Tips to stay awake and alert for extended periods of time?
 

Ok, the background:

My internship in Kansas City ends friday August 11... My families vacation in a beach out on VA beach begins August 12. Therefore, when I get finished with my last day (probably around 1 or 2 in the afternoon for the last day), I will be packing, and heading out to Va Beach.

It's an 18-20hr drive. I intend to do it all in one shot, so that I'm not arriving there after everyone is already in bed that saturday... ie, with no way into the house, and so I can maximize my time there.

Irresponsibility aside, any tips for staying awake during that drive?

My plans thus far include getting copious amounts of sleep for the three or four nights prior. Also, I'm thinking maybe I'll go buy a book on CD, giving me something other than just music to focus on during the drive. Lastly, stopping to get out of the car, and walk around for a few minutes every couple hours, just to keep the blood flowing.

I don't really think I'm going to have too many problems, just looking for any suggestions.

OK, setting aside that lecture :D , I'd say pack before the day you are leaving? You aren't talking about an 18 hour day here, more like 27 including waking up and going to work.

(I'm glad I won't be on any of the roads you will be on.)

No opportunities for trains, buses, planes, something where you aren't driving?

Well... In the long run, I need my car. I'm driving to Virginia, and then when that weeks over, I'm driving back to New York when I live and go to school.

And yea, I intend everything to be packed before I go to work that last day. So All I'll have to do is load a few things into the car before I leave. In an effort to minimize the time awake, because you're right... It's going to be a long stretch.

I've driven through the night before on some long trips (although not that long). And this wont be the first time I've been up for over a day, but...

In my expirience, dawn helps. Your body being programmed to wake up with the new day.

(As far as irresponsibility goes, I'd really like to do it all in one shot... However, if it starts getting rough, I don't have a problem getting a room somewhere. I intend that to be the backup plan though. Btw... How late to hotels generally allow check in?)

One word: caffeine. It does a body good. Don't overdose, though, or you'll end up puking it back up. As I once said...

As late as you want to get there most of the time.

But if you really just wanted to catch a few hours of sleep, I was never hesitant to pull off and take a nap at a rest stop. Just crack your windows, and lock your doors.

Plus, I hear that rest stops are the new bath houses, so ya never know! :thumbsup:

I can think of 2 tips not mentioned above:

1. Drive on the Interstate or roads that go through major cites. With more bright lights and traffic, there is more to look at at night rather than empty darkness for miles on end.

2. Drive with the passanger window down. The flow of fresh air and coolness on your body will help keep you from getting drowsy.

I have done some long overnights myself, including an Orlando to Boston straight shot (28 hours). Taking breaks every 3 hours or so is smart. You can fill up you gas tank during these breaks so it's not like a wasted break just for rest. Listening to talk radio is preferable to me over music, so the book on tape might be a good idea.

1. Take caffine pills. HOWEVER, they do not slowly wear off... they just stop working suddenly so be prepared.

2. Drive with windows down (already stated)

3. Tobasco. Yeah, take a bottle of tobasco with you. Whenever you get tired put a spot on your tongue. Soldiers in the field use this trick while standing watch.

4. Use coffee powder as chaw. Yep, another soldier trick. You dont need to stop for hot water all the time, and you get a must stronger caffine rush. Just take a pinch and put it between your lips and teeth.

If you are driving I say don't push it. When I was a teen I fell asleep at the wheel going down I-5. I woke up in the grassy area in the middle, 50 feet from a overpass column. Nobody was hurt and my car was fine, but I got lucky.

If you are driving don't push it, I must say it agian. I did it all; coffee, windows down, and radio blasting. Your body will ignore all of that if it's that tired.

Haha I will keep that in mind. If I were to check in at a hotel, 4 hours is about the longest I was going to want to stay, so rest stops it is.

Thanks for all the advice. As much as I shudder to think about sucking on coffee grounds, I doubt that I won't at least give it a try. Caffeine without the sugar (Soda) is a good plus there.

