Ideas for staying awake while driving solo

[DawnPatrol]

Be 19 years old again.

 

[Fordguy]

Anything that makes you mildly uncomfortable should help keep you awake. Adjust the temperature down to just above shivering (my girlfriend hates when I do this on long trips). Fresh air- (make sure the recirculation button is off if your vehicle has one), falling oxygen levels lead to drowsiness. Music or podcasts or conversations- something you'll pay attention to. Drink water- enough that you have to stop every few hours to use the bathroom. Its difficult to fall asleep with a full bladder. Caffeine is not a last resort, but I tend to reserve it for the last 4 hours of the trip. Snacks can be effective as well.

I make 15-17 hour drives several times a year, and around the holidays the same trip has taken as long as 20 hours. Sometimes it's a solo trip, sometimes in a car, sometimes in a truck hauling horses. If I reach the point where the above stop working I pull over and take a nap. Stay safe and be aware of your limits.

 

[WI in the west]

I retake up chewing for the drive out seems to help but i also try to plan departure time so that if i drove straight through id get there several hours before sunrise or noon if i know glassing the morning wont happen. Then if you need to pull over and sleep your not feeling like your falling behind schedule and missing out on anything.

 

[Wolf88]

Whatever you do do NOT make it cozy in the cab.
Window down if it's colder helps...radio...a cigarette...not promoting smoking but it keeps your mimd awake the burning coal and what to do with it...
Adjust seat to uncomfortbale settings


Many ways can help but sonetimes you just can't overcome and need to pull over and sleep!!

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I'll tell you what works for me every time, try to take a nap. Once I actually try to sleep it's game over and I'm wide awake.

 

[highcountrymuley]

I read about the caffeine nap: if u are tired but can't stop for long, slam a cup of coffee and go to sleep. The caffeine is supposed to wake you up in 10 to 15 min.

I can't fall asleep after driving, have to take time to "come down" so I end up tired as all hell but clinging to being awake. Drive as much as you can safely and take an hour and a half to two hour nap. I always sleep in passenger seat, dont EVER want to feel comfortable asleep in drivers seat.

Eat snacks like popcorn, salty chips, trail mix. Lots of coffee and water and stopping to pee. Loud music, talk radio to stay engaged with. Sleep when u have to, don't end up dead.

 

[RMM]

Meth will be a hard pass.

Coward

 

[Boarmaster]

I started leaving at 4 am on long trips If I cant leave by noon. I drive until about 4-5 pm then stop and get a hotel. Im old and cant drive at night anymore. In the AM I am good to go. i get up at 4 am anyway so not a big deal.
In my younger days I would work all day and jump in the truck and start a trip at 5 pm. But
i always stopped about 10 and got a hotel. Usually some cheap craphole.

 

[Wallace]

I drive a lot for hunting, usually 10+ trips of 10 hours, and 2-4 trips that are 24+ hours annually plus a handful of family trips where I'm the main driver. I usually drive it solo or with my son (10, he can't drive). When I was younger, it was no big deal, just jump in the truck and roll, pee and eat when I get fuel and those are the only stops. The older I've gotten the harder that is. I'll pull over and take a nap now, usually 30 minutes - 1 hour. Loud music, caffeine, windows down, etc all works to a certain extent, but there's always a point where I just need to pull over if I'm rolling solo or with my son. Not worth serious injury or dying to get there an hour earlier.

 

[Meshnasty]

My wife I used to drive like road warriors, many 18-24 hour drives where we wouldn’t stop unless we needed gas. It’s pretty easy with two people.

I do a lot more solo now since we had kids and I don’t like going past 12–14 hours as I can drive that pretty easily without getting tired. If I leave in the afternoon I’ll drive until about 2am, but if I get tired before then I just pull over and sleep. I only eat snack food and don’t drink much for caffeine until I’m nearing the end of my drive for the day. I’ll even reduce my caffeine intake starting a week or so before I have to drive otherwise I don’t get much of an effect out of it.

I’ve fallen asleep driving twice now (got lucky both times as I drifted into the rumble strip on my side of the road), both times were between 1:30-3:30pm driving somewhere for work. Both of those times I was just fine and tiredness hit me like a wall, likely from working all day already. For whatever reason that time of day is a struggle for me.

 

[Charlie-NY]

Be honest with yourself when you're getting groggy and STOP.

We had 4 guys in a brand new Chevy Suburban and were driving around the clock. We switched drivers about every 4hrs but no one slept at all. Around noon a new driver took over. Within a half hour he ran into a steel guardrail at 65mph. It wiped out the entire side of the vehicle to the extent that the doors couldn't be opened. Yanking the wheel to the left, in an effort to pull out of the crash, caused the trailer to swing into the rail too. The trailer had two completely butchered bull moose in coolers.

Nearly $50,000 in damage but at least no one was hurt. We were still 1,000mi from home. How do you spell "DISASTER"?

 

[TFrank]

Meth. Works every time.

There it is. Surprised when it hadn’t popped up earlier in the thread lol

 

[sjvcon]

I've fought this for years. Best thing I have found is Coffee, getting out frequently and doing jumping jacks and pushups, and chewing gum.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Is getting there on time more important than your, or someones else's life??? Pull off the road and get some rest for a few hours. Don't try to stay awake when driving.

 

[Bbddalton]

take a nap. Not worth it

 

[Dejhavu]

Just having that quiet time to myself and peace is so nice and that is it for me, A little music too.

 

[Idaboy]

If you're tired, pull over and sleep or have your partner drive, even a 30" nap can refresh a person....once it starts don't fight it

 

[William Sublette]

Has anyone said : talking on the phone?


For some reason that wakes you up.

 

[beachbunny]

I always started those drives at midnight,dawn would keep me going until dark.then it was nap time.
Just don't drink a half dozen rock stars cause they taste good.

 

[WCB]

I try to leave early early morning where just about the time I'm getting tired the sun comes up. Stop get breakfast maybe catch a 30min snooze and gone again. Most the time if the sun is up I'm fine.

Nothing in the way of caffeine, nicotine, food, etc helps. I can drink a case of MT Dew or energy drinks and go to sleep. When I used to guide during the summer I used to do landscaping 50hr+ weeks. Last day I would put in 10+ hrs of work, get home shower, throw my gear in and drive straight 14hr to MT. Normally get there and help with what ever was being done that day to get camp ready for the season.....My mind is still in that mode but man everything else screams no!