Posted by Ed Poyneer on April 23, 1998 at 08:45:43:

In Reply to: sleep driving posted by Nick Pietrzak on April 17, 1998 at 10:39:15:

I, too, used to have a problem with "glazing over" while driving--operating on "autopilot" too much. However, about 10 years ago, after just having put in a 12 hour day at work, I fell asleep at the wheel, on a local road, just 1/2 mile from home, and put my van into the woods, along the side of the road. The only damage was to my van, fortunately. When I got home, my wife said: "No question, now. You WILL get tested for the Sleep Apnea we both know that you have, and any other problems that may be associated."

I found out that I have Narcolepsy, on top of my Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It is kept under control, by medication.

My wife and I usually make about three trips per year, from Seattle to Salt Lake City. We always drive straight through, taking about 13 to 14.5 hours. We usually depart shortly after midnight. To do the "macho" thing, I usually want to drive first. Sometimes, I can make it for several hours, before I get too sleepy. One time, I made it from our house to Interstate 90, a distance of about 17 miles, before I had to pull over, because I was sleepy.

As a matter of interest, however, when we return home, I almost always end up doing about 90% of the driving, using the same kind of departure times.

When I do get sleepy, and have my wife take over the driving chores, I get out my Nasal CPAP machine, plug it into the cigarette lighter, put my mask on, lay the seat back down, and go to sleep.

I've come to the conclusion, when it come to travelling, that it is much better to be thought of as being a "wimp" (at least a "live wimp"), than being a dead "macho man."

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