How To Avoid Drowsiness During Night Drives

We are already into winters and most of us are already feeling sleepy the whole day! Well, jokes apart, drowsiness while driving is really common on long trips or maybe on short trips too. Consider a situation where you had a hectic day at work and you are driving back home. There are certain driving strategies that can help you avoid drowsiness during night drives. In today’s featured, we take you through certain practices that you can follow to avoid drowsiness during night drives. Needless to say, feeling sleepy while driving can be harmful to a large extent!

1. Don’t drive alone
   

   

   You might be a person who likes to travel solo. But usually, you shouldn’t drive alone on long trips or during night hours. There is a high probability of you falling asleep if you are driving alone. Night drives (especially long ones) can be really boring if you decide to travel solo. The simplest thing you can do to avoid drowsiness during night drives is to get a companion. Be with someone while you are on the trip and you will not feel drowsy at all.

2. Take Turns
   

   

   If you are travelling a long distance at night with someone, make sure you take turns. If you decide to drive the whole stretch single-handedly, you will definitely drain your energy and will feel sleepy anyhow! It’s better to take turns while you drive your way to the destination.

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3. Avoid Alcohol
   

   

   Well, this one is not only for the night trips. First of all, driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal. Secondly, if you drink and drive, your reactions become slow and you tend to fall asleep very easily. Be in your senses while you set out on a trip especially during the night hours. Due to the decreased visibility at night, you should try to avoid the most obvious substance that can land you in danger.

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4. Get enough sleep
   

   

   Well, this is a general driving tip. You are more prone to nod off at the wheel if you haven’t got enough sleep in the last night. Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep to avoid any kind of drowsiness while driving the next day or the next evening.

5. A little caffeine can help!
   

   

   If you were not able to get enough sleep last night or are feeling sleepy due to any other reason while on a trip or a night drive, another simple way out is grabbing a cup of coffee. Caffeine can help you overcome any drowsiness that you might be facing while driving. Therefore, one of the best ways to avoid drowsiness during night drives is to grab your part of caffeine before you set out.

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6. Pull Over
   

   

   If you are feeling sleepy and haven’t got any other option, the best thing you can do is to pull over and take a short nap. Just make sure you lock your car well and are secure inside. Also, if you are on a ling trip and are sure of the fact that you won’t reach your destination by the end of the night anyhow, you should find a place to stay and hold on till you see the sun. Driving at night while you are already feeling sleepy is of no good.

7. Beware of the signs
   

   

   Well, you just don’t need to get to the extreme situation. It’s better to avoid drowsiness during night drives using any of the tips above. Parallel to that, you should always be careful and vigilant about all the warning signs that you might get regarding your sleepy behaviour while driving. Wondering what signs we are talking about? Read on! You may be about to doze off if :

   1. You yawn repeatedly
   2. You don’t remember the last few km you have driven
   3. You are facing difficulty in focussing or keeping your eyes open
   4. You are missing road signs or turns
   5. You are ending up too close with other cars

These were the tips that you can follow to avoid drowsiness while night drives. Do let us know in the comments section below if you found this article useful.