Should be all interstates until I get into Virginia beach, and it should be around noon or later by then, so. I think we can't get in the house until like 3 (or when my uncle who is the actual renter shows up, whichever is later) so I may be taking a nap in the driveway to the house. But I'd rather waste those few hours at the end of my trip, than hang around in KC making them three hours more without sleep that I'll be driving.

there are some rest stops, especially the bigger ones, where you can grab a shower- or even a place to wash your face.. sometimes the cold water just perks you yp...

there's this contraption that you can get - that goes behind your ear - that zings you when youstart to drift off to sleep.. you might want to consider one...

Every few hours, stop the car, and do afew laps around the car, stretch your legs, go for a walk, pee if ya gotta.. but keep yourself active...\

It's a long drive,. make sure you have a fully charged up cell phone with you, AAA numbers if you are a member, i'd even get a membership just in case,. make sure your spare is in good working order and you have a jack and know how to use it. Have some extra water in the car for the radiator just in case... (it'll be hot, you never know) and don't pick up any hitchhikers- even if she's hot looking, those are usually the homicidal ones :D

Chocolate-covered espresso beans might be just the thing for you, in that case. Very tasty, very loaded.

Instead of the coffee grounds go straight to the source, buy some nice coffee beans. They taste much better. Or even buy some of those beans with the chocolate on them that are meant to be eaten that way.

Edit: Redlemon beat me to it by a minute.

Ok I'm going to be really upfront here. To me, that is along the same lines as asking how to pretend to be sober when you are driving drunk.
If your driving is going to be impaired in any way, then it is best NOT to drive on the roads. Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but also many other people driving on the high way.
Please don't put yourself and other people in that position.

Red Bull -- acts similarly to high doses of Caffiene, but it's the Tuarine. Taurine's prinmary role is an anti-fatigue agent, and although you'll feel the up's and down's of the caffiene as you always would, Red Bull has (in my experience) greatly lessened the low. During school I was doing 18-20 hour days for almost a month straight, and I found the easiest thing to adjust was posture. If I felt it drooping, changing my posture to a less comfortable position actually helped keep my mind uncomfortably awake. I've got contacts, so eye drops were a must -- but they'll probably help you even if you don't have any.

And whatever you do, have some sort of random noise generation device. Some sound that you've never heard before in your life -- like a few random CDs that you just bought or borrowed. Shitty jazz or some random reggae. When you get tired, the songs you've heard will be melodic and soothing, something you DON'T want when you're sleepy. When you've got something laughably ridiculous and new in, your brain is more intent on listening to the new lyrics (or beats).

That's my experience, anywho. Take it how you will.

Book on tape is probably a bad idea. Can you imagine how easy it would be to drift away while someone just talks to you? Use loud, arresting music. Maybe about halfway through, pull over and take a 30 minute nap. You'd not lose that much time, but it's amazing how much you can get out of a 30 minute nap. Just make sure you set an alarm to wake you back up. lol

Also, bring lots of energy drinks. Vault, red bull, stuff like that. Also try to have a good meal (but don't stuff yourself) with a good amount of carbs in it. Maybe pasta or something. It will help you by burning energy for a while and keeping your sugar nice and high, then you'll have to supplement with other quick energy sources, like the energy drinks.

Bottom line is, if your head is nodding and nothing is working to immediately correct it, you need to man up and pull over before you hurt yourself and/or others. It does you even less good to not get there at all than if you get there later than planned.

Nag mode:
NJ I know is one, but other states have it on the books as well... Driving While Drowsy is against the law... and the fines are pretty intense (NJ it's up there with drunk driving... and if you hurt someone it can be up to 10 years in jail)

I think it was McGruff the crime dog who said - Don't do the crime if you can't do the time... Really watch yourself and know your limits - don't hammer down copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake - your family owuld much prefer you arrived alive.. later...

Concerns are understood, and appreciated. I'll man up to it, if I think I'm becomming dangerous on the road, and get some sleep. I'm not that concerned with time where I would kill myself or someone for a few hours. If I don't leave that friday night though, it's an entire day later when I'd plan to get there, so this is what I'm going to do.

pornclerk. Like I said, appreciated. But I'm pretty good with controlling my when and how with sleep. You don't pull regular all nighters without learning something at school. Driving is a little differant story, but none the less.

I just want to point out though, that probably half the time any given driver is on the road, something is impairing their ability. Pissed about work, worn out from work, pissed about something else. Thinking about something you're anticipating rather than driving, etc etc, the list goes on. I'm comfortable with my ability to make this trip, without said aids (caffiene).

