Sleepiness

First suspects:

1). Quality of sleep.

2). Diet, etc

Research:

Circadian Rhythm

Sleep Apnea

There are good habits, and bad.

So, just as you make a trip plan, have a plan for the day that covers WHEN to eat, WHAT to eat (same for drink); and that you set GPS waypoints to stop.

Use the clock.

If everything is tied to the truck, you lose. MUST be reasonable about the bodies needs.

A nap of 45” can get me thru the longest days. (In full dark, away from noise, etc).

Keep at it. Every day a new start.

And get a good radio. Stir the S-pot. Start arguments and move on. Ask what them guys back there are arguing about. Etc.

 

Supplements, (pharmaceuticals), should be a last resort, and only if you're in good health, unless you're talking vitamins like C and B12, etc.
I'm going to assume you're a young dude, late teens or early twenties.
There's a time in life where the body and brain is going through the last stages of growth and development, late teens and early twenties, where you require more sleep, it's a natural thing and some mature earlier than others.
Take me for instance, I was an adolescent until I was 50 years old, and still am!

Seriously, stop asking truckers for advice about your health and do yourself a favour.
Take a day off, head to the city to see a doctor, tell them what's wrong, and find out for sure what's causing your sleep problem.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, why take a chance.
There's lots of people here I'm betting that took a chance, hoping it would go away and wound up sick in bed or found they had really serious problems.
Reason I say this is because I had symptoms just like yours a number of times and usually found out too late or just in the knick of time, emergency surgery for appendix about to explode, pneumonia 4 times, anemia, four months in the hospital nearly dead from cancer, the odds were one in five that I would survive.

Don't be a #####, go get checked out!
Don't be scared of the doctor, worst case scenario is they draw some blood, maybe you get a finger shoved up your butt, no big deal!

 

The word we are looking for is Narcolepsy. (Day time sleepy) which is a valid medical chronic condition.

That's one of the issues that is a problem. You wont believe how much sleep it takes some days to get together.

 

My family doctor runs about 160 a visit billing. That's just for 20 minutes talk time. Anything else he is doing adds more.

What you care about is deductable on your insurance. For example my medicare is 1350 per year, after I meet that or incur that much, anything else i do is free. (Such as the surgery, which is running appoximately 60K and counting this year)

My pain doctor is 250 billed, drug tests range from 150 to 800 billed and CBD is 125 to 150 cash for those who hold a pot card for medical here.

 

What wakes you up? Cold feet? Shoulders or back pain? Snoring?

I have a hard time sleeping without white noise. If I do not have a reefer, fan, or pure static generating white noise, I have a hard time sleeping.

Yawning a bit when you first wake up is normal. After a few minutes you should stop.

If you do not, you need to get a sleep apnea test done. Based on what you have said so far, it seems very possible that you may have sleep apnea.

People have mentioned narcolepsy. I was under the impression that the condition resulted in sudden sleep with no warning.

Low iron count is possible.

Sickle Cell Anemia is possible, if you have the right bloodlines.

Lots of young people need an enormous amount of sleep in their teens and early twenties.

Cancer is an ugly possibility, but it is a real possibility.

Then again, you might just need a couple extra pillows, or a new mattress.

 

20-30 minute nap. Repeat as needed.

Sometimes the naps don't work.
Time to shut it down.

Dispatch might be a bit butthurt when you tell them, but trust me, they'll get over it.

 

Narcolepsy is a fun condition, I have that developed it sometime in the 40's Doctor thinks it was the sheer stress of my work. The mind just switches off. Asleep you go.

I remember a video on tube somewhere where a logger with his saw has that condition and he snoozed on the limb while the boss and crew was yelling at him to get back to work. Probably has a good sleep.

 

I am always late to the party but don't be giving people ideas thinking drunk driving is safer I know of people will accept that challenge and somehow I am related to those people. That all said if you need the advice to stay awake don't drive. No one wants to be near you if this is happening especially the poor ####### stuck next to you my luck it will be me.