Sleepiness

I wonder if that will work to keep the bums and crackhead wheel polishers away...

 

That’s been nicknamed a “Nappacino”.

 

If I'm not mistaken, cocaine was in the original Coca Cola drink. Until around 1903.
They like to play that fact down now, and now just add caffeine for that extra boost.

And the original A&W Root Beer was 1.5% alcohol.
I'm not sure when that ended, but it was past 1974 when it was the syrup combined with the carbonated water.
Even today, when they say they make it there in the store - it is not the same as back then when it was truly draft.

 

Blood sugar levels normally drop in the early afternoon, You may want to make sure it’s not a health issue. Probably not, but it’s something that’s noticeable, worth getting checked out. A large cup of coffee and a king size Hershey’s bar works for Me. Probably not the best advice, Lol Overall if you eat more compound carbs, like wheat bread instead of white, and take a multi vitamin with lots of b complex, You’ll have better energy throughout the day. Just stopping and walking around, changing it up a bit helps also.

 

I don't. I can tell when I am getting tired long before I have difficulty keeping my eyes open.

My first significant indicator for tiredness is yawning more than once or twice in a time frame that I can clearly remember.

At the same time, my shoulders start to slump a bit, and I find myself needing to stretch my arms for circulation.

When I notice myself doing these things and I need to drive more than a couple hours, I take a 5-hour energy.

99% of the time, that gets me through the rest of my driving shift.

If the tiredness starts creeping back in, I stop the truck, walk around, take a break on my feet.

If I still have to drive, I start playing high energy music.

If these things are not sufficient to keep my mental focus on the road, I either take a nap for an hour or two, or simply shut down for the day and sleep.

In 3+ years, I have had to shut down early or take a nap only a few times.

Learn your body. You should be able to pick up on your personal tiredness symptoms far enough ahead of time to start taking actions to address the tiredness before it hits you full force.

If you wait until you are having a hard time holding your eyes open, you are a severe hazard to yourself and everyone around you.

 

Bs

He said he is tired by 1pm, there is something wrong, he admitted to it, it may be a pre-diabetic thing or it may be something more serious, so the best thing is not be a danger to others FIRST and second talk to a doctor.

I just went through this with a couple drivers. 10 hours of solid sleep and both were falling asleep by noon. I pulled them both off the road, paid for their week off to get checked out. One has a cardiac issue and he can never drive a truck any more and the other has other issues I won't disclose here and it was life saving for both. It isn't about taking a nap, if you are working a 9 to 5 and are physically moving and getting tired by noon or 1 there is something wrong.

 

I’d say the biggest thing is what you do BEFORE your on duty. I know working 14 with 10 off sucks especially for us local drivers. But, you and your family have to understand that when it’s time for bed it’s TIME. I would go in between 8pm and 2 am. I had to sleep when everyone was awake. You have to make at least 6.5 hours mandatory. 7 is better, 8 and your golden. Having a short commute makes a HUGE difference. Or if your OTR, get in that bunk and sleep for 8 of those 10 off, ok?

 

Staying awake is something you need to condition yourself for.
In my time it was sleep and drive, sleep and drive, if you were too tired to drive then you slept, an hour here, a couple hours there.

As mentioned, dusk and dawn are bad times, the light and shadows are hard on the eyes and headlights are nearly useless.
Get off the road for a coffee, time to clean the bugs off the windshield, wash the face and eyes with cold water, take a break until the sun is up or down, keep the eye strain to a minimum.

Polarized sunglasses will reduce glare and eye strain, blue/grey lenses for sunny days and bright snow, yellow lenses for gloomy, overcast, cloudy or rainy days, and red lenses for snow storms where contrast is low.
I took a lot of flack for having 4 or 5 different pairs of shades in my truck, but none of those folks ever read a book about the physics and characteristics of light and colour and how the human eye perceives them.

As a last resort, try finding a hyper active kid or overweight housewife with a prescription for ritalin and borrow a couple pills from them.
Two 20 mg tablets and a hot cup of coffee will wake you right up.
Paint the barn with a toothbrush in a couple hours and push start your semi with a load on, much cheaper than cocaine and no sniffles afterward.

 

I don't know what your routine is, but it sounds like you might not be getting enough exercise.
If you do physical work all day, you should be tired at the end of it and ready for a good sleep.
If you just sit in the truck all day, I can see why you might be tired, you may be lethargic.

You might have low iron in your blood, you might be anemic, you might be suffering from narcolepsy, your appendix may be acting up.
Go see a doctor, get checked out, the sooner the better.