With the speed at which life seem to go by in today’s society, it can feel impossible to catch up on all the sleep you end up having to miss out on. Between your job, your family, your friends, and trying to find time for your hobbies on top of it all, there never seem to be enough hours in the day. This is especially true if you have more than one job or are a caregiver to someone who cannot be independent for one reason or another. Add anything that keeps you up at night such as stress, and it may seem incredible that you get any sleep at all. When sleep deprivation starts catching up to you, it can be difficult to keep your eyes open. Sometimes, all you want to do is take a short nap. While this is often fine if you’re home, you aren’t always somewhere that you can do this. For example, sometimes you’re behind the wheel when this hits.
If you feel yourself starting to get drowsy while you’re driving, the best thing you can do is pull over somewhere safe and take a short nap. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a possibility. It is always important try and get a good night’s sleep, but if you don’t get that for whatever reason, you should do what you can to make sure you either stay awake or get a ride with someone else. Things like coffee and energy drinks can be helpful, but they may not be enough. You can always try turning the temperature down in your car to make sure you don’t get too cozy or you can turn the radio volume up so that you have something else to focus on besides the quiet hum of the engine.
If you don’t know if you’re going to be able to stay awake, there are other options. You can call a friend for a ride, or even get a ride share. Sleep deprivation is one of the most difficult things to fight, so if you feel like you might lose the battle, make sure you don’t get behind the wheel.
If you were in a car crash because someone fell asleep while driving, give Wirth Chiropractic a call. We know how frightening and painful these events can be, but we can help you out. Make an appointment today and see how much better you can feel today!
