From ABC News...Health and Fitness: Asleep at the wheel By Alan Clemons Few things are as scary as cruising along at night listening to the radio and snapping awake to discover youre in the emergency lane about to run off the road. Falling asleep at the wheel of a vehicle is one of the most common and dangerous problems drivers encounter. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatigue or drowsiness is the main cause of about 100,000 police-reported crashes each year and 1,500 fatalities. Additionally, at least 71,000 people are injured annually due to fall asleep accidents, and about 1 million crashes each year are due to driver inattention. Many times that inattention is caused by lack of sleep. The National Transportation Safety Board also estimates about 31 percent of all commercial driver deaths and 58 percent of commercial single-truck accidents are related to fatigue. Going without sleep for 18 to 24 hours is like being legally drunk, says Dr. Kingman Strohl, a sleep specialist with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. It can be an impairment. You cant test for it like with a breathalyzer, fall-asleep attacks can occur very suddenly. Strohl specializes in sleep disorders, which affect millions of people across the country. Due to the time constraints of daily life, many people are sleep deprived. Our bodies are internally programmed, and in darkness the natural desire to sleep kicks in. Finding yourself behind the wheel of a vehicle at night, after a long day at work or on the water, can be a recipe for disaster. After a day of fishing, the combination of sun, wind, waves and concentration can wear down your body mentally and physically. Add that to a lack of proper sleep ? anywhere from 5 to 9 hours a night for most people ? and a trip to or from the lake could turn into a tragedy. While youre driving, indicators of sleep deprivation include repeated yawning, jerking your vehicle back into the correct lane, and an inability to keep your eyes open or your head up. Running the air conditioner on full blast, drinking coffee, opening windows and playing loud music typically dont have long-term benefits. When you are sleep deprived, your judgment is impaired. The truck that may seem a good ways in front of you actually may be too close for you to stop in time. Your awareness of surroundings also is reduced, and reaction times will be decreased. Your body is craving sleep, and the best thing to do is provide it. Pull over in a rest area or well-lit parking lot and sleep, or find a hotel. Dont push yourself and become a statistic.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 18:22:27 +0000
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