How do you stay awake (long drive)?

How do you keep yourself awake and alert on long solo drives?

I play CD's and sing like a fool, drink Coke or Dr. Pepper, stop often at McDonalds for more pop and a walk and the bathroom (highway rest stops make me nervous when I'm driving alone) and sometimes *gasp* call someone on my cell and ask them to talk to me. I use a head-set, both hands on the wheel.

I do NOT use cruise control!

Oh, and I drive with the window open. That might give me lower gas mileage, but it's worth it to keep me awake.

I think it's easier to stay awake on a bike ride...

I used to suck on fireball jawbreakers. Depending on the drive, though, you could go through quite a few of them, and that's a lotta sugar on the teeth. I've since switched to sugarless bubblegum. Blowing and popping bubbles definitely will definitely help to keep you alert, especially if you pop the bubbles real loud ;)

I don't do long drives much, but I actually will alternate between cruise control and not most of the time. When I'm on cruise control I "dance" to the music and wiggle my feet around a lot (works better in some cars than others!!) and that definitely keeps me awake (and avoids putting my legs to sleep, and saves on gas). Then I'll get bored for a while and turn off the cruise control a bit.

Once I had two more hours to drive and the sun was going down and I was not feeling my best, I had a Red Bull drink (heavily caffeinated but interesting taste), a roll of gummy Sweetarts (happiness!) and cranked up the disco music. Boy those were two happy hours!!!

Every hour or so I get out of the car and jump up and down. When my kids were little, we played tag.

otherwise (clunk) I fall asleep!

Eat munchies. Listen to Podcasts or books on CD.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

How do you keep yourself awake and alert on long solo drives?

I play CD's and sing like a fool, drink Coke or Dr. Pepper, stop often at McDonalds for more pop and a walk and the bathroom (highway rest stops make me nervous when I'm driving alone) and sometimes *gasp* call someone on my cell and ask them to talk to me. I use a head-set, both hands on the wheel.

I do NOT use cruise control!

Oh, and I drive with the window open. That might give me lower gas mileage, but it's worth it to keep me awake.

I think it's easier to stay awake on a bike ride...

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Did ya do my cards this morning or do you have a crystal ball too? Exactly what I did this morning on the way to my ride in DE. Except the McD's. Blech.
Yep, sang like a fool the whole way and drank a Pepper. Funny, I only started drinking those recently. Never liked them as a kid. I really wanted an A&W, but they only had diet. I was about to put the top down just to get enough air. Whew! Seriously sleepy for a while until I got my second wind.

Put the air con on cold and blast it into my face in the summer

OR

Put the heater on (to my feet) and open the window so the cold air blasts my face

Eat dark chocolate... drink "V" (high caffiene energy drink)... play hard rock - loud

1. stop for a hot big cup of java (caffeine)
2. Roll window down for air to smack me in face.

If neither of these work, I have been known to smack my checks.... no pain no gain, right?

I revisit Marilyn Manson or Punk (Anyone remember Bad Religion?) and sing/shout/growl with it,
Pretend I'm racing...
drink redbull so I have to pee, then I'm *very* awake looking for rest stops
think about what I'll say when I get there (very time consuming and exciting/scary)

I used to do a 3 hr drive every weekend to see DGF when we were first seeing each other. I tell ya, 6pm after work was always way easier than 6am before work.

Have fun on your trip. :D

Do all the above and if you get really tired pull over somewhere (very safe) and rest. Better late then get in a crash of some sort.

Drive safely. :D

Learned from another rider: hold my breath for about a minute a few times. I don't usually get tired, though; I make up really stupid movies in my head, or write songs or decide what I'm going to do with my life :)

I am the worst person to go on long trips with, or so I have been told. :rolleyes: DH drives and I am usually asleep within 5 minutes of highway driving. The motion of a car puts me right to sleep.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

I revisit Marilyn Manson

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Mini drift: When my best friend found out I had Marilyn Manson cd's she said "Does your mother know!?!?" I was in my 40's at the time...:rolleyes:

Back on topic: Knot - I usually have to stop somewhere for coffee and walk around a bit on long drives. Otherwise I get too sleepy.

