Sleep Deprivation: Driving While Drowsy - By: Matthew White

Your eyes are getting heavy. You try, but it is almost impossible to keep your lids open. You blink rapidly, fighting to keep yourself conscious. Normally, it's a great feeling when we're drifting off to dreamland. The difference is that you happen to be behind the wheel at this moment.

Some studies have shown that upwards of 20 - 25% of all highway accidents are sleep related. That number is huge! That means that almost one quarter of all accidents could have been prevented by quality sleep. That's pretty remarkable. Sleep deprivation results in poor decision making, slowed reflexes, and consequently car accidents and deaths. If you drive while you are sleepy and overtired, know that you could quite possibly contribute to that 25%. You are a threat to yourself, anyone that you are sharing the car with and of course every other driver that shares the road with you. No one ever means to fall asleep behind the wheel. It just happens and then CRASH!

And, the 25% that I mentioned earlier, that's not necessarily people that actually fell asleep. Rather, it includes any accident where sleep deprivation was a factor. It's those slowed reflexes and response times, especially, that are the concern. Constantly missing out on the sleep that you need, compromises your concentration, memory, reflexes, judgment and ability to make decisions quickly. And all of this is quite vital when we're on the road.

"Driving while drowsy" is said to be just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Most of us would never even consider the latter - if you have too much to drink, you stay put! Or, call a cab. We don't have the same mentality about driving when we're over-tired, even though many of the side effects and consequences of the choice can be the same. People that are most at risk for driving while drowsy are people who work night shifts and people who commute a lot for their job having a long drive home in the evening. If you regularly drive in the late evening or at night as a part of your social life (you're a regular concert go-er, for instance) you are at a larger risk as well. Obviously, if you drive at night, you'll want to be as well rested as possible before you start the trip. And, if at any point you become too overtired to safely reach your destination, it truly is in your best interest - as well as all of us who share the road with you - to pull over for a short nap.

Of course, there are people that need to travel at night as a part of their profession, truck drivers and pilots - just to name two obvious ