Drowsy Driving

Happy Monday, and welcome to Medical Mondays! I did a a rotation in Sleep Medicine at Stanford not too long ago (well fine, 3 months ago), so I figured I’d share some of the things I learned about drowsy driving!

Drowsy Driving

Drowsy driving and fall-asleep crashes are unfortunately somewhat common, and can often result in severe injuries and/or fatalities.

In a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, ~60% of drivers admit to driving while feeling sleepy, and about 40% have nodded off or fallen asleep while driving during the prior year.

Teenagers are the group at the highest risk for crashes related to drowsy driving–50-70% admit to drowsy driving within the past year, and 15% report doing so at least once per week. Other high-risk groups include:

• Those with obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders (e.g. narcolepsy)
• Night or rotating shift workers
• Medical house staff (oh great)
• Law enforcement officers
• Commercial drivers

Crash data from police reports and federal databases indicate that an average of 83,000 crahes occur annually due to drowsy driving, although this number is likely to be an underestimate, since it may not be identified if the driver is unaware of their sleepiness or unwilling to report this information, or if the driver was a victim of a fatal car crash.

Symptoms

• Difficulty focusing
• Frequent blinking
• Heavy eyelids
• Daydreaming
• Wandering/disconnected thoughts
• Difficulty remembering the last few miles driven (“automatic behavior”)
• Missing exits and street signs
• Frequent yawning
• Rubbing eyes
• Difficulty keeping head up
• Drifting from lane to lane
• Tailgating or hitting a shoulder
• Feeling restless and irritable

Prevention

The best countermeasure for drowsy driving is obtaining adequate sleep, since sleep debt can only be remedied by actual sleep. Sleep adequacy depends on both sufficient sleep duration for age and restorative sleep quality. You can find out the recommended sleep durations from the National Sleep Foundation (current as of 02/02/2015).

If you experience drowsiness while driving, pull off to the road to a safe area as soon as possible and sleep. Even a short 20-minute nap can help! Judicious use of caffeine may be beneficial, with small quantities taken over a longer period of time being more effective than a single large dose.

Exposure to cold air, eating, drinking, and turning on the radio have not been shown to be helpful.

Sources:

• Drowsy driving: Risks, evaluations, and management (UpToDate)
• National Sleep Foundation

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• Find out how you can improve your sleep hygiene!
• Do you ever drive while sleepy?

Disclaimer: This is where I reiterate that I am merely a medical student struggling through the world that is her clinical rotations. The statements made on this blog should not be taken as medical advice to treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please contact your own physician or health care provider before starting a health or fitness/wellness program. (See full disclaimer here.)