Any tips to staying awake on the freeway?

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My job starts at 5:00AM. I leave the house at 4:00AM. The 40 minute drive down the freeway at pitch dark is extremely soothing and peaceful. I can feel my eyes getting heavy and my consciousness slipping away. I get plenty of caffeinated coffee before I go, but that drive is a killer. To make matters worse, my struts are worn out to the point where I feel like I'm gently riding on my old aircraft carrier out to sea. You get up in the high decks in the forward bow of that thing and it'll put you to sleep in seconds.
 
Sleep Apnea? any chance this is a factor? GET TESTED. It is something you can have at a life threatening level and not be aware of.

I have it and had no clue. Sleep lab testing estimated I was getting 8 minutes of sound sleep a night.
 
Your work hours are brutal. To bed at 7:00 pm ( still daylight with DST) to get 8 hours of sleep, up at 3:00 am to hit the road at 4:00 am, to be at work at 5:00 am. Consider changing your shift or job.
 
Coffee is good while caffeine is kicking, and after that theobromine's vasodialation can be felt, especially that early. A drop in blood pressure can rock you to sleep much better than your struts. I have to get up early as well, and don't start my coffee until getting to my destination, of shortly before. Nothing replaces sleep though. If you find yourself falling asleep, try screaming at things, it's unorthodox, but it will work until you can pull over (or get pulled over
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Drive a little aggressively....keeping just behind any leaders you pass you. Try to keep up. Driving slow and hanging back puts you to sleep. If you're in a get there "fast" mode you'll stay awake.

Listen to a morning radio show that makes you think. Keep your mind engaged for that 40 minutes.
 
I combine coffee with chewing gum (not at the same time). chewing gum definitely has made a difference at night when I'm on the freeway.
 
I like podcasts for preventing sleep. Put something on like The Joe Rogan Experience (the scientist/other smart people ones are my favorites), or Neil Degrasse Tyson. If you're into cars The Smoking Tire, Hooniverse, and various others. That's what I do at work (machinist, cycle times can get long), hard too sleep when you're thinking about what would happen if a black hole were to fly by the earth!
 
Listen to audiobooks. Your local library has a free slection, or you could use the Audible app. When I get into a good book, I stay awake.
 
Originally Posted by 69GTX
Listen to a morning radio show that makes you think. Keep your mind engaged for that 40 minutes.

Originally Posted by bubbatime
Listen to audiobooks. Your local library has a free slection, or you could use the Audible app. When I get into a good book, I stay awake.

Originally Posted by ediamiam
I try to listen to talk radio when I'm driving. Keeps my mind active and sometimes my blood boiling.


+4
 
There is no vehicle issue here

If you are burning the candle at both ends, don't.

Life is too short to do that. It's just transportation.
 
Originally Posted by Dyusik
Coffee is good while caffeine is kicking, and after that theobromine's vasodialation can be felt, especially that early. A drop in blood pressure can rock you to sleep much better than your struts. I have to get up early as well, and don't start my coffee until getting to my destination, of shortly before. Nothing replaces sleep though. If you find yourself falling asleep, try screaming at things, it's unorthodox, but it will work until you can pull over (or get pulled over
smile.gif
)


Most intelligent answer here.

Don't drink coffee until at least an hour after you wake up. It's a feedback effect - you use the coffee as a stimulant, and your body learns to down-regulate your natural cortisol and other wake-up hormones. Since i quit drinking cofee until AFTER I get to work, I wake up more naturally, fully, and am more functional.

Go to sleep early enough to get enough sleep, don't f' with your bodies natural rhythm with drugs like you are doing.
 
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