[rhudeboye]

A good friend of mine just totaled his car (he was not hurt). Fell asleep behind the wheel while driving home from work after working till 7:00PM. Guard rail saved him from going completely off the road but did an unbelievable amount of damage to his car.



I know that feeling all too well. You pull a long day at work and all you can think about is getting through your front door and much like him, I’m not prone to pull over and rest. Even when my eyes start feeling heavy, I typically just crack a window and at times, I actually speed up <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . I find that my mind becomes more involved/alert when I'm passing other cars. Now I'm thinking of changing my habits. Not one to pull over and sleep alongside the road but perhaps 20 minutes in front of a 7-11 or something.



I'm curious - Do you guys pull over and nap when you’re tired? I don't think I know anyone who actually does this.

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[flash]

my father used to do this to us all the time - i inherited this trait - nothing helps - i can be screaming at myself until i am hoarse, windows down, AC on full blast, and still be out cold - i remember way too many times that i would nod off in one town and wake up in another - i had a couple of close calls when i was young



i pull over now - 15 minutes is all i need for another 2 hours of driving ability

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[rhudeboye]

Funny you would mention that. i also can recall waking up driving dead center in my lane and wondering how i got to where I was.



I caught myself fading to black a couple of times when i use to commute from Baltimore to DC. it was an hour of the B/W parkway. This road is very straight, hilly but straight. The steady rhythm of dotted lines has a way of hypnotizing you. Every now and then i would see a car over in the woods. no skid marks, no other vehicles. That always wakes me right up.



I have never pulled over for a power nap.

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[968rz]

I've had it happen on long drives back from the north woods when I was younger; now if I get REAL tired I will pull over and rest unless she who must be happy is with then I switch spots with her.

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[Rap]

Cats have 9 lives, we don't. If one buys into the concept that you get smarter as you get older, short naps or trade drivers.

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[ebarone968]

I remember two occasions when I fell asleep. The first was on the garden state parkway ( high school days) I was in the car with a group of guys. We all fell asleep and woke up while driving up the center divider. We rode it for a bit sideways and came down safely. Scared the crap out of us. Another time I was a passenger coming down 97 through PA woke up in a spin. We rode that one out too. I have not slept in a car since. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> These days I usually hit one of the many dunkin donuts for a break or let someone else drive for awhile.........

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[flash]

my problem is that as a baby, when i wouldn't go to sleep, my parents would take me for a ride in the car - that trained response still affects me - i never slept better than when i was on tour and in my bus bunk - it took me months to be able to sleep in a regular bed again

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[JWahlsten]

This is a biggie for a lot of reasons. I almost lost my ex-father in law to falling asleep at the wheel, and know of quite a bit of research done on the subject from flying. They've done studies of pilots on long legs having "micro-sleeps" on final approach after a long day (tell me that wouldn't ruin your day having your pilot asleep on landing). One very good reason to limit your "crew duty" day, and catch a nap when needed. I read a study where they kept some fliers alert for a couple of days by doing power naps of 30 minutes or less for period of over 48 hours. If you get into deep sleep you're toast, but catching a quick 20-30 minutes will keep you alert for another couple hours. Needless to say, we operate under fatigue constantly in military aviation, so this is a topic we discuss often.



I will now catch a quick nap if needed, or at least pull off stretch the legs and some fresh air every couple of hours. I'm not interested in departing the prepared surface at 70+mph...

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[rxter]

I fell asleep once but was completely conscious - sounds weird I know. I was fully alert but could not move my arms or legs. snapped myself awake, pulled off the interstate and scared the crap out of me and everyone in the van. Had been driving pretty much continuously for about 24 hours. 30 minutes of brain shut down and I was good for another 10 hours.



I've noticed that its my eyes that get really fatigued after long stints. Allowing your brain to shut down for 10 or 20 minutes allows those nerves and chemicals to rebalance I think. I was a half-assed biochemist a long time ago so my theory makes sense to me, but who knows really?

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[rhudeboye]

Sounds like micro sleep. The body is an amazing creation. When your body is in desperate need of rest but you deprive it, it does what it can to replenish energy.



"Micro sleep is when someone who is sleep deprived falls asleep for, on average, 3-10 seconds. When they awake, they return to full awareness. Most experience confusion, misperception, and irritability. The persons experiencing micro sleep are not usually aware of what happened after the experience.



[media]http://download.jw.org/files/media_magazines/g_E_201101_12.mp3[/media]

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[ds968]

Happened twice or three times when I drove from Ohio to California, many , many years ago.. the fact that it was in a quiet, soft riding Buick did not help matters, nor did the numerous miles of driving late in the evening with no lights in sight or any other things to attract your attention.. the realization when you wake up is the scariest experience I can recall.

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[rxter]

Thank you Dr. Rhude. I feel mucho educated now... ready to go sit for the California boards

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[Scott Collins]

I remember going left of center about half a dozen times in the last 30 minutes of a nonstop run from Philly to Myrtle Beach, solo. Micro sleeps, waking up with a start, right on top of the double yellow, head snapping back, the whole deal. There was no reason for it, I was just young and stubborn, trying to get to the hotel with my golf clubs. Because it was about 3am, no one else was out, but I could have gotten someone seriously hurt. Now I'm older and stubborn, but would definately pull over, or just not do the same ridiculous non-stop drive solo.



Lot's of great musicians have been lost from falling asleep at the wheel, driving from gig to gig and town to town. Sad.



Rhude - thanks for adding that article. Now I know how to get some more of those "T-cells".

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='rxter' timestamp='1296672067' post='104503']

Thank you Dr. Rhude. I feel mucho educated now... ready to go sit for the California boards

[/quote]



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Talked with my buddy again. Shared the micro sleep thing with him and he agrees. He has felt that way many of nights. This time it caught up with him.

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[Chris Vais]

Haven't managed to doze off at the wheel, but I did doze of at the "stick" at the end of a long mission. aircraft on autopilot, dusk outside the cockpit, just flying a racetrack pattern waiting for clearance to land. Woke up when the doppler navigation system banked the aircraft into a turn at the end of the leg. Scared the crap out of me for an instant until I scanned the instruments and realized what was going on. The RIO in the rear seat had no clue. Not cool at all. After that my solution was to turn down the cockpit heat.

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='Chris Vais' timestamp='1296844452' post='104604']

Woke up when the doppler navigation system banked the aircraft into a turn at the end of the leg.

[/quote]



Are you saying that someone else remotely took control of the plane?

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[rxter]

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Lr8WXP9PItk

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[rhudeboye]

Youtube is blocked here where I work. Ill check it out when i get home.

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[968Syncro]

I had some experience like that, perhaps what is called above as a "micro sleep". Some years ago I was on a long drive, suddenly I noticed that I popped "awake" and had no idea what happened during the last few seconds. This was not the zoning-out, daydreaming experience, this was some kind of loss of consciousness. Nothing happened, car was still going straight. Scared the crap out of me, has never happened again; I think the experience is now etched in my memory and somehow I am now more aware of it's potential.

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[Chris Vais]

"Are you saying that someone else remotely took control of the plane?"



A doppler navigation system permits the pilot to program in his route including each waypoint where you have a change in the course direction to your destination . In the situation I described, we reached a waypoint and the doppler nav which was coupled to the autopilot made a course adjustmnent which put the aircraft into a starboard bank to the new compass heading. It was the tipping sensation as the aircraft drop it's starboard wing into the bank that got my attention.



When you are in a holding pattern, you fly what is called a racetrack pattern, two long legs and two short legs with a 90 degree course change at the end of each leg.

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