Any tips to staying awake on the freeway?
- Thread starter das_peikko
- Start date
- Status
Bad mints. Crunchy.
Regular carrots (long, small bites, chew well)
One shoe.
Slap your cheeks, shoulders, arms, feet, without loosing control of the vehicle.
Massage actively your limbs, torso before starting the journey.
Leave 5 minutes earlier and make a stop at a gas station/mc donalds/dunkin/etc and buy the cheapest item possible (1 pack of mints 1 pack of gum). getting up from the car, walking to store and back to car will wake you up. Make it a ritual.
Sing Along music. 60-70s Rock long albums especially. Do it in voices (Monday is MS. Doolittle, Tuesday is California Flower Dude, Wednesday is Rough Talk WoodMan, etc etc)
Anything with some rhythm but not relaxing.
Set goals.
10 minutes - that post on the right
20 minutes - that grey rock
...
40 minutes - uh ah, I'm getting close to that beautiful place called WORK.
Remember also: where you look is where you go!!!
Change your Pillow and Mattress. You are NOT sleeping well!
Source: seeing the sunset (or the mist) over the Smokies in the curves.
Regular carrots (long, small bites, chew well)
One shoe.
Slap your cheeks, shoulders, arms, feet, without loosing control of the vehicle.
Massage actively your limbs, torso before starting the journey.
Leave 5 minutes earlier and make a stop at a gas station/mc donalds/dunkin/etc and buy the cheapest item possible (1 pack of mints 1 pack of gum). getting up from the car, walking to store and back to car will wake you up. Make it a ritual.
Sing Along music. 60-70s Rock long albums especially. Do it in voices (Monday is MS. Doolittle, Tuesday is California Flower Dude, Wednesday is Rough Talk WoodMan, etc etc)
Anything with some rhythm but not relaxing.
Set goals.
10 minutes - that post on the right
20 minutes - that grey rock
...
40 minutes - uh ah, I'm getting close to that beautiful place called WORK.
Remember also: where you look is where you go!!!
Change your Pillow and Mattress. You are NOT sleeping well!
Source: seeing the sunset (or the mist) over the Smokies in the curves.
Originally Posted by madRiver
Go to bed earlier at night.
I agree. Sleep deprivation is proving to be almost as dangerous as drunk driving or driving while texting. Caffeine will help you temporarily but, eventually, it will reach a peak and stop working.
Go to bed earlier at night.
I agree. Sleep deprivation is proving to be almost as dangerous as drunk driving or driving while texting. Caffeine will help you temporarily but, eventually, it will reach a peak and stop working.
Highway hypnosis is common and deadly, especially in the dark. Lots of coffee, open windows, and a loud radio may help.
Another option, albeit expensive, is get a new car. My new 2019 Altima has safety features that can prevent an accident from getting drowsy or sleeping. The cruise control operates both the accelerator and the brakes, so it maintains your preset distance from the car in front of you, even stopping when the car in front stops and restarting when he does. If i cross a line the steering wheel vibrates and buzzes to alert me. And with Steering Assist activated the car actually keeps itself in the lane. If my hands come off the steering wheel for more than about 10 seconds the car starts beeping at me. The beeping gets louder and more frequent if I don't grip the steering wheel within so many seconds, at which point the car assumes I am incapacitated and comes to stop in my lane. Pretty amazing! I activate all of these safety features when doing highway driving.
Another option, albeit expensive, is get a new car. My new 2019 Altima has safety features that can prevent an accident from getting drowsy or sleeping. The cruise control operates both the accelerator and the brakes, so it maintains your preset distance from the car in front of you, even stopping when the car in front stops and restarting when he does. If i cross a line the steering wheel vibrates and buzzes to alert me. And with Steering Assist activated the car actually keeps itself in the lane. If my hands come off the steering wheel for more than about 10 seconds the car starts beeping at me. The beeping gets louder and more frequent if I don't grip the steering wheel within so many seconds, at which point the car assumes I am incapacitated and comes to stop in my lane. Pretty amazing! I activate all of these safety features when doing highway driving.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Lots of them do that now …
I applaud you for posting this. You may be saving your life or others.
Maybe talk to your doctor?
Newer cars with accident avoidance may help, but as the driver we are responsible.
Best of luck to you.
Maybe talk to your doctor?
Newer cars with accident avoidance may help, but as the driver we are responsible.
Best of luck to you.
Are you on any medication that is possibly making you a bit drowsy?
Chew gum, windows open, and loud/fast music. Don't listen to an audio book, and don't put your massaging seats on.
a bag of sunflower seeds and and empty cup to spit the shells in.....it turns you into a driving machine.
200 mg of Caffeine.
