Sleep with One Eye Open

Eyes up. Watch for zombies.

In our last lecture we discussed escape routes. In a similar vein, today we will discuss what to do after you have established your camp for the night. Sleeping is a dangerous time in a world infested with the infected. You have no defenses when you are asleep. It doesn't matter if a person is the greatest zombie killer in the history of the world, when they are asleep they are as vulnerable as anyone else. The thing is, survivors know this and, as G.I. Joe taught us, knowing is half the battle.

Stay awake while your buddies sleep.

The best solution for keeping yourself safe while sleeping is to stay with a group. While in a group you can set up watches. The members of the group take turns sleeping, breaking the night up into smaller segments, with each member taking a few hours. This lets everybody get some sleep while keeping them all relatively safe. If the group is a large group then split the watches up by day. One day persons A, B and C will each keep watch for two hours. The next day persons D, E and F will each keep watch for two hours. Alternatively, have two people on watch. This is the much preferred method. While one person can become bored and fall asleep, two people have each other to keep themselves company. Conversation is wonderful for staying awake at 3AM after running all day. In this scenario, assuming six people, persons A and D would take first watch, B and E would take second and C and F would take third. With eight people, alternate letting two get a full nights sleep. Middle watch will be the hardest. Instead of getting four hours of uninterrupted sleep, you will be getting two sessions of two hours. That will make the next day much harder, but you will also get more sleep the next night. 

If a survivor is on his own he is in for an entirely different experience. A person cannot keep watch over him or herself. In this scenario it is essential that you find a defensible location with limited entrances. (Make sure you still have your alternate escape routes.) A system of alarms will need to be set at every entrance to the sleeping area. Tripwires and cans are excellent for setting up a very basic alarm system. Anything that will make a lot of noise when hit is good. Zombies will not attempt to avoid such traps. They will walk into them. Hopefully you will be woken up. Blocking up all entrances in a method you can undo in the morning is also a good move. You are putting yourself at risk if you need to bang out in a hurry, but you are also less like to have that need. 

No matter what your situation sleeping is a dangerous time. Just remember to make yourself as safe as you can be. Keep your weapon with you. Don't sleep out in the open. Don't be stupid. Survive.