Drowsy Driving: The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Driving
By Louisa Hall
Have you ever been driving and all of a sudden, your eyelids felt heavy? Perhaps you started to feel drowsy but kept on driving. You may have told yourself; it can’t be that bad, right? I only have ten more minutes before arriving at my destination.
Five minutes go by and you start to feel even more exhausted. You decide to relax your eyes for what you think is just a prolonged blink but, your body reacts otherwise. You experience something called a microsleep. This microsleep occurs without you even realizing it. During this “mini nap,” your concentration decreases significantly within a few seconds which can result in being unaware of any sensations or perceptions. During this few second lack of awareness, a lot can happen: a quick swerve to the side of the road or into oncoming traffic, a delayed stop, or perhaps even accelerating too fast and losing control at the wheel. Ultimately these unexpected outcomes can have devastating consequences.
Interestingly, being drowsy while driving can be even more fatal than driving while under the influence of alcohol. How can that be? The Sleep Foundation identifies that if an individual has not slept in 18 hours, that their driving will be similar to that of a person with a blood-alcohol level of .05. To put this into context, the criteria for an individual to be considered drunk includes a blood alcohol level of .08. This evidence demonstrates the underlying seriousness of driving while being drowsy.
To further this discussion, the CDC has estimated that 1 in 25 adults have reported falling asleep while driving in the past 30 days. And these statistics may not include how many people have experienced microsleeps due to the fact that they typically happen without any recollection. It only takes a second or two of closing one’s eyes or not being fully focused to lead to a fatal outcome. Sadly, about 20% of car accidents have been linked to drowsy driving.
What can we do? The only answer to the question of how to prevent sleeping at the wheel is perhaps an anticlimactic answer: sleep. Guzzling down several cups of coffee and consuming caffeine and stimulants can only take you so far. Despite what you may want to hear, sleep is the only fix to this problem. Contrary to this solution, many Americans are not receiving the amount of sleep that they need.
In 2018, it was confirmed that about 35% of people in the US do not meet the recommended seven hours of sleep per night. Though it may appear to be a seemingly small percentage, 35% of the US population amounts to about 11,550,000 Americans! In retrospect, many people do not get an adequate amount of sleep per night - no wonder Americans are falling asleep at the wheel.
As humans, we know that it can be difficult sometimes to reach the recommended amount of sleep each night. Sports, work, and busy schedules can all be deterrents of not fulfilling our sleep needs. Furthermore, 20% of Americans have a sleep disorder, which can also contribute to impaired sleep. Obviously, many factors can influence why humans are not getting enough sleep, but, perhaps we need to promote educating everyone on the importance of sleep and why it matters beyond preventing car accidents. Mental health, brain functioning, and stronger immune systems are many other ways among many that sleep can influence positively.
The next time you find yourself experiencing heavy eyelids while driving or swerving on the road, pull over, take a nap, or buy a caffeinated drink. It is not worth putting anyone’s life at risk because of a lack of a good night’s rest. But most of all, get quality sleep. Many resources provide tips and information on how to improve your sleep at night and to make the changes in your life to prioritize sleep (here is one of my favorites).
Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Drowsy Driving: Asleep at the Wheel.
https://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdrowsydriving/index.html
National Heart, Lung and Blood Insitute. (2019). Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency
Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Drowsy Driving vs. Drunk Driving: How Similar Are They?
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/drowsy-driving-vs-drunk-driving-how-similar-are-they
The Good Body. (2018). Sleep Statistics Reveal The (Shocking) Cost To Health and Society.
https://www.thegoodbody.com/sleep-statistics/
Walker, Matthew. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner.