What do you do when you...

Tekken · 09-26-2000, 04:04 PM

What do you do when you get sleepy while driving??
I had this experience quite a few times.

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Rally Man · 09-26-2000, 04:12 PM

Get to the side of the road and take a 15-30 minute nap. Trust me it be better to take this than falling asleep and getting hurt.

Subie Gal · 09-26-2000, 04:15 PM

pull off and get some coffee... or some sleep...

do not keep going or even push your limits...

i awoke looking at a tree head on once after falling asleep at the wheel... not a good thing!

T-WRX · 09-26-2000, 04:28 PM

The amazing thing is that when you do finally pull over to sleep - all you can do is just sit there.

NeedaScooby · 09-26-2000, 04:35 PM

Pull Over. A sleepy driver is as bad as a drunk one.
...but T-WRX is right sometimes you just sit there

[This message has been edited by NeedaScooby (edited September 26, 2000).]

2yLiTe · 09-26-2000, 04:40 PM

If that happens to me, I just recline the seat, tilt the hat and chill for about 30mins. I love my car too much to use it as tree wrapping.

Overtime · 09-26-2000, 04:42 PM

Depends. Obviously I don't drive when I'm ready to collapse, but these methods work well during moderately long trips.

1) lip biting. bite your bottom lip hard, but don't draw blood. It'll wake you up.

2) cold water. I always try to have some cold something-or-other on hand.

3) mints. Gum doesn't work very well, because you can get into a motion, but mints are great. Feel sleepy? Crunch away.

Just some tips. My dad has always had a horrible time staying awake when driving, so he took to chewing tobacco, but I wouldn't reccomend that if you want to keep your teeth.

SubyRacer · 09-26-2000, 04:45 PM

i go to college a away a good ways from my home.....so its a long drive for me.....and being a college student obviously i do not get any sleep, ever, so its very hard when i make that drive home everyonce in a while. but ive come up with 2 methods that work for me really well.

1. blast all the 460watts of my stero system as high as it'll. then yell (not sing quitely) along with the music. the second part is what keeps me awake the most, seriously. it works. good stuff.

2. play the road game: "How the Hell Do I Get Around This Jerk in Front of Me". in decent amounts of traffic its a very strategic game that requires lots of brain activity to play and win. do it with every driver who's in front of u even if they are not driving slow (just pretend they are

) .
WARNING: i do beleive this game has been out-lawed in 35 of the 50 states

ok so now all the board members who read this will think im insane and theyll have no clue what im talking about, but i just answered truthfully
it works for me

Rich L · 09-26-2000, 04:50 PM

I Blast my favorite "White Zombie" album!
But then you must be careful about speeding.

Matthew Nelson · 09-26-2000, 04:52 PM

Try adjusting your seat while you drive. Before I graduated from college, I had a long communte from Kansas City to my college town. If I felt sleepy, I'd sit up and lean over the wheel so I'd be staring down at the road.

Other times, I'd start talking to myself. Yes, I've heard all of the remarks about people who talk to themselves, but sometimes if you can get your mind working, you'll stay awake more easily.

Think of something of which you're dreaming (like a new Impreza), or think of something that really, really bothers you. Then start to discuss it with yourself. You'll find not only do you stay awake, but you might reveal some secrets about yourself of which you never knew before.

Swivel1000 · 09-26-2000, 04:59 PM

I play music i can sing to.
If i know all the words to an entire album and sing it, it usually keeps me alert.

matt

beachbum · 09-26-2000, 04:59 PM

Depening on the severity of your fatigue, the above suggestions can be helpful if you're not dead tired. However, if you feel like you may fall asleep (and be honest with yourself!), find a gas station, park facing away from the lights, and get some sleep. It doesn't take much to recover enough to get home. When visiting my girlfriend (now-ex, but that's another story) I would usually get about 50 miles from home and feel super sleepy. Fortunately, there's a bunch of nice gas stations in Lincoln, so I just pulled off. A 15 minute nap was more than enough to get me home.

Don't mean to sound preachy or anything, but I have a friend that nearly killed his entire family after falling asleep at the wheel, so it's a subject close to my heart.

------------
Josh Beach
World's Slowest Impreza Project

[This message has been edited by beachbum (edited September 26, 2000).]

KooshDogg · 09-26-2000, 05:01 PM

well longest trip ive ever taken while even in slight danger of falling asleep was about 3 1/2 hours.. btw extremely sleepy drivers are less than 7 times more likely to get into an accident than drunk drivers.. i jus listen to music REAL loud n start singin along.. doesnt work as well for the half of me that prefers lyricless techno but the rap/r&b half works well with it, hehe

Jonathan_Yi · 09-26-2000, 05:17 PM

I drive form home, by NYC, to Buffalo (400+ miles) and whenever I get really sleepy I slap myself in the face really hard. It works. Also seeing a cop on the side of the road wakes you up real fast. But of course if you were speeding it'd be too late to slow down at this point. Oh yeah, and if it's winter roll down the window. That's another good trick.

markus · 09-26-2000, 05:26 PM

My job requires a lot of driving (I'm in sales). I also cover a HUGE area (all of Western Canada or approximately 3.5 times the State of Texas...I looked it up one time). Needless to say, very long drives (10+ hours) are a fact of life for me. Depending on your level of "sleepiness" I usually do the following:

1.) Mild sleepiness (lots of yawning, feeling grogy)==> Get some fresh air by rolling the window down and/or cranking up the music.

2.) Moderate sleepiness (still yawning after 30mins of above activity, maybe some mild "head-bobbin")==> Find some place and tank up on coffee, tea, red bull (whatever works for ya') and/or music/fresh air.

3.) Heavy sleepiness ("major head-bobbin") ==> Pull over immediately and get 20-30mins of rest/sleep.

Although I've come close to having a real true "sleep" in a car, even resting or light sleeping can make a huge difference. Better to be 30-60mins later than NEVER.

Hope this helps. Drive Safe - Drive Alert.

Cheers,
MB

Bonzo · 09-26-2000, 05:30 PM

I am an expert on this one

Hit parked car at 5am coming home from working all night. I didn't remember even goig thru town:0 I found if you very tired pull over!!!! Just the act of pulling over will break up the monotony, try to sleep. Mainly try to break up the monotony with drinking soda coffe etc. eating or make a call on the phone a talk a bit. Disclaimer talking on the phone while driving is not to safe either. I have found my worst time is just after breakfast or lunch. Full tummy... me get tired. So when I drive I don't eat till I get to my destination. Hope this helps.

Faraz · 09-26-2000, 07:40 PM

stop somewhere ...get a Soda WITH ice ...take the ice cubes rub it over your wrist till its cold each one ...those are the adrendal gland centers in your body...It will inject your body with all the adrendaline left in your system ...I used to do this while playing sports and driving ....It will keep you awake until it runs its course through your body ....but get ready for a crash when its done ...just like what it is a adrenaline rush!

Tekken · 09-26-2000, 09:21 PM

It is amazing to see all those tips.
I really appreciate all the posts.
I tend to get sleepy when it comes to the long drive, and I tend to fight.
Now, I think I know what to do.
When you hear or if you know some other tips, please let me know.

Keith · 09-26-2000, 09:45 PM

3 words M & Ms or some other type of candy!

I do alot of driving also (47k miles in one year) and I get tired a lot. So I get some food. Get yourself a big ass bad of M&Ms and have fun with those. This may sound stupid, but when I was driving down to VA, I started eating some M&Ms when I was getting really tired, and it helped... alot. But as soon as I was done (no kidding) I got really tired again! I thought that was funny

Hey, Faraz, stop using your brain...your cheating!

Acutally..that is very interesting...I am going to give that a try. Thanks for the tip.
Keith

Kostamojen · 09-27-2000, 12:20 AM

SubyRacer: Nothing fuels the adreneline glands like a good game of "How do I get around this guy?"

Its really fun when they are going 90 too... But sometimes its just not enough (and sometimes noone is around)

The worst sleepy time I had when driving was when I drove from San Luis Obispo, CA to Edmunds Air Force base (about 4 hours) at 6am and then back again at around 8pm...
When I started driving back, I was so tired that I was doing the head bob and could only keep my eyes on the road every 5 seconds or so... and there were 3 other people in the car, and all of them were either doing the same thing or were already asleep... and I was going like 70 too. Luckly, i'm as good as a driver half asleep as most people in the US are good when totally awake

I did manage to get to a McDonalds and change drivers, but the funny thing was after we stoped all of us were 100% awake, and it was really late by that time.

09-26-2000, 04:04 PM	#1
Tekken Scooby Newbie Member#: 1892 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Kent, WA Vehicle: 2004 STi WRB	What do you do when you... What do you do when you get sleepy while driving?? I had this experience quite a few times. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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09-26-2000, 04:12 PM	#2
Rally Man Scooby Newbie Member#: 1181 Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Moreno Valley, California	Get to the side of the road and take a 15-30 minute nap. Trust me it be better to take this than falling asleep and getting hurt.

09-26-2000, 04:15 PM	#3
Subie Gal GC84Ever Super Moderator Member#: 301 Join Date: Sep 1999 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: WA Vehicle: 2001 2.5 RS/70 Van 02 WRX Rally Stud	pull off and get some coffee... or some sleep... do not keep going or even push your limits... i awoke looking at a tree head on once after falling asleep at the wheel... not a good thing!

09-26-2000, 04:28 PM	#4
T-WRX Scooby Specialist Member#: 2468 Join Date: Sep 2000 Chapter/Region: South East Location: JAX Vehicle: 08 Audi RS 4 05 AW STi	The amazing thing is that when you do finally pull over to sleep - all you can do is just sit there.

09-26-2000, 04:35 PM	#5
NeedaScooby Scooby Specialist Member#: 1179 Join Date: Mar 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Valhalla: Odin is a cool cat Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 S-line Ibis White	Pull Over. A sleepy driver is as bad as a drunk one. ...but T-WRX is right sometimes you just sit there [This message has been edited by NeedaScooby (edited September 26, 2000).]

09-26-2000, 04:40 PM	#6
2yLiTe Scooby Specialist Member#: 660 Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Windsor, Ontario CANADA	If that happens to me, I just recline the seat, tilt the hat and chill for about 30mins. I love my car too much to use it as tree wrapping.

09-26-2000, 04:42 PM	#7
Overtime Scooby Specialist Member#: 1346 Join Date: Apr 2000	Depends. Obviously I don't drive when I'm ready to collapse, but these methods work well during moderately long trips. 1) lip biting. bite your bottom lip hard, but don't draw blood. It'll wake you up. 2) cold water. I always try to have some cold something-or-other on hand. 3) mints. Gum doesn't work very well, because you can get into a motion, but mints are great. Feel sleepy? Crunch away. Just some tips. My dad has always had a horrible time staying awake when driving, so he took to chewing tobacco, but I wouldn't reccomend that if you want to keep your teeth.

09-26-2000, 04:45 PM	#8
SubyRacer Scooby Specialist Member#: 2439 Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: McLean, VA, US of A Vehicle: 2000 2.5RS aspen white	i go to college a away a good ways from my home.....so its a long drive for me.....and being a college student obviously i do not get any sleep, ever, so its very hard when i make that drive home everyonce in a while. but ive come up with 2 methods that work for me really well. 1. blast all the 460watts of my stero system as high as it'll. then yell (not sing quitely) along with the music. the second part is what keeps me awake the most, seriously. it works. good stuff. 2. play the road game: "How the Hell Do I Get Around This Jerk in Front of Me". in decent amounts of traffic its a very strategic game that requires lots of brain activity to play and win. do it with every driver who's in front of u even if they are not driving slow (just pretend they are ) . WARNING: i do beleive this game has been out-lawed in 35 of the 50 states ok so now all the board members who read this will think im insane and theyll have no clue what im talking about, but i just answered truthfully it works for me

09-26-2000, 04:50 PM	#9
Rich L Scooby Specialist Member#: 961 Join Date: Feb 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: near Atco(NJ) 13.566@100.64- Vehicle: 1999 RS-Tw/ CobraMAF Custom Rallispec kit/IC#1	I Blast my favorite "White Zombie" album! But then you must be careful about speeding.

