words of advice:
1. cold flowing air
2. music you like that can be played loud. Sing along with it, dance with it, whatever
3. coffee grounds are GREAT, but DO NOT USE INSTANT COFFEE. you gotta get the real stuff. instant coffee will dissolve and taste like 3 asses run over by a spoiled milk truck while sitting on a ton of dead carp. I use some flavored beans and just suck on them and try not to chew them.
4. sit upright. I don't know what car you have, but leaning and reclining will put you to sleep faster than anything i can think of
5. don't eat too much. Ever notice how sleepy you get after food...yeah, don't do that
6. 3 hrs and break are good. 4 if you're pushing it a bit.
7. play games on the road, try to memorize things, play the tags game, states game, whatever. you gotta keep thinking about something.
8. I don't think i'd condone the hardcore drugs or adderall would be on my list of things to try. some people love them, but it's not something i'd recommend. Also, do you really want to drive a car while on something that you are unfamiliar with. For all you know, it could make you very sleepy the instant it wears off. call me oldfashioned, but people have been staying up for years w/out them
9. mints or altoids. I don't know why, but they keep me awake, as does dark chocolate. i can have a triple shot espresso and go to sleep within an hour, but dark chocolate will haveme tossing and turning all night.
10. you're right about the dawn. I've found that if i don't go to bed by 5 am, my body will naturally perk up and i'll be awake till 10am or so.
11. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP if you feel like you're going to pass out. I've had 3 friends in accidents on both sides of this. 1 killed a young lady, 1 ended up plowing into a road sign and one ended up being killed when a car careened across th road bc the driver fell asleep. Don't be a statistic.