Need help on staying awake for a 10 hour drive
 

Hey, anyone here have experience on long drive? I need some ideas on what to do/drink/eat to get me to stay awake...I'm leaving tonight at 8, heading back to NY.

Speed?

hahahahahahaha, any other suggestions?

2 bottles of spring water and 2 vivarin. every 4 hours


EDIT: thats what got me thru a 15 hour drive

what exactly is vivarin, I have a 12 pack of coke too...

vivarin = caffeine pills.

Masturbate.

Okay, I'm gonna go pick up some Vivarin lol....Can't wank while I'm driving, not that coordinated!!

Fresh air.
Brief pit stops where you get out of the car (maybe use the facilities) and take a quick stide around. Gets the blood moving a bit, unstiffens the limbs. It helps.

Also, pack light snacks, not the sugery stuff but something that will give you some energy longer-term.

Finally, I would save caffeine for when I'm really desperate to stay awake. It's a quick high, then a crash and that makes you feel worse.

Have a safe trip!

Listen to music you can sing along to, preferably some kind of metal.

get a megaphone and whenever you pass a car, yell the name of their car through the megaphone out the window at them

hahahahaha, thanks for the idea's guys....Music should definitely help, I have 3 15" subs in my trunk lol....

music won't help me, even singing with the music. I would go with the masturbation. I like to work out, myself. I try doing curls and push ups against imaginary weights (try envisioning a boulder or great big rocks) and then for every inch of muscle I use pulling, I use force of will to stimulate resistance against it. It sounds weird but it is possible to get your heart pumping while doing it, and if definitely gives you something to focus on.

If you or anybody decides to do this, please be careful not to get killed while doing so. Thanks!

Speaking as a student of psychology, from what I've been told and read music, books on tape, putting the window down, etc, will not keep you awake. Your body will adapt quickly to loud music or anything else you try and throw at it. Your best bet is to stop and stretch (as before) or pound a coke . . . or two. Your body will have a tougher time falling asleep with that caffeine running around.

Books on tape helped me through an eight hour trip.

Not against the megaphone idea though.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to say those things won't alleviate boredom, I'm simply saying that if you are falling asleep, they will not be much help in keeping you awake. If you are that close to falling asleep, you should really pull over and stop being a danger to people driving anyway.

Megaphones = Fun

load up with coca cola. that keeps me going especially when i have to study late.

Frequent breaks to stretch. Don't rely on cruise control. Drink pleanty of water (very hard to sleep when you really have to go).

a friend... not one that falls asleep on you but one that will talk to you and you keep your mind engaged to stay away from white line fever.

LMAO!!

A ten hour drive isn't terribly bad. I think stretching every three hours is good. Stop at a rest stop walk around for a bit. Good music helpes me alot. I usually have all different types of music (Beasties, Dead, Rage, etc.) Small amounts of caffine every time you stop (about three hours) is plenty, I think. I mean, if you were driving ten hours after being up all day that would be different. Hopefully you will be leaving for your desitnation on plenty of sleep. :)

I've made a fourteen hour drive a few times alone. I felt like I was tripping by the time I reached my destination. Example of too much caffine. ;)

you driving solo? take a friend, better one that can drive! I think you'll need a few breaks on a trip like that too...

Pick up a dangerous looking hitchhiker, that seems to keep me awake when I'm driving on a long trip.

I'll be making several ten hour trips in the next few weeks, and it was very informative to read this. I plan to load up on music and healthy snack foods.

Breaks where you get out of the car, maybe do some mild calithenics, etc., every few hours, are very important. If you're sitting for a very very long (anywhere, at a computer or in a car) your blood pools and you start getting drowsy.

The best solution is, as a few people said, to bring a friend who can drive, so you can take turns and talk during the trip. Unfortuantely, I (and it sounds like the original poster) will be making solo trips, but the rest of the info should help.

And I love the megaphone idea. I'll have to try that out.

water water water

and yea get out at rest stops and walk around a bit i even jog a little dont make yourself tired

the key to remember is that road trips are mentally draining not physicalially


this got me thourgh a 20 hour road trip

My laptop got me through an 11 hr drive, lots of stuff to do.

Look at porn, listen to music, play games, etc. etc.

Isn't that a little bit hard to do when you're driving?

well, i guess if you take enough hallucinogens then sooner or later you´re going to see the bats...

and let me tell you, you won´t let yourself get tired when they´re chasing you across america.

or you could probably buy a fake police siren and light and pretend that you´re an undercover cop - and then drive as fast as you can (that might even make it a seven hour trip)

no, seriously, every two or three hours - stop and walk around a bit, stretch - and then have regular caffeine hits.

Nice Fear and Loathing reference. I see the bats, too. Just don't forget the flyswatter, and you should be good.

As for speeding, with such a long trip, chances are that you're going through at least three states, so that gives the cops a lot of chances to catch you. One thing you definitely don't want is a speeding ticket from each state as a souvenier.

keep the a/c running - you'll be more alert if you are slightly colder than you are comfortable with

if you're driving on one of those "safety highways" with the grooved shoulder.....just fall asleep it will be ok

That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard.

I find lots of water, a really good sleep before you start, and if you feel sleepy, pull over and grab 10 or 15 mins sleep. I find that keeps me going for aleast another 4 hours.

