if you are driving and can't stop, what do you do to stay awake?

i have to drive home soon. i didn't sleep last night. i know my eyes will droop. i can get caffiene, but . . . got any other ideas?

That is dangerous to you and to the others on the road. But if you HAVE to drive, try No Dose. :shrug:

Or eat. That wakes you up. The gum chewing will lose effectiveness, however.

roll down the windows, turn off the heat,

Thats what I used to do. Worked wonders.

You're a musician so this should work. Find the station with the most obnoxious programming and leave it turned up high. Guaranteed. ;)

Bananaphone!!

I open the windows, no matter how cold it is. I play the music loudly and talk or sing out loud. A caffeinated beverage may help also.

Coffee and the like will just set you up for a caffeine crash. And pull over for a nap. 30 mins. of shuteye at a truck stop will do wonders.

It bills itself as an energy drink - and the energy comes from sugar and caffeine.

then just sing at the top of your lungs :D

Plan a stop every 3-4 hours, and STOP for about an hour. Yeah, it'll take a little longer, but driving when tired is DANGEROUS!

Better to be late back to your other life, then to not arrive at all.

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/carcare/advice/general_help/driving_when_tired

Tiredness kills - make time for a break
Did you know?

The accidents

Research commissioned by the Government found that falling asleep at the wheel accounts for up to 20% of accidents on motorways or similar roads, and as many as one in ten of all crashes on Britain's roads.

Sleep-related vehicle accidents are more likely to result in serious injury than the 'average' road accident because a sleeping driver does not react before a crash.

The greatest risk of falling asleep at the wheel is between midnight and 6am.
It can affect any driver, but people who drive as part of their job may be more at risk. Research* has found that people driving company cars fall asleep at the wheel more often, and are more likely to be involved in accidents than private car drivers.
*See RAC's Report on Motoring 2004 for more information.

Alcohol and drugs (including some medicines) can make you more tired without you realising it.

The body clock
According to the sleep unit at Loughborough University men aged 30 years and under are more likely to have a sleep-related vehicle accident, and seem to be at a higher risk because they use the roads more at night. They are also more likely to press on with a journey when tired.

Driving between midnight and 6am presents a particular risk for sleep-related vehicle accidents, as this is when your 'body clock' is in a natural trough. There is another, smaller trough between about 2.00pm and 4.00pm.

All sleepy drivers are aware of their tiredness, particularly when they reach the stage of 'fighting sleep' (i.e. doing things to keep themselves awake, such as winding down the window). You don’t fall asleep without warning.

Opening the window for cold air or turning up the radio are of very limited benefit and sufficient only to find a safe place for a break.

Reaction time devices are of little practical use in detecting driver tiredness. By the time they work a driver is already well on the way to falling asleep.

Tips for drivers
Plan your journey to include a 15-minute break every two hours on a long journey

Take a short nap and resume the journey 15-20 minutes later

Avoid making long trips between midnight and 6am when natural alertness is low

Remember the risks if you have to get up unusually early to start your trip, or have a long drive home after a full day’s work

Find a safe place to stop if you begin to feel drowsy (not the hard shoulder)

Opening the window or turning up the radio does little to prevent a driver from falling asleep at the wheel

Drink two cups of coffee or a high caffeine drink, then take a short nap to allow the caffeine to kick in

though it can take up to 3 hours depending upon weather, errant aircraft in DC airspace, "suspicious packages" on Capitol Hill, and Tractor Man.

But this is good info. i'm going to keep it. :hi:

even if it is up to three hours :hi:

Have logged many road trip miles, usually driving 10-15 hours in one day. But, if I've had to leave work to head down the road to a place way far, usually make it a point to get a res. at someplace about 3-4 hours up the road.

Now...Have a safe drive home
And get some sleep tonight!!!

trust me not only will you have a ball you will be laughing the whole way home.

DO IT!

Cold: beverages or air, help.
Music can help, but I have found that music that is too repetitive can have the opposite effect.
Since you will be driving home in the afternoon, there will probably be a lot of traffic. Try to be more aware than usual of the other traffic.

Since the windows will be down......:shrug:

Please be safe. If there is a place to stop do so just to stretch your legs.

to stay awake, I'll pull over on an exit ramp and take a ten minute power nap with my head on the steering wheel. You'll be surprised how much more awake you'll be. Even if you don't fall asleep, just having a little rest with your eyes closed will refresh you. Best advice is to take a few breaks through your long drive, don't drive unsafe.

I also like to have a wash cloth soaked in ice water to wipe across my face, it helps to keep you awake too.

The chill will refresh you, the natural sugars in the juice will give you a boost and the hydration will keep your bladder busy. Hard to sleep when you have to pee! Do stop frequently to walk around and get your blood flowing (you can pee then, too). And yes, little power naps help.

And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't continue driving if you start nodding off. NOTHING is worth endangering your life and the lives of others. Studies show that driving while sleepy can be just as debilitating as driving drunk. Horrible things can happen seconds, faster than it may take for you to realize you've closed your eyes.

Good luck!

...masterbate!! The time flies right by and as long as no mac truck is driving next to you, no one knows :D I think it's safer than talking on the phone (more fun too). I find that red bull is VERY good for driving too, but I get bored when I drink too much and I'm confined in my car.