But... The little things like a window open, random music, are good on any long trip, wether I'm super tired or not. The caffiene and energy drinks... Just to give me a little more of an edge.

By the way... Haha, my mother is aware of when and how I'm making this trip (oddly enough, my parents aren't going to be on this vacation, but the rest of my family is close). So every argument someone could give me on why to change my mind and not do this... I've heard. Three times.

I do thank you for the concern however.

I've done stuff like this before, a couple of times. Only once solo, though... drove from central PA to Madison, WI in 15+ hours, starting at 11pm (I tend to be more alert driving at night than during the day.)

I was doing fine through most of the night, with frequent calls to people to keep me awake (not to mention the MASSIVE thunder/rainstorm that pounded my car for half of the ride)... but right around dawn, I started to crash. I had to pull over at a rest stop and nap for 1/2 hour or so before starting again, and was fine after that and a cup of coffee.

I will say that as far as staying alert, I've found that music choices influence me a great deal. I HAVE to play music that I know all the words to and can sing along with... that's what keeps my brain engaged and awake. If I am listening to unfamiliar radio music, or something really slow/depressing (e.g. Radiohead is a NO NO), I get sleepy immediately. So I recommend getting a lot of music that you can engage with somehow, and not be passive with... otherwise it will put you to sleep. Just my advice. :)

Okay, you know better. A couple of hints:

* If you need to pull over, try Walmart parking lots. They invite RVs to stay over, if local laws allow. Park next to an RV, and security will think you're with them. It's safe, and when you need something to eat you can wander inside.

* Ginkgo Biloba tablets. They're supposed to up your intelligence; they don't. But they _do_ dilate the arteries in your brain so that more oxygen gets in. Late at night, that means you don't get drowsy. Used to use them to study late; generally I can't do real work past 9. With the ginkgo, I could go past one. And I'm an old guy.

The upside: when you do need to sleep, you can fall asleep easily. Take a lot, though: 5-6 thousand milligram capsules a pop.

I did a 14-hour run from Las Vegas to the Bay Area in one shot; didn't start out 'till noon. Actually blacked out during the last part of the drive and "sleep drove" for 25 miles. Scary. Never again.

Have someone (or some people) call you on your cell phone every 2 hours for a conversation. I've driven almost non-stop from San Jose, CA to Miami, FL in an emergency using this strategy. Bring a decent car charger and a head set. Also, consider that you do need sleep. Either you sleep durring the trip or you sleep right after..one of those options is much safer, the other allows you to sleep near your loved ones.

Keep a cooler with ice cubes. Alternate coffee with ice cubes. I think the books on tape will help. I have had good luck using the books on tape. It helps to have a really good book that you haven't read before. Try "A Dangerous Fortune" by Ken Follet. Very hard to fall asleep with that one.

Sing at the top of your lungs. It's worked for me in the past.

Sunflower seeds.

The act of turning your head to spit them out the window, or spitting them into a cup will keep you awake.

That being said... 20 minute naps on the side of the road every 6 - 8 hours will do wonders as well.

Pulling over and jogging around the car 5 or 6 times is also good. Just make sure you take your keys with you... GRIN

I regularly take 10 hour drives from Alberta to Saskatchewan (where God knows there isn't a lot of scenery) after finishing an 8 hour work day. While I will take a quick nap if I have to, the sunflower seeds and jogs around the car do wonders. I tend not to drink anything if I don't have to, because I hate having to stop to pee... GRIN

The last major drive I completed was Lafayette, Indiana to Denver, for a distance of about 1,100 miles. I started at 10:45pm. Around 5:30am or so I pulled over at a rest stop just east of Des Moines. I used the usual tricks to keep going that long: sugary/caffeinated pop, high-carb food like pizza/tacos/candy/etc, loud music on the radio (when there was any), opened windows, occasional minor adjustments to posture. Got about 3 hours of sleep the way they said: crack the windows, lock the doors, and pass out. Then I finished the journey the next day at around 6:30pm. I tell you, I-80 between Lincoln and Oglalla and then Oglalla and Denver is a 450-mile neverending sea of nothing but farms. Took a lot of mental concentration to make it through that. I did it all solo too. Total time, not including the nap, was 19 hours, 45 minutes.

