According to statistics, the culprits of approximately 25% of serious road accidents on intercity highways in the world are drivers who fell asleep at the wheel. The risk of falling asleep at the wheel is greatest during long journeys, traveling at night, as well as in monotonous road conditions. According to scientific studies, 4 hours of continuous driving reduces the driver’s reaction by 2 times, after 8 hours of driving, the driver’s reaction will deteriorate by 6 times. Such indicators of reduced reaction make a drowsy driver more dangerous than a drunk one.
10 effective ways to fight sleep, which will allow you to cheer up in time and maintain energy throughout the trip.
Conversation
An interesting conversation with the passenger sitting next to you is a simple, reliable and, moreover, absolutely free way to overcome sleepiness at the wheel. A passenger who is nearby is also useful in that he will be able to pay attention in time to the fact that you are falling asleep due to a slowed reaction and your distraction from the conversation. However, if your interlocutor starts picking his nose himself, this is an obvious sign that it is time to stop and take a nap.
Music
If there is no interlocutor next to you, turn on your favorite music that can cheer you up. It is not advisable to listen to monotonous and lyrical music during the trip, as listening to it can lull you even more.
Singing
If your favorite music is not enough to get the necessary charge of cheerfulness, you can start singing, and as loud as possible. The fact is that during loud singing, the lungs begin to work more actively, and the flow of oxygen into the blood increases sharply. All this helps to quickly and effectively cheer up the whole body.
Tonic drinks
Hot drinks such as tea, coffee, or hot chocolate can be invigorating. The problem is that they affect each person differently, and to achieve an invigorating effect, each person needs different dosages. In addition, the invigorating effect of such drinks lasts only about 2 hours.
Energy drinks
Fighting sleep with the help of “energetics”, which contain caffeine in combination with guarana, taurine, various vitamins and useful acids, will prove to be quite effective. Unlike natural tonic drinks, “energy drinks” act faster, stronger and longer.
Energy pills
Energy tablets differ from drinks primarily in their aggregate state. They contain the same caffeine, guarana, taurine and vitamins. The main advantages of tablets are their ease of storage and transportation, as well as the way of use. Still, it is better to carry with you a small package of “energy boosters” in the form of tablets that can be taken quickly without being distracted from the road.
Food
Take various crackers, nuts, seeds or sweet candies with you on a long journey. Eating them will distract from the monotonous trip, and the work of the digestive system will add vigor to the whole body. The only thing you need to know is the measure, because overeating causes a feeling of satiety, which easily provokes drowsiness.
Fatigue sensors
In most modern cars, there are so-called fatigue sensors, which, based on the movement of the car and the behavior of the driver’s eyes, warn of danger with sound signals and flashing icons on the instrument panel. If your car does not have such sensors, you can purchase a portable fatigue detector. Outwardly, it resembles an ordinary Bluetooth headset that is attached to the ear. It reads your head movements, and if you start picking your nose, the fatigue alarm starts making a loud annoying sound.
Concentration of attention
It is especially useful to concentrate when passing monotonous sections of the road, where drowsiness occurs very quickly. To concentrate, you need to adopt the correct posture (sit down, straighten the back of the seat and wrap your hands around the steering wheel). Next, you need to set yourself some tasks. For example, you can consider oncoming cars of a certain color or brand. Concentration on small objects will help to brighten up the monotony of the road and eliminate drowsiness.
Physical impact
Changes in the physical state always give vitality and help to overcome sleepiness at the wheel. Physical activities can be varied. It can be simple physical exercises to relax and tense the muscles. You can also turn on the air conditioner or open the window, the flow of cool and fresh air is guaranteed to cheer you up. Wiping your face with a damp cloth or splashing it with water will also help to overcome drowsiness. In fact, there are many physically invigorating activities and all of them are able to make your body forget about sleep for a while.
It is important to remember that everyone is different. Everyone has their own fatigue threshold. So that sleep does not catch you on the road, you can work out the route in advance. You will also need the above methods of how not to fall asleep while driving. Choose the ones that suit you. The main thing to remember is that if you are still overcome by fatigue, it is better to stop and take a nap, because the best thing that saves you from sleep is sleep. It is better to stop for rest at parking lots, gas stations and crowded places. Do not forget to close the car. After a short sleep, you can cheer up in one of the ways described above and calmly continue your journey.
