How not to fall asleep at the wheel - cheer up wisely!
Content
Are you planning a long trip in your car? Then we will give you some tips on how not to fall asleep at the wheel so that your adventures do not end tragically. It is especially important to consider these rules for those who go on such a journey for the first time, because you still do not know your fatigue threshold, and you hardly ever knew the state of uncontrolled falling asleep.
Why do we fall asleep while driving?
The reason is obvious to any physician, but far from easy to understand for non-medical people. Experienced drivers and sometimes even beginners, especially men, ambitiously declare that they are in complete control of themselves at any moment of their lives, and falling asleep at the wheel of a car after “a good dream this morning” is completely absurd. But the point is not only in cheerfulness and sobriety, responsibility and training. So let's figure out why such an unfortunate situation occurs, which sometimes ends in tragedy on the road.
Even a perfectly well-behaved driver can lose vigilance and reaction if he drives for a long time in monotonous road conditions without interrupting to rest or recharge. It is roughly calculated that in 4 hours of such a regime you will lose your dexterity by exactly half, and if you had a chance to drive 8 hours, then you will become six times less vigilant. You won’t wish this on anyone, because you become less predictable than a drunk driver, because he at least watches the road, but according to some kind of strategy.
No regalia and experience can save you from the problem of falling asleep at the wheel. The only thing is that for an experienced driver, the state of uncontrollability comes a little later, somewhere after 1000 km, but beginners give up even before the 500 km mark. And at night, these distances are shortened, because the biological clock is also turned on, which tells you to sleep.
Gastronomic and physical activities
When a store appears on the horizon, you have a few more opportunities to regain your vigor. Coffee, other hot drinks, and energy drinks can give you a good boost for a while, but it's important to know if caffeine is affecting you and which drink is best for energizing you.. There is a considerable percentage of people for whom this method is not suitable, it does not work tritely, or a lot of concentration is required. But you should not abuse it, a lot of coffee is bad for the heart, and even more drinks.
Energy pills also help on the road, this is the same drink, but in a dry form, but it is more convenient to use them, in fact, as well as store, because it takes up very little space. But you shouldn't get carried away with them. There is another way in which the store will come in handy, and that is food. Better small and with a bright taste, for example, sweets or crackers, so that you can eat constantly, but not oversaturate, because satiety is the best friend of sleep.
Now let's see how you can tone yourself physically. Install, if the car is not provided with a complete set, a fatigue alarm. There are many configurations and implementations of driver tracking: maneuvering without warning with turn signals, eye movements, head position, etc. Harsh sounds will wake you up and notify you that you are falling asleep, offering to take a break.
Physically, you can still act on yourself by manipulating the muscles of the body, straining individual groups and relaxing, by the microclimate in the cabin, lowering the temperature, or by wiping yourself with a damp cloth. Rub your ears, chew gum, drop or massage your eyes, eat a slice of lemon. If you have to travel more often, experiment with ways, choose the one that perfectly helps you.
How not to fall asleep at the wheel - communication and entertainment
Of course, no one encourages you to exhaust your body and keep it awake in the ways below, but this will help you avoid creating an emergency on the road and get to the nearest campsite or hotel. So, let's start with the available methods, if you suddenly feel tired, and only a car and a passenger are at hand. The best option would be the help of your companion, let him constantly talk to you, and ask questions that require a connected and detailed answer, reasoning, etc. Let him argue with you, laugh, joke.
If this is not possible or there is simply no interlocutor, safe driving is still available, turn on moving music, sing along, fool around. It is better not to resort to the classics, monotonous melodies or audio books, where the announcer unemotionally reads the text. This, of course, makes your brain get to work, encouraging you, but this is not for long, you will not even notice how you start to nod off, and even more successfully than before.
Do not neglect also the method of concentration of attention, this also does not require special devices. Just do not focus your eyes or attention on one thing, switch all the time. For example, count red cars in the oncoming lane, or women driving, then switch to poles, then look at the numbers of the cars, but don't forget to look at the road too, there should still be a middle ground in everything.
