How to combat sudden sleepiness while driving

Chewing on ice seems to help me at times

 

Add beans to diet

 

Limit your coffee to 2 mugs per shift and don’t drink any the last 2.5 hours so you can sleep after your shift. Take breaks as often as you need to and get out of the truck and do a few laps around the truck. If you flat out cannot drive anymore then don’t. I was saved by the rumble strips a couple times my first year because I pushed too hard. I have been doing this for 2 1/2 years at this point and I don’t nod off anymore but I know my limitations.

 

Eating healthy would be a start.But nonetheless it does take getting use to.If need
be stop at a rest area and take a power nap they work wonders.

 

I just get out of truck and get my blood flowing... Push ups a Sprint from one end of truck stop and back (unless it's a big ol Petro then not that far) anything get that blood flowing. Your mind is not being kept entertained and your body is in a relatively restful state (not moving around sitting there not doing much when on big highways)

 

Nothing beats a rest even if its for a few minutes pull over at the next rest stop there are usually plenty around and take a walk, have a few minutes rest even if you can't actually sleep, otherwise you may have to resort to taking those no doze pure caffeine tablets that'll sure keep you alert and awake problem is then when you really want to stop and have a proper sleep you won't be able to.

 

That one. Driving at night allow an extra hour for sleep. Park on a ramp, shoulder if you have to. A late load is better than one in the ditch. Since you're hitting 7 take you 30 and another 30 for a 45 minute nap. That should carry you through the end of the shift. Since you planned to be 2 hours early, 1 for for night and 1 just in case, you still have 1.5 slack.

 

If you can't fall asleep then you don't have a problem. You do need to allow 5 minutes to fall asleep though. I often lay there thinking I have a problem since I'm not falling asleep then the alarm wakes me. #### dreams, that and can't find a place to park. Also dream I forgot to set the brake and rolled away. If I really can't sleep, rather than dream I can't then I drive on.

 

Obviously like the others have posted, get some sleep. During some very long drives I've had to make I find that listening to something different on the radio will help. Things like Raw Dog Comedy seem to hit my brain in a different spot and I find it helps a lot. Whatever you do just stay safe out there.

 

Do not take those pills.

I had trouble with those at 21. Get up grab a seacan at 2 am Baltimore run DC rush to Norfolk sit and wait all #### day and half the night. Started popping pills. A whole box even. One day the mind went to sleep with eyes open on 95 putting lives at risk.

Took 6 months to clear it out of the system and changing to something else, with a sleeper solved the problem I had in those days.

What I do is call dispatcher. WOT? *&^% bothering me tongiht wots matta you!? And a little back and forth preferably with lost temper clears the cobwebs right quick for me. If you think Dispatch has had enough of that, you tell it to the trees.