Thread: Tell me how you stay awake while driving?

I have this problem, only its in the morning, not the evening. If it's cool outside, sometimes I'll roll down the window a bit to make it a little uncomfortably cold. The warmer and cozier I am, the sleepier I am. You can try singing along to the radio to keep awareness. And it's not ideal, but call someone on your cell phone. If you have to keep up a conversation, you'll be less likely to fall asleep. It's easy to zone-out on a long stretch of road like that - I don't know how truck drivers stay awake half the time!

Some ideas:
1) This is the most important of my tips: Have a large bottle of water always ready. When you are too sleepy during the drive, spill water on your head! When our forehead and eyes get wet, we get an oxygen boost to our brain ( this is called the diving reflex I think )

2) Drink strong black coffee before you start the drive ( and not at any other time of day! )

3) Drink Ginseng tea ( or swallow a capsule ) before you drive

4) Energy drink

5) Have dark chocolate with you, and eat some while you drive

6) Try making sure you have enough oxygen in the car. ( use only air conditioning that takes air from outside)

7) Try opening the windows, and let the air sweep your face and hair. ( this could also make it worse, but worth a try)

8) Try cool or cold air-conditioning

9) Lowd music on radio/cd

10) An interesting Talk-show on the radio.

11) Find a very sexy photo of some model that you like and hang it somewhere. Replace the pic every few days.

12) put a lot of pepper-mint oil all over the place, so the smell is really strong.

Combine some or all of the above!

Thanks Burns and dodobird!

I've done some of your ideas but not all of them.

I really appreciate your advice.. and will give them a try!

I have the same problem, I do a LOT of miles a week driving and to make it worse when I hire a car I usually get an automatic car because I am lazy lol - I usually put the radio on and sing all the way home or call up people and talk to them to get my home safe

Originally Posted by Adam

..I usually put the radio on and sing all the way home...

I just got the most hilarious vision in my head of that! Lol

Clairity, i have never driven before so i don't know what its like to experience being tired whilst driving, but if your in your car i have a suggestion.

Bring like a spray bottle full of cold water, spray it on your face if you feel your falling asleep, keep the window open and get the cold air onto your skin, it will keep you awake. It helped me when i was in the car on long drives on one of our many trips to the US. It kept me awake and refreshed

Originally Posted by Adam

I usually put the radio on and sing all the way home or call up people and talk to them to get my home safe

Oh wow.. I CANNOT sing.. will definately have to keep my windows up so as not to affend those speeding by!

Unfortunately you can get ticket talking on a cell phone unless I can get one of those ear thingies.

Originally Posted by Lucid Seeker

Bring like a spray bottle full of cold water, spray it on your face if you feel your falling asleep, keep the window open and get the cold air onto your skin, it will keep you awake.

Haha.. like a cold SLAP in the face! This could work!

Ha! I actually wrote a song about this. It's never been recorded, and I don't have the lyrics with me. It's called 'Sweet Dreams'.

I'll have to dig it up and post the lyrics here.

Loud music for me. I also sometimes scratch my head vigorously, which gets the blood working up there.

Originally Posted by Clairity

Oh wow.. I CANNOT sing..

Everyone can sing... Not everyone can sing well. Also, if you're alone in the car, who's going to hear you (unless you roll the windows down and purposefully drive next to another car with its windows down)?

When I did my 6 hour drive to Montana, I sang just about the whole way. And I know people who don't sing well who are more than happy to sing at the top of their lungs..... (Just my $.02)

Slap yourself awake? A quick one-two on the cheeks ought to do it.*




*Innuendo is fun

Originally Posted by Goldney

Slap yourself awake? A quick one-two on the cheeks ought to do it.*

*Innuendo is fun

*A tad tricky since I'm driving.. but hey I'll give it a try!

Originally Posted by Clairity

Oh wow.. I CANNOT sing.. will definately have to keep my windows up so as not to affend those speeding by!

Unfortunately you can get ticket talking on a cell phone unless I can get one of those ear thingies.



Haha.. like a cold SLAP in the face! This could work!

Well I never said I could sing, I just try lol - And yeah I use a hands free for my phone too - as you are not allowed to use a phone here without one.

