things (out loud if they can.)

1. their name (first and last)
2. the date
3. the day

I have them do this to see how fast they become aware and think clearly when they wake up. We've done drills, where if I or a friend of a student walks in to a house we are unfamiliar with, we can be at the bedroom in 5-10 seconds. If it is familiar, that can be under 4 seconds. Kinda scary.

One side note, if you do this drill, make sure you let any one sharing the bed with you know about it ahead of time to reduce some screaming and/or explaining to do in the A.M as well :)!!

If you get good at this, try variations by letting someone else set different alarm times to test your rxn times.

Don't know if this sounds too weird to you guys, but it has worked well for myself and others who tended to be very slow at "waking Up" in the morning.;)

Jacob

[rfurtkamp]

My simple solution: practice under those conditions. I've got an arrangement where I drive friends to the range when ill, under the weather, etc., and they do the same for me - and we practice under optimal and sub-optimal conditions. Yes, it sucks.

I've also been known to set up targets in my bay, take a nap in the car at the range, and set an alarm and wake up and be shooting within 15 seconds. I still do that about once a year just to keep basic skills up, but the truth is I shoot worse after extreme fatigue than I do waking up.

Most folks I've met can wake up like nothing's business when under stress or the situation calls for it - but it's a lot harder to keep everything working when you're fading out while standing upright.

[CombatEffective]

A good dawg is always in order. I have generally found that when things go bump in the night that wake up very quickly, but I guess there could be that time when I don't.

[rocky]

A good dawg is always in order. I have generally found that when things go bump in the night that wake up very quickly, but I guess there could be that time when I don't.

I guess i'm about the same. Usually when my dog is barking or awake , I am awake and aware very quickly.

[triggertime]

Don't forget that once you're faced with the 'fight or flight' response, adrenaline is dumped into your bloodstream so quickly that you'll be awake and prepared almost instantly.

[P95Carry]

Don't forget that once you're faced with the 'fight or flight' response, adrenaline is dumped into your bloodstream so quickly that you'll be awake and prepared almost instantly.

Probably true trigger but - it is the transition phase to that state that makes me wonder.

Not only the speed thereof (or lack of it!) but, the necessary assessment of just how high or low a threat level may be - thus a concern regarding over reaction perhaps. I am mostly hoping that noise characteristics will be the give-away should it occur, as I know a good many sound signatures that I know are benign, and thank heaven my hearing, despite years of shooting, is still pretty acute.

Jacob - I like the suggestion about the self-imposed wake up call!! But I just hate waking if I don't have to!

[triggertime]

That's where Col John Boyd's OODA loop comes into play. Observe, Orientate, Decide, Act. That mental activity in itself in combination with the epinephrine should allow you to take the appropriate inititive without hesitation. Which leads us back to the importance of mental conditioning and mindset. But that's another show...

[AZG23]

That's where Col John Boyd's OODA loop comes into play. Observe, Orientate, Decide, Act. That mental activity in itself in combination with the epinephrine should allow you to take the appropriate inititive without hesitation. Which leads us back to the importance of mental conditioning and mindset. But that's another show...

+1....

Most definitely. In everyday activities as well as SD situations.

[V-fib]

Keeping your home secure against rapid break-in is most important to buying time to get your wits together. Prevention as in a “beware of dog” sign even if you don’t have a dog. Many BG’s see a sign like this and move on since there are always easier pickings. Or as many of us have a dog that’s not very aggressive but really barks allot again can buy you time. Locking the bedroom door is very important too! And as we all know when things do go bump in the night you have a tendency to wake up real quick.

________________________________

Livin in the woods.....Feelin mighty good

[Tom357]

This may sound a little strange, but in my self defense and F.A.S.T defense classes, I teach a funny little drill for that. I tell the students when they first wake up in the A.M. say 3 things (out loud if they can.)

1. their name (first and last)
2. the date
3. the day
...

I learned something similar in some training I had, years ago. It was a two-week camp and we were not allowed to speak. We had to do team problem-solving exercises, hand-to-hand, and bladed weapons drills. Some of the defense drills were in the middle of the night, so we had to fight from a dead sleep. I broke more than a few tent poles trying to clear my tent and my bag.

What I learned was that our depth of sleep oscillates during the night from deep, paralyzing sleep to just below consciousness. How quickly you are able to respond, and what you have to do to become effective, are dependent on where you are in your sleep cycle. It also reinforced the importance of a layered perimeter defense to buy you time. The fundamentals still apply.

[Rob72]

What I learned was that our depth of sleep oscillates during the night from deep, paralyzing sleep to just below consciousness. How quickly you are able to respond, and what you have to do to become effective, are dependent on where you are in your sleep cycle. It also reinforced the importance of a layered perimeter defense to buy you time. The fundamentals still apply.

True. When I was working EMS, I could cat-nap and/or come out of a deep sleep in-motion. However. The first few months I was married were hell, because each time my wife moved, I was wide awake. Very much a matter of conditioning; its a lot harder to now. (The difference between 20 and 30 has nothing to do with it either, I know )