Keep a dinner fork in the car. Every time you are about to fall asleep stab yourself in the leg or arm. If the pain doesn't keep you awake, at least the mopping up blood will give you something to do. :)

Music, the heavier the better.
Water, pop - good but temporary
Break stops the best, whenever you feel like it, people say it waste time. But to me spending 10-15 min extra min every few hours is better then not spending the next 50 years living.

Only 10 hours? , I could do that in my sleep!

...actually my experience has been that drinks with both caffine and sugar in them can keep you going for a certain time period, but when they wear off you feel more tired than if you'd had black coffee with just the caffine, but without the sugar.

So my methods are....

1: black coffee - stay away from sugar
2: water - to counter the coffee and dehydration from spits
3: keep the car cooler rather than warmer for sure
4: music - not a lullaby
5: or talk radio - can keep me interested
6: a big bag of spits to eat as you drive - keeps me awake as well. (see #2)

All said, if you are feeling drowsy beyond safety than park the car, and get some sleep. A very tired driver is a very dangerouse thing on the road. Do yourself and others the favor of pulling off.

Get something that will keep your mind engaged. Maybe a book on tape, or talk radio. I found that listening to something interesting on the radio helped me. Music tended to relax me too much.

music and caffeine

As a last resort, breath spray (e.g. Binaca) under your tongue, the stinging will last a little while, however you can become immune to it.

As a last, last resort, breath spray on your nose. I never tried this, but I am told it really stings/burns and will keep you awake.

Caffeine is a big help. As is loud music. Queens Of THe Stone Age = good driving music. As is Depeche Mode (although less 'grr'). Also one big piece of advice. If you start to feel tired FOR GOD'S SAKE pull over the next chance you get. Get out at a gas station or rest artea, walk around, wake yourself up, drink some coffee. If you drive on and are still tired, consider stopping for a half hour nap or something. Nothing is more dangerous than a driver who falls asleep.

Play "Primestar", it's a fun game! Whoever calls out primestar when they see a sat dish first gets a point...whoever has the most points wins...dumb, but very fun.

What is a bag of spits?
I'm assuming something salty.
On the topic, while in Canada looking for snacks for for the 12-hour car ride home, I saw lots of chips labelled as being *dressed.* A glance at the ingredient list wasn't of any help. Do you know what dressed chips are?

Thanks!

Play Eye of the Tiger the whole time?

keep in mind unless your munchies are spicy as essense of tabasco it will end up making you more tired in a little while, if it doens't then you could have just prodded yourself to get the same effect.

I just read that NJ made a law against driving tired. So if you fall asleep at the wheel and kill someone in an accident, you can be tried for murder...

Here is the link: http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/08/05/cr....ap/index.html

Usually having something to eat on like sunflower seeds or a blow-pop keeps me attentive on sleepy drives.

I drove from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Philladelphia, PA in a straight shot once...22 hours. The first 15 or so weren't that bad..the rest was a nightmare. I made a huge mistake by eating a literal handful of NO-Doz and pounding a Mountain Dew big slam. For about fifteen minutes it felt like my eyes were coming out of my head...the next few hours I hallucinated heavy...My advice for long distance trval would to NOT drink caffeine...you become dependent on it...you gotta pull over to buy more and use the pissoir...ultimately messing with your pace. Be well rested and just go for it...with good tunes of course.

For me, singing helps a lot. I find a bunch of songs to sing to and I never get bored or tired. Also, drinking water whenever I feel sleepy helps a bit for me. Be safe on your trip!

Keep your windows open and blare the music if you start to get tired. Just try to keep the mind active

A bag of spits is a bag of seasoned roasted sunflower seeds. "Spitz" is a brand, but has become slang locally to refer to sunflower seeds in general. Or the slang came before the brand, I'm not sure.

http://www.spitz.ca/

Flavors include Salted, Seasoned, Spicy, Pizza, Dill Pickle and Spitz Lite made with Sea Salt & Ginseng.

OK now for the dressed chips...

from...

http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~99keefea/FOOD.html

All Dressed Chips

Just like the name says, these chips are flavoured. All dressed chips have all of the flavours that are available, but on one chip.

I once had a bag of pizza flavoured spits, that was pretty good too.

I drink plenty of water (with the odd coffee in there), have trail mix to snack on, and listen to talk radio.

I find talk radio to be more stimulating mentally than music. I get drowsy faster listening to music.

lmao

Make a 5 min pit stop every 3 hrs to stretch and get water or something

elektro shocks work great :)

I'm probably a little late for this thread but...

no-doze pills work [very well]

i make that drive once a month, 10 hours from toronto to long island. Lots of music, good coffee and snacks.

:)

Pick up old Rancid, Suicide Machines, and NOFX albums.. bring some Red Bull... Eat cold foods ex: icecream, cold sandwiches(warm foods will actually relax you and make you fall asleep)... and you should be ok..

A nice pair of boobies helps...ya can never get enough of those...if not that...the bullhorn idea was good

lots of caffine and chocolate, loud music and crank up the air conditioner (freeze out)

Since you have to drive solo... try bringing a cell phone and having someone you know you can call and talk to. A little mental stimulation will wake you up for a little while at least. Also everyone says get out and stretch... gas stations work best for me... again a little conversation. Make a game out of anything.. letters, numbers, people.. just think about something other than another mile of the same boring interstate.

If at any time you feel extremely tired, and have a little way to go until the next rest area, i find picking you nose really helps you stay awake......ever fallen asleep whilst picking your nose???? thought not.