Good Luck!

but i appreciate the thought! :rofl:

who aren't responsible for you making this choice.

Many moons ago during my medical training I used to be up all night sometimes with either a couple or no hours of sleep after being "on call". I used to always drive home directly.

Once, when I had a particularly grueling ICU call night I headed home. I got stuck in slow traffic on the Washington D.C. beltway.

I woke up when my car hit the car in front of me and my head bumped the dashboard.

Luckily the traffic was just moving at a few miles per hour at that point, and after inspecting the cars, no visible damage was actually done and the other person didn't even want to exchange info. The slow moving traffic contributed to me falling asleep (boredom) but also probably saved my life.

But from that point on, when I'm THAT tired, I find some place to nap for at least an hour or two, whether in the car, in a "call room" or whatever, before getting behind the wheel.

save your life. I've done that a lot. :hi: Be Safe.

Is to pull off the road where you can stop for just a moment to get out of the car and stand up and stretch. Doesn't take more than just a minute and it'll wake you up pretty good.

I also somethings will combine this with some No Dose and a Coke.

The cussing will help keep you awake. But don't take anything out on other drivers.

It's impossible to sleep through it, and if I have other people in the car, their death grunting to the "lyrics" or bitching about my crappy taste in music would keep me awake anyway.

But...that might not be your thing.

He said when he was driving while tired he'd open up his window and stick his hand out holding a $100 bill.

pop yourself every now and then. Pain wakes us up.

Do you have a cell phone?

I know talking on the phone can be dangerous too but if you're talking to someone, they will likely keep you awake.

Good luck! :hi:

Serranos are the best; not excessively hot, not too mild. Learned that one from my dad, who was a truck driver. Anytime you strat getting sleepy, bite into one real hard. Belive me, you'll be instantly wide awake.

Crank up the volume and sing along. :)

a large number of fatal accidents are due to driver exhaustion.

if you don't care about yourself, at least think of other people on the road.

But I've got a monumental ability to drive long distances...my father drove trucks for many years, so maybe it's genetic. The only time I ever get sleepy when driving, usually, is when I'm stuck behind traffic for too long -- hence the need to get ahead of them and the need for speed (as in velocity, not drugs).

Caffeine doesn't seem to do anything for me, though I'll sometimes keep a bit of Diet Coke as a contingency plan (tried Mountain Dew once and, instead of having to stop zero times very 13 hours for a bathroom break I had to stop every hour...that stuff's a diuretic!), and I usually stock up on M&Ms and maybe a few other things (some healthy, some not so much) to help keep me fueled up and engaged. I swear cooler temperature -- within reason, before hypothermia starts to take you to the Big Sleep, which is usually only a problem on my motorcycle -- also helps keep me alert and awake, though many 'experts' say that cannot be the case...I flatulate in their general direction, because anyone who's ever felt like nodding off in an overly warm room knows the fallacy of their argument.

I also keep my mind busy (riding motorcycles for so long also probably helps me maintain focus and stay supremely alert) by constantly calculating and updating distances and projected times to waypoints and final destinations -- ask me, on a long trip, how far we have to go, or how long it'll take us, and I'll always have an accurate answer ready for you. My propensity toward that kind of thing is helped a lot in places like certain parts of the South, where mile markers are present.

Finally, there's that innate ability to keep going, and going, and going...though more than a few times to my detriment, on pointless odysseys on foot, on two wheels, or on four (and even in boats). I am a traveling dude. :-)

it is dangerous to drive when you haven't slept

i did stop, for a coke and a stretch & walk around. thing is this was just my drive home from work. an hour and a half average but it can be as much as three hours.

but i made it home just fine. now i'm falling asleep at work. Mrs. V. is going to have to drive home.

Nowadays, I simply don't put myself in that situation. It ain't worth it.

red bull, take no-doze...lots of water to flush that all out, which also makes you have to pee and then you stop for breaks often. Listen to talk radio...right wing shit will make you so mad it keeps you up. Singing is good too.

I have logged a lot of trips up and down I-95 of 14 to 18 hours and all those methods work for me...but when you really get sleepy PULL OVER and NAP!

it's bad for your teeth tho but it can help if you're not responding to the caffeine

drive only in bright daylight

if you are overwhelmingly sleepy, just go somewhere else and rent a cheapie motel room

my friend died driving home from work, yes, she fell asleep at the wheel after pulling a double shift, it is just not worth it, driving sleepy is the same as driving drunk and has the same consequences if you are unlucky

so if a friend or family member was really so shitty as to force me to drive when i'd had no sleep, i'd go quickly to the very nearest place where i could sleep and be v. cautious in future in my dealings w. said individual, yes, i've slept on some floors and couches in my day, but i'm still alive, driving hell or high water i might not be

ok, i'm back after reading the thread and see that you are indeed driving home from work, sounds like this will be a regular thing, you need to have a place where you can nap at work, even if it's just a couch, or you need to move closer to where you work

my friend died, age 47, in good health, driving home from work because she worked a double shift and it wasn't even a 30 minute drive

it prob. happens every day

not a good way to arrange one's life