Preventing sleepiness when driving at night: Word of mouth tips from drivers

Bring a lemon

Sharing on Facebook, a member of an auto forum said that amateur and professional drivers should carry a lemon and a small knife. When feeling nervous and sleepy, cut a slice of lemon and suck on it to stop feeling sleepy.

A bus driver joked that night drivers should bring an oyster and a bottle of mustard. When they feel sleepy, they should stop the bus, put the bottle of mustard in the oyster, and when they see only green, eat it quickly. After 15 seconds, they will be completely awake and continue driving. Or, if the bus is running at night, someone should sit and talk to the driver.

"If you feel sleepy but still have to go quickly, stop and do some exercises, wash your face with water, then rinse your mouth with Listerine and you will wake up immediately," said member xeluom2006.

Diet and watering shoes

Mr. Tuan, a long-distance driver, shared that diet also greatly affects whether or not you feel sleepy while driving. Not eating enough nutrients or eating too much can also cause sleepiness...

"I often bring fruit to eat on the road during rest stops. If I only eat regular meals, it won't have enough vitamins. Because of the lack of vitamins, my body will be weak, less alert, and will cause drowsiness. When I eat a lot of fruit, I won't feel sleepy while driving. If I don't have fresh fruit to eat every day, I'll feel sleepy easily," he said.

A member with the nickname Tictoe shared his experience of not eating too much, running at night will make you feel hungry quickly, and being hungry will make it harder to sleep. If you feel sleepy, turn off the air conditioner, roll down the windows to let the wind blow on your face; chew gum, drink Red Bull and pour water into your shoes. According to this member, not wiping your face with a wet towel will wake you up right away but make you feel sleepier later.

This experience is also used by Mr. Thanh, a driver. “When I feel too sleepy, I often take off my shoes and pour cold water into my socks. The feeling of cold feet wakes me up immediately. But the best thing is to take a nap for ten minutes and you will be fine.” Even stopping the car and calling someone on the phone, these methods are also very effective.

Take a nap and then continue.

Many other drivers agree with this view. When you feel sleepy, you should stop and not continue driving. “From a psychological perspective, the most effective way to cure sleepiness is to... go to sleep. You should pull over to a cool place on the side of the road, take a nap for 15-20 minutes, then continue driving and you will be fine,” a member shared.

“Sleep for 5 minutes, set your phone alarm, ask someone to wake you up. When you wake up, you will be completely different from 5 minutes ago. Then you continue running 100, 200, even for me, 300km is no problem. When you reach the destination, sleep and pay off the debt. Much more effective than 6 cans of ginseng water,” said a member named Toan.