The monotony of long road trips can easily cause drowsiness. It’s the hum of the road that can put you to sleep. For safety reasons it’s imperative to stay awake at the wheel. If you start to doze, try using some of these techniques to stay awake during long road trips.
#1 Best Method: Caffeine
Drinking caffeine will help you stay awake while driving in a few ways. The first benefit is that caffeine is a short-term diuretic. This means it will make you want to go to the bathroom. Feeling uncomfortable is a benefit when trying to stay awake while driving and it will force you to make stops to go to the bathroom. Staying alive is worth the few minutes needed for the stops. Another unrealized benefit is the action of picking up the cup repeatedly. Did you know that caffeine will restrict blood flow to the stomach? This means it helps stop that full feeling after eating a meal. Drink a cup after dinner it will help.
WARNING: If you plan to drive for a long period of time (over four hours) you will need to periodically drink more caffeine during the entire trip. If you fail to do so, the fatigue will come back with a vengeance. Because of this fact we suggest you DO NOT DRINK CAFFEINE during trips over four hours.
The Top Five Energy Drinks To Keep You Awake While Driving As Listed By Ranker.com
- XS Energy
- Red Bull
- Monster
- Rockstar
- NOS
To see the full list click here.
Stop and walk around
Take full advantage of the rest stops and landmarks on your way to your destination. Getting up and walking will help keep your body energized when you sit back down, just like recess and gym classes are designed to help elementary kids refocus. If you find yourself losing focus at the office, this technique could work as well.
Don’t Get Cozy – Turn down the temperature
Feeling warm and cozy can create a false need for sleep. But, have you ever tried to sleep when you were cold? By turning down the temperature in the car by a few degrees, you can shock your senses a bit and wake your whole body up. If your really tired the colder the better. Also consider rolling down the windows. The wind noise will help..
Foods To Consider
- Iceberg lettuce (especially towards the stem) helps keep you awake. Read more here.
- Apple – Biting and chewing the apple is what keeps you awake not the fruit itself. Carrots are also good.
- Dehydration can cause fatigue drink water.
- Celery which is high in magnesium helps.
Foods To Avoid
- potatoes or other starchy vegetables
- pancakes or waffles. Keep the fat content low.
- pizza, bacon or steak
- No cheese, cream, or milk with fat.
- ice cream, cake or pie.
Practice Your Karoke
Time seems to go faster when you are having fun. So, feel free to crank up the tunes a bit, bounce in your seat (keep it low enough that you can still hear traffic), and belt out your favorite song. The more upbeat the song, the better.
Do you have methods or food that you eat to help you stay awake while driving? Reply below and let our readers know.