Basically, don't kill yourself trying to stay awake. Stay awake as long as you can, then push yourself a bit further with a booster of caffeine and sugar etc., but once you burn that out, it's time to pull over. You have to rest at some point, you may as well do it then. Hotels are a waste of money for trips like this.

Not to harp on this issue, but studies have proven that you don't KNOW when you're becoming dangerous. you don't know when you're falling asleep until you wake up while you're drifting. So you have to be more proactive than that. When you feel yourself getting anywhere near tired enough to sleep, you shoudl pull over and take a 30 minute nap.

I don't know how I was the first to mention this, but amphetamines are a really good source of energy.
The initial shock (OMG hardcore drugs) will wear off when you realize that Adderall and Adderall-XR are a cocktail of 3-4 amphetamines. Not only will they provide you with energy and the ability to stay awake, but your concentration will skyrocket. You will drive for 3 hours and feel like it was only 20 minutes.

Find a friend that has a prescription (everyone nowadays should know at least one) and ask to borrow 1 or 2. The XR kind last 12 hours, so you could take two of them in 12 hour intervals.

That, and caffeine, and you'll be good to go.


Warning: Caffeine is a diuretic (promotes urine to the kidneys, i.e. dehydration) so if you load up on it you will have two side effects. First, is you will be dehydrated, which isn't bad for a car trip. Secondly, you will pee....a lot....very bad for a road trip. If you take the Adderall-XR pill just once, you'll be fine. Ask 50% of college students who don't have a prescription that use it to write term papers all night without blinking.

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.

Pornclerk was much nicer than I am going to be.

Fuck you for endangering others around you for your own selfish reasons. Driving while sleep deprived is just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Some studies actually say it's worse.

I think this is a good point to mention. I've done a couple of 40 hour stints at LAN parties, and something I noticed, was that while caffine kept me up, food keeps me far more alert and active. Caffine alone leaves me concious, but otherwise, a zombie. Of course, no way I'd try and drive for 40 hours.

Most of my tricks are HIGHLY annoying to my wife, so I don't get to try many of these when she's riding with me. However, if you're going to be driving alone, feel free....

1) M&M's - eat them ONE at a time and DO NOT chew. Allow the whole thing to completely dissolve. Then, wait 1 minute (watch the car clock) before popping in the next one. If it's a peanut M&M, then you may chew the peanut before proceeding. By the way, I've discovered that if I eat a lot of food while driving, I get drowsy afterwards, so that's why I try to make the M&M's last as long as possible.

2) Regulate the sips of your beverage to one sip every 5 minutes. Again, you have to watch the clock on this one. It's amazing how much time will pass before you even realize it.

3) Tickle your own bare feet. The bottoms of your feet are pretty sensitive and this keeps you alert.

4) Your face is also sensitive too. Therefore, pull the hair on your sideburns, mustache, beard, etc. Pinch your own cheeks, nose, ears, etc.

5) Play a harmonica along with the radio. Even if it's not even close to being in tune, it's still fun.

6) Plan how you would spend The Lottery.

7) Books on tape/CD work pretty well for me. Now, however, I have SIRIUS radio thanks to Grancey, and I can make those 198 stations last a loooooooong time.

Ummm... How do you play the harmonica while driving? do you put it in cruise control and drive with your feet? :D

Off topic - this made me laugh.. between the things other people do that annoy you - and the thigns you do that annoy Grancey... the two of you must be a real trip to hang out with... :D

You just need one hand and a mouth. If traffic gets tight, you can leave the harmonica in your mouth and just breathe in and out.

We definitely keep folks around us laughing, that's for sure.

If she's in the car, I get her to play NAME THAT TUNE on the SIRIUS radio. She can't look at the display, and she has to name the song and artist as I move upward one station at a time. When she's bored with that, she'll start saying "Are we there yet?" repeatedly and telling me about all the things that ALMOST just hit us.

Umm.. Thanks. I guess what I really meant by "Irresponsibility aside" was this:

If you dont have a suggestion pertaining to the actual nature of my question, shut the fuck up and hit the back button.

BUUUT, thanks for all the rest of the suggestions guys! I need to buy a harmonica....

