Deadly Road Runners....

This one is for all those sleepy drivers. Drowsy drivers can be just as dangerous as drunk drivers and possibly even more so, because they often don't realize that they are impaired. Driving for eight hours straight more than doubles your risk of crashing- making you as dangerous as a driver with a blood alcohol count of 0.05%. Our body is designed to endure two sleeping periods. The primary one is between midnight and 6 am. The other one is early to mid afternoon. Most people will attribute this afternoon sleepiness to what or how much they ate for lunch. But the real culprit is our biological clock; specifically the circadian rhythms that dictate when our bodies are geared for sleep. 

Although we may like to consider ourselves more productive when we sleep less, we're much more efficient when we are well rested. Getting adequate sleep sustains our alertness and our mental performance. Most adults need seven and a half  to eight hours of sleep a night to perform at their best. Researches show results that subjects whose sleep was restricted to between four and six hours per night for two weeks demonstrated reduced mental performance comparable with those who hadn't slept for up to two days. Even more troubling, the subjects reported feeling only slightly sleepy when their performance was actually at its worst. 

Fatigue can affect anyone on the road, but some are at higher risk for fatigue- related crashes. People who work long hours like more than 60 hours a week has a risk increased up to 40%. Shift workers should know that our body is never fully adjusts to shift work because the sleep wake cycle is dictated by darkness and night. Night shift workers tend to get less sleep than those who work nine to five and are more vulnerable to the effects of their bodies' circadian rhythms as they drive home from work. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of their circadian rhythms. They are also more likely to be sleep deprived, driving at night, taking risks or affected by alcohol. Although both genders are equally sleep deprived, males are responsible for approximately three out of four fall-asleep crashes. People with sleeping disorders such as sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome and insomnia can increase your crash risk up to seven times.

There are many myths and facts about drowsy driving too. Here are some of these you may wanna avoid.

Myth: It is safer to drive overnight so you can avoid the daytime traffic.

Fact: If you are driving at a time when you'd normally be sleeping, it will be harder to stay awake due to your body's natural circadian rhythms. 

Myth: It's good to start your road trip after work.

Fact: This is actually the worst time to begin your trip. You've been using your mental and physical energies all day and you will be tired even though you may not realize it. The safest thing to do is to get a good night's rest (about seven to eight hours of undisturbed sleep) and start your journey the next morning.

Myth: Loud music will help to keep you awake.  

Fact: This might help for a while but not for long. Loud music may also distract you from the road. 

Myth: A flask of coffee or a caffeine loaded drink will keep you awake.

Fact: Caffeine is only a short term solution and will have less effect the more often you use it. The only long term solution is to get some sleep. 

Myth: Plenty of fresh air through the window will keep you awake.

Fact: This might give you a boost and help a while as might turning the air conditioning on to cold. But if you are tired, sleep is the only solution. 

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