Should I worry?

As someone who has gotten good at driving up to 13 hours in one session... I encourage you to practice getting a quick 10 minute nap as often as possible throughout each day. The more you practice at clearing your mind and slowing it down for a quick nap to refresh yourself the more likely your body will be able to do it at the first signs of drowsiness.

I know in my experience that I need at least 20 minutes of sleep or two 10 minute naps in order to safely drive a dozen hours without stopping for anything but gas.

 

Serious suggestion: ask your doctor about a sleep study.

Short of that? if napping isn't working, try pulling over for some physical exercise instead. Run laps around the car, do pushups next to it... whatever your thing is, but get your heart rate up for 5-10 minutes. It's not the same as rest but it can improve your wakefulness for a while after the exercise.

One other: Diet. Smaller meals consisting of lower-glycemic-index foods can really help on the long-drive days. Driving hungry = driving awake.

 

some people find being in a car hypnotizing. we used to put our kids to sleep by driving them around.

has this come with older age, or have you always had this problem?

 

After going through a "fall-asleep-while-driving" issue much like you explained, I tried a simple physical response.
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As I was driving from a friend's place at ISU, to pick up my niece at U of I, I fell asleep after realizing I was going the wrong way. I should have never seen a sign "Next Exit DesMoines". So I turned around. Back on the way, I fell asleep and drifted into the median area. It was a good 4-feet deep with snow, and it buffered me to a stop. I climbed out and walked a good mile to a weigh station. What kinda luck did I have that a tow-truck guy was sitting there playing gin. I explained to them what happened and where I was and that I had NO $$$ but would send a check as soon as I got home. After they finished laughing, we all left and took care of the problem.
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My resulting solution was to open all the windows and tune the radio all the way to the right (static), with the volume as loud as it would go. I didn't fall asleep any more.

 

Which is a problem you can solve if you study up on the subject and practice/refine your skills of relaxation in a disciplined and determined way.

 

Yes, worry, you need a doctor's diagnosis.
May be time to take away your keyes

 

The driver assist features don't make it easier to drift off, but they post pone the consequence. How you learn to cope may matter to you.

Fatigue and cell phone distraction are each every bit as serious as drunk driving.

 

I don’t see any trolling, Paul, just sincere thoughts and suggestions.

 

Paul, the form of your coping may matter to you because the day you end up hurting someone will be a bad day for both of you.

When you've gotten some rest, you might reconsider what you are asking and whether you intended a different question.

 

Driving while sleepy is EXTREMELY dangerous, more dangerous than drunk driving. Not only can you die, worse is that you can end up killing or maiming another innocent person. Then the rest of your life will become a living hell.

No excuse in a hybrid or phev prius. Pull over, turn on the climate control to your liking, lock the car manually from the inside, and put on a dark sleeping eye mask. If you want to sleep in your seat, get one those small u-shaped travel pillows. If you want stretch out, fold down the rear seats and lay out a small camping sleeping pad and a regular pillow. I have done both on long drives.

Even 15 min. of shut eye will make you feel like a new person.

 

Speaking only for myself this can be a great solution where the monotony of lots of long straight highway combine with a comfortable chair to make me susceptible to midday sleep pressure. I just need to allow myself to be pulled under for a few minutes, then I'm better able to resist.

Being really beat is a different animal. I've been up for a couple of days, and there isn't a radio loud enough or breeze cold enough to keep me from sleeping. At that point, it's much like being drunk. Sleeping it off is necessary because driving that way isn't worth anyone's life.

 

Yeah, and the consequences of not taking it can be monumentally bad.

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired - you quit when the gorilla is tired."

 

Not sure I follow you, but you cannot use willpower or 'coping' to deal with fatigue.

Fatigue will always win.