For those of you that said loud music... I'm guessing SlipKnot and Slayer would work huh?

And I will be sure to find this thread the first time I'm able, and let you all know that I didn't kill anyone, myself included. Won't probably have internet access while at the beach (hell, at the beach why would I want internet access?) but first chance I have I promise I'll update.

You might also want to bring a paint ball gun with you. Nailing the the idiot on hisw cell phone in the Miata that cut you off is a hell of a way to stay entertained.

There are no suggestions to keeping you safe on the road because if you're drowsy you're NOT safe on the road, and you're putting yourself and, frankly more importantly, ME and MY family in danger. So before you suggest that we "shut the fuck up and hit the back button" perhaps you should sit back and think about how inconceivably stupid what you are planning to do is.

Asking how you can safely pull 20+ hours awake, much of it driving on dark interstates is akin to asking how you can point a loaded gun at your head, pull the trigger, and not get hurt. Don't ask for the impossible and then get pissed off when we can't deliver it for you.

Sleep. Hell even 4 hours of sleep would make you much safer on the road. Is 4 fewer hours fucking around on vacation REALLY more precious to you than the hundreds of lives you will be endangering on your little trip?

Fine, agreed whatever. I'm doing it none the less. And theres no way I'll be able to take a 4 hour nap at 2 in the afternoon. If I could, I would. I've stated that I will not be adverse to taking a nap at a rest station or what have you during the trip.

Offer something constructive, or don't offer anything at all. So let me offer what you want. If you see a Grey 2006 Honda Civic with NY plates between KC and VA Beach, with red head at the wheel, you know it's me. Back off, I haven't had much sleep :)

If on the other hand, you see me, recognize krwlz, and wanna have a cup of coffee, and bullshit about the wonders of tfp... haha, toot your horn once, and flash your lights. I'd be happy to stop and meet a fellow tfp'er.

Or someone who wants to let me crash on their couch en route for 4 hours, equally as welcome to let me know now.

If all you want to do is scold and lecture me on the idiocy of my ways... Well, save your typing, because I don't want to hear it, I'm not going to listen, and that's not what I asked for in this thread.

Moving on...

Feelin' for ya, krwlz. All this hostility and you didn't even mention anybody's kids. Wow.

Well, I can kind of understand it, though I certainly don't want it. After all, these people figure I'm threatening them and their kids.

I should point out, that most nights, I sleep on average 5 hours. A lot of times less than that. About once or twice a week (weekends) I sleep in, and get plenty of sleep (10-12 hrs).

To put that into terms everyone can understand, provided I follow through with my plan to get a LOT of sleep the previous 3 or 4 nights, I'm only going to be staying up for 4 or 5 hours more than I'm used to out of a day (granted, that puts me over a day).

Driving does make it a little bit differant, because you're seated and imboblie for all of it, but still, it's not totally out of the norm for me to do. Hell... I've worked subsequent days in a row (no more than two) without any sleep in between, and only five hours the night before.

Conditioning wise, I'm in pretty good shape for this. Sometimes, you have to play the cards that are dealt to you, and this is how I'm, going to play them, so given that... I was looking for constructive ways to minimize the risk. You all probably have more risk getting on the road for the morning commute than you do from me driving to VA Beach... Those people (Cell phones, newspapers, coffee, cigarettes, and make up in hand) are fucking nuts.

Thank you much for the sentiment though.

Something I'm suprised no one's mentioned though is this:
Water. As much or more than caffiene, I find high quantities of water, and oxygen (windows open) help a LOT in long drives.
Another pro to keeping the windows open.... The air that comes through your vents enters the car at... You guessed it, tailpipe level. Carbon Monoxide is known to put you to sleep at low quantities.

MIght as well share my secrets and make this informative to everyone.

The beauty of this forum is that we still get to say whatever we want in spite of the OPers feelings. :)

Well do you feel better about yourself now that you've chewed me out, and accomplished nothing more than irritating me?

I would hope so, because then at least someone (yourself) gained something from your post. :D

And hmm... I wonder if "Fuck you" qualifies for flaming...

Edit for clarity. Repeated on next page. The fuck you i was refering to was the one I recieved from toaster. I peronally still don't have any reason to tell someone fuck you. I'm sorry you disagree but...