I get hypnotized by the road really easily. I fell asleep in the middle of the day - with the cruise control on 70mph - driving home from vermont. That was super scary but obviously it wasn't "my time". I bumped around in the grassy median which woke me up fast! There were no other cars on the road in either direction so I didn't hit anything drifting into the median or panicking and flying back out of the median and crossing all of the lanes to get to the right.

Unfortunately, talking on the cell phone -hands free - is the only thing that keeps me truly awake.

I try not to have to drive more than 2 hours. After 2 hours I'm going to be in trouble.

I blast the music and sing along. And I drink lots of water, then stop for a pee. And I munch sour patch kids, or candy crack as BF and I came to call it. Once we started eating them on one of our road trips we just couldn't stop. And all that sugar made us both way too hyper.

I go with cold air in the face and sometimes sing (but only when alone). Just got back after a 3 hour drive home from Vermont. I'd much rather do the drive in the morning than late at night. So I'll often spend a night somewhere rather than drive late at night. I've never fallen asleep driving, and I don't use caffeine. But I once fell asleep on my bike. I did not crash but woke up to find that I was heading straight for a concrete bench.

Deb, you fell asleep on your BIKE? Wow, you are talented!

Good thing you woke up before the bench!

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Deb, you fell asleep on your BIKE? Wow, you are talented!

Good thing you woke up before the bench!

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I was 22 and madly writing up my undergrad thesis under deadline. The 3rd night in a row leaving my office at midnight was too much. The bench was only 200 yds from where I got on my bike, so the nap was very brief.

uk elephant - Mmmm... sour patch kids. They are the perfect movie snack with popcorn.

Deb - ohmygosh! On the bike? What kind of saddle are you using cuz I'd never be able to sleep sitting on the one I've got right now.

I don't drink coffee although on long drives I sometimes wish I did. A coke and snickers bar are always a good jolt.

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Originally Posted by Xrayted

Deb - ohmygosh! On the bike? What kind of saddle are you using cuz I'd never be able to sleep sitting on the one I've got right now.

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Well, maybe that's the ultimate test for bike fit and comfort. :D I think it was an Avocet W-II saddle (which I don't use any more). Actually, I doubt the saddle was a factor, just my mental state, and maybe my general comfort with being on a bike. In truth, I was probably asleep on the bike no more than 30 seconds. If it had been 40 seconds, I would have woken up by landing on my head on the far side of the concrete bench, or maybe I would have slept quite a bit longer and woken up in the hospital. I was lucky that time.

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Originally Posted by DebW

Well, maybe that's the ultimate test for bike fit and comfort. :D I think it was an Avocet W-II saddle (which I don't use any more). Actually, I doubt the saddle was a factor, just my mental state, and maybe my general comfort with being on a bike. In truth, I was probably asleep on the bike no more than 30 seconds. If it had been 40 seconds, I would have woken up by landing on my head on the far side of the concrete bench, or maybe I would have slept quite a bit longer and woken up in the hospital. I was lucky that time.

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In the "old days", when I had to take my turn on 3rd shift, I was just a zombie. I'd get home and think "Do I remember driving home?" Or I'd be in the parking lot in the morning warming the car up to go home and wake up about an hour later. Never fell asleep on the road only due to luck.
This last time in school (for radiology), I burned the candle at both ends. Trying to be a good employee until the end (we regularly worked 65+ hr weeks) and striving to be a good student so I could qualify for clinicals my first attempt. (needed a 3.85+ GPA just to get an interview) Then it was school, work and clinicals all at once. I was very glad to take a severence package last May and have a rest. But, 3 months later, there I was working PT for one of my sponsoring hospitals so I was back to 14hr days + study time. :(
Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I feel it was all worth it. I like being home more and having time for those I love. I'd rather make less and be happy so here I am. Still working on the happy part, tho. Think I'll go eat some Wilbur Buds, my favorite chocolate. (local made) Hey! Bonus! They're a good snack for on the road too! :D