09-26-2000, 04:52 PM	#10
Matthew Nelson Scooby Newbie Member#: 2174 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Overland Park, KS Vehicle: 2000 Impreza 2.5 RS Blue Ridge Pearl	Try adjusting your seat while you drive. Before I graduated from college, I had a long communte from Kansas City to my college town. If I felt sleepy, I'd sit up and lean over the wheel so I'd be staring down at the road. Other times, I'd start talking to myself. Yes, I've heard all of the remarks about people who talk to themselves, but sometimes if you can get your mind working, you'll stay awake more easily. Think of something of which you're dreaming (like a new Impreza), or think of something that really, really bothers you. Then start to discuss it with yourself. You'll find not only do you stay awake, but you might reveal some secrets about yourself of which you never knew before.

09-26-2000, 04:59 PM	#11
Swivel1000 Scooby Specialist Member#: 1168 Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Houston, TX Vehicle: 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4	I play music i can sing to. If i know all the words to an entire album and sing it, it usually keeps me alert. matt

09-26-2000, 04:59 PM	#12
beachbum NASIOC Supporter Member#: 457 Join Date: Oct 1999 Chapter/Region: MWSOC	Depening on the severity of your fatigue, the above suggestions can be helpful if you're not dead tired. However, if you feel like you may fall asleep (and be honest with yourself!), find a gas station, park facing away from the lights, and get some sleep. It doesn't take much to recover enough to get home. When visiting my girlfriend (now-ex, but that's another story) I would usually get about 50 miles from home and feel super sleepy. Fortunately, there's a bunch of nice gas stations in Lincoln, so I just pulled off. A 15 minute nap was more than enough to get me home. Don't mean to sound preachy or anything, but I have a friend that nearly killed his entire family after falling asleep at the wheel, so it's a subject close to my heart. ------------ Josh Beach World's Slowest Impreza Project [This message has been edited by beachbum (edited September 26, 2000).]

09-26-2000, 05:01 PM	#13
KooshDogg Scooby Newbie Member#: 134 Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Washington, DC, USA	well longest trip ive ever taken while even in slight danger of falling asleep was about 3 1/2 hours.. btw extremely sleepy drivers are less than 7 times more likely to get into an accident than drunk drivers.. i jus listen to music REAL loud n start singin along.. doesnt work as well for the half of me that prefers lyricless techno but the rap/r&b half works well with it, hehe

09-26-2000, 05:17 PM	#14
Jonathan_Yi Scooby Newbie Member#: 2030 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Fredericksburg, VA USA Vehicle: 2000 2.5RS coupe Blue Ridge Pearl	I drive form home, by NYC, to Buffalo (400+ miles) and whenever I get really sleepy I slap myself in the face really hard. It works. Also seeing a cop on the side of the road wakes you up real fast. But of course if you were speeding it'd be too late to slow down at this point. Oh yeah, and if it's winter roll down the window. That's another good trick.

