Tips for staying awake at the wheel
As a narcoleptic, I have to constantly battle with sleepiness all day, every day. Falling asleep at the wheel, especially while sitting in traffic, is a very real danger. It is my responsibility, as a driver, to avoid putting myself and others in danger.
So, I’m always looking for new ways to stay awake while driving. Here are some of the methods I’ve used. Hopefully they can be of use to someone:
- chew gum (had to stop this when I got braces, though)
- munch on something. chips, crackers, french fries, M&M’s, etc.
- listen to the radio instead of CDs, especially talk radio (but not if it’s boring to you)
- listen to CDs, but make sure it’s music that you know well, so you can sing along the whole time.
I haven’t decided if sunglasses help me stay awake, or help me fall asleep. On the one hand, the bright sun in my eyes makes me feel like closing my eyes. But sunglasses make it darker, so it feels more like night time, thus I feel like closing my eyes then, too.
Do you have any tips that work well for you? Please leave a comment and tell me about them!
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June 16th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Only thing I’ve ever used to stay awake when falling asleep while driving (rare) is nicotine.
June 17th, 2006 at 8:39 am
It sounds ridiculous but one thing I’ve tried out of desperation to stay awake is to surprise myself by screaming as loud as I can. It seemed to work but the effect was brief.
You can try slapping yourself.
Another thing to try is to just pull over and take a 5 to 10 minute mini-nap. I haven’t tried this but I know that sometimes at home when I am very sleepy, I can become more alert by taking a little catnap.
If it’s cold outside, put the windows down. Turn off the heat - the warm air is soothing and sleep-inducing.
Concentrate on keeping the mind active. If I’m sleepy, I get even more so if my eyes are simply fixed on the horizon instead of scanning my mirrors and the surroundings.
Stop at a gas station or rest stop, or anywhere that grabs your interest, and walk around / stretch / distract yourself from your sleepiness.
And, of course, there are our old friends caffeine and sugar. Energy drinks are all over the place these days; some of them are effective, at least for short bursts of energy. But beware the caffeine/sugar crash!
June 24th, 2006 at 11:52 am
I think singing along to a CD is the most energizing for me. It’s also very nostalgic– I have fond memories of singing along to Violent Femmes or NoMeansNo on the road trips I took with Carolyn.
I also will roll down the window to get fresh air (regardless of the temperature).
And often, I’ll stop at a rest area for a brief nap. BUT– make sure you turn your headlights off before you do that. One afternoon I woke up to a dead battery! :)