Hmm, I never have a problem staying awake while driving. I used to get off work at 11:30 every night and get home at midnight, then stay up until 2 or so. The only time it got close was because I was pretty sleepy to begin with. When driving long stretches of road, my mind just automatically goes to other things, usually on the loud music I have playing.

Sometimes loud heavy metal makes me more sleepy.

My mom has the same problem as you, though, and she keeps cinnamon candies in the car and sucks on those when she gets sleepy.

Originally Posted by Idec Sdawkminn

My mom has the same problem as you, though, and she keeps cinnamon candies in the car and sucks on those when she gets sleepy.

A girl I work with takes peppermint candies into our meetings (cuz they're so boring) and she says it helps her stay awake.

Maybe I'll ask her for one and give it a try on my way home tonight!

Originally Posted by Goldney

Slap yourself awake? A quick one-two on the cheeks ought to do it.*

Lmfao. I can hear the newscast now:

"Tonight on eyewitness news: A woman loses control of her vehicle and careens across three lanes of traffic, hitting a guardrail. Eyewitness reports from passing motorists have come in saying that the woman had seemed to be slapping herself in the face, moments before the accident." Lol.

But yeah, every now and then that happens to me too, Clairity. I'll usually throw on some good breakbeat music (because I can't help but bounce to good breaks) or make sure I get an energy drink before the long ride.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Lmfao. I can hear the newscast now:

"Tonight on eyewitness news: A woman loses control of her vehicle and careens across three lanes of traffic, hitting a guardrail. Eyewitness reports from passing motorists have come in saying that the woman had seemed to be slapping herself in the face, moments before the accident."

"When asked by the police officer who investigated the accident why did she slap her self, she just said repeatedly 'Goldney made me do it!'. The woman has been sent for observation in the local mental institute, where she was hospitalized after detecting nothing but Emus on multiple Rorschach inkblot tests."

Originally Posted by dodobird

"The woman has been sent for observation in the local mental institute, where she was hospitalized after detecting nothing but Emus on multiple Rorschach inkblot tests."

ROFL!

Originally Posted by dodobird

"When asked by the police officer who investigated the accident why did she slap her self, she just said repeatedly 'Goldney made me do it!'. The woman has been sent for observation in the local mental institute, where she was hospitalized after detecting nothing but Emus on multiple Rorschach inkblot tests."

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Lmfao. I can hear the newscast now:

"Tonight on eyewitness news: A woman loses control of her vehicle and careens across three lanes of traffic, hitting a guardrail. Eyewitness reports from passing motorists have come in saying that the woman had seemed to be slapping herself in the face, moments before the accident." Lol.

But yeah, every now and then that happens to me too, Clairity. I'll usually throw on some good breakbeat music (because I can't help but bounce to good breaks) or make sure I get an energy drink before the long ride.

Oh, why did I think of slapping other cheeks?

Originally Posted by Adam

Oh, why did I think of slapping other cheeks?

Because of Goldney's *Innuendo* line in his post:

Originally Posted by Goldney

Slap yourself awake? A quick one-two on the cheeks ought to do it.*

*Innuendo is fun

Adam, I thought of the "other" cheeks as well.

I had the same problem as you, as soon as I got off the exit I was better. I have sleep apnea and before I was diagnosed I would often nod off. Not to say you have that, but it was the source of my problem. I and my father who also has it have almost been killed multiple times because of this. I used to drive over 200 miles a day total on the interstate here in Flordia and have seen too many drivers killed because they fell asleep at the wheel.

Please, whatever you do DON'T drive while sleepy.

My 100% honest and best suggestion is to try and take a nap in the middle of the day on your lunch break. It may keep you from running that extra errand but your life may depend on it

Good luck, and be safe!

Originally Posted by lag

Please, whatever you do DON'T drive while sleepy.

My 100% honest and best suggestion is to try and take a nap in the middle of the day on your lunch break. It may keep you from running that extra errand but your life may depend on it

Good luck, and be safe!

I do hear what you're saying.

I wonder if there is an office I could take a nap in around here somewhere? I kinda doubt it tho.

Thanks.. I'm trying!

Maybe you can take a 15 minutes nap, sitting down in your car before you start the drive.

I have 2,000 watt subwoofers, and I keep my windows down. TRY to sleep through that.

Talk to some1 on your phone? Keep your windows down? Have something to do... like drinking a drink or eating something? I dunno...