I used to go out on Friday and/or Saturday night to do karaoke with friends. Didn't drink any alcohol, sticking with diet soda instead, and did have some food, but things usually didn't wrap up until at least 1AM, and the drive home in the dark was usually around 25 miles on the highway. More than once, I caught myself nodding off, or at least zoning out.
My solution was to either bring a banana with me, or hit up one of the gas stations near the karaoke bar that sold fresh fruit and pick up a banana. I ate the banana before I got out on the highway. Never had a problem staying awake after that. You might try giving this a try.
My solution was to either bring a banana with me, or hit up one of the gas stations near the karaoke bar that sold fresh fruit and pick up a banana. I ate the banana before I got out on the highway. Never had a problem staying awake after that. You might try giving this a try.
Originally Posted by das_peikko
My job starts at 5:00AM. I leave the house at 4:00AM.
Originally Posted by atikovi
So what time do you actually get up? I would need to be up at 6 to leave the house at 8 just to be fully awake. Do you get enough good quality sleep? Do you wake up during the night or have exhausting dreams? 6 1/2 hours good sleep are better than 8 hours of bad sleep. Sleeping pills can help short term. As for driving, turn on the dome light.
The alarm goes off at 2:00AM but I often wake up at 1:50AM.
I get up two hours before leaving the house in an effort the get "regular" after the morning coffee so that I don't have to get "regular" at work.
My job starts at 5:00AM. I leave the house at 4:00AM.
Originally Posted by atikovi
So what time do you actually get up? I would need to be up at 6 to leave the house at 8 just to be fully awake. Do you get enough good quality sleep? Do you wake up during the night or have exhausting dreams? 6 1/2 hours good sleep are better than 8 hours of bad sleep. Sleeping pills can help short term. As for driving, turn on the dome light.
The alarm goes off at 2:00AM but I often wake up at 1:50AM.
I get up two hours before leaving the house in an effort the get "regular" after the morning coffee so that I don't have to get "regular" at work.
So you get up at three?
This means you must be in bed by 7:00 pm to allow yourself the opportunity of eight hours of sleep.
If you recognize this and stick to it, you'll adapt to these hours and be able to get decent rest.
If well rested, there'd be no reason for you to get sleepy on your commute.
What's the drive home like?
If you're also having trouble then, that indicates a lack of sleep and the first resort should be to allow enough time for sleep.
You should also consider what a lack of sleep is doing to your work performance.
I'm guessing based upon your schedule and location that you're doing some sort of skilled labor.
Ignoring the interests of your employer, you should consider whether drowsiness might lead to personal injury at work.
Older son was burning the candle at both ends by holding down two jobs during the recession just to make some extra coin before an expected baby, our grandson, arrived during what remained a rough economy five years ago.
Fell into microsleep on the way home and ran my old '99 Accord into the back of a stopped or slowed big rig.
He fortunately suffered no more than a laceration from where his head hit the B pillar, but things might have been much worse.
Food for thought if you need any.
This means you must be in bed by 7:00 pm to allow yourself the opportunity of eight hours of sleep.
If you recognize this and stick to it, you'll adapt to these hours and be able to get decent rest.
If well rested, there'd be no reason for you to get sleepy on your commute.
What's the drive home like?
If you're also having trouble then, that indicates a lack of sleep and the first resort should be to allow enough time for sleep.
You should also consider what a lack of sleep is doing to your work performance.
I'm guessing based upon your schedule and location that you're doing some sort of skilled labor.
Ignoring the interests of your employer, you should consider whether drowsiness might lead to personal injury at work.
Older son was burning the candle at both ends by holding down two jobs during the recession just to make some extra coin before an expected baby, our grandson, arrived during what remained a rough economy five years ago.
Fell into microsleep on the way home and ran my old '99 Accord into the back of a stopped or slowed big rig.
He fortunately suffered no more than a laceration from where his head hit the B pillar, but things might have been much worse.
Food for thought if you need any.
Pick up a shady hitchhiker. That will keep you awake.
What kind of work do you do? Does it wear you out?
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Are you on any medication that is possibly making you a bit drowsy?
I don't allow the doctors to give me any medication that may cause drowsiness. Usually those kinds of medications are old school anyway since most modern medicines have replaced the old school drowsy meds.
Are you on any medication that is possibly making you a bit drowsy?
I don't allow the doctors to give me any medication that may cause drowsiness. Usually those kinds of medications are old school anyway since most modern medicines have replaced the old school drowsy meds.
Those hand squeeze/grip exercisers.
Could try one of these "Nap Zappers"
https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Nap-Zapper-Anti-Sleep-Alarm/dp/B000BK4KW8
https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Nap-Zapper-Anti-Sleep-Alarm/dp/B000BK4KW8
- Status
Similar threads