09-26-2000, 05:26 PM	#15
markus Scooby Specialist Member#: 438 Join Date: Oct 1999 Chapter/Region: W. Canada Location: St. Albert, AB, Canada Vehicle: 2004 STi White on Gold	My job requires a lot of driving (I'm in sales). I also cover a HUGE area (all of Western Canada or approximately 3.5 times the State of Texas...I looked it up one time). Needless to say, very long drives (10+ hours) are a fact of life for me. Depending on your level of "sleepiness" I usually do the following: 1.) Mild sleepiness (lots of yawning, feeling grogy)==> Get some fresh air by rolling the window down and/or cranking up the music. 2.) Moderate sleepiness (still yawning after 30mins of above activity, maybe some mild "head-bobbin")==> Find some place and tank up on coffee, tea, red bull (whatever works for ya') and/or music/fresh air. 3.) Heavy sleepiness ("major head-bobbin") ==> Pull over immediately and get 20-30mins of rest/sleep. Although I've come close to having a real true "sleep" in a car, even resting or light sleeping can make a huge difference. Better to be 30-60mins later than NEVER. Hope this helps. Drive Safe - Drive Alert. Cheers, MB

09-26-2000, 05:30 PM	#16
Bonzo Scooby Specialist Member#: 2307 Join Date: Sep 2000 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: West of Rd Am	I am an expert on this one Hit parked car at 5am coming home from working all night. I didn't remember even goig thru town:0 I found if you very tired pull over!!!! Just the act of pulling over will break up the monotony, try to sleep. Mainly try to break up the monotony with drinking soda coffe etc. eating or make a call on the phone a talk a bit. Disclaimer talking on the phone while driving is not to safe either. I have found my worst time is just after breakfast or lunch. Full tummy... me get tired. So when I drive I don't eat till I get to my destination. Hope this helps.

09-26-2000, 07:40 PM	#17
Faraz What?... Do they speak English in What? Moderator Member#: 1459 Join Date: May 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Allentown Vehicle: 2008 WRX 5door MT WR Blue	stop somewhere ...get a Soda WITH ice ...take the ice cubes rub it over your wrist till its cold each one ...those are the adrendal gland centers in your body...It will inject your body with all the adrendaline left in your system ...I used to do this while playing sports and driving ....It will keep you awake until it runs its course through your body ....but get ready for a crash when its done ...just like what it is a adrenaline rush!

09-26-2000, 09:21 PM	#18
Tekken Scooby Newbie Member#: 1892 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Kent, WA Vehicle: 2004 STi WRB	It is amazing to see all those tips. I really appreciate all the posts. I tend to get sleepy when it comes to the long drive, and I tend to fight. Now, I think I know what to do. When you hear or if you know some other tips, please let me know.

09-26-2000, 09:45 PM	#19
Keith NASIOC Supporter Member#: 191 Join Date: Aug 1999 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Brooklyn Vehicle: 2012 J train Brown	3 words M & Ms or some other type of candy! I do alot of driving also (47k miles in one year) and I get tired a lot. So I get some food. Get yourself a big ass bad of M&Ms and have fun with those. This may sound stupid, but when I was driving down to VA, I started eating some M&Ms when I was getting really tired, and it helped... alot. But as soon as I was done (no kidding) I got really tired again! I thought that was funny Hey, Faraz, stop using your brain...your cheating! Acutally..that is very interesting...I am going to give that a try. Thanks for the tip. Keith

09-27-2000, 12:20 AM	#20
Kostamojen Scooby Guru Member#: 2272 Join Date: Sep 2000 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: haha XD Vehicle: 95 L AWD LIFTED!!! 1970 Subaru FF-1 Coupe	SubyRacer: Nothing fuels the adreneline glands like a good game of "How do I get around this guy?" Its really fun when they are going 90 too... But sometimes its just not enough (and sometimes noone is around) The worst sleepy time I had when driving was when I drove from San Luis Obispo, CA to Edmunds Air Force base (about 4 hours) at 6am and then back again at around 8pm... When I started driving back, I was so tired that I was doing the head bob and could only keep my eyes on the road every 5 seconds or so... and there were 3 other people in the car, and all of them were either doing the same thing or were already asleep... and I was going like 70 too. Luckly, i'm as good as a driver half asleep as most people in the US are good when totally awake I did manage to get to a McDonalds and change drivers, but the funny thing was after we stoped all of us were 100% awake, and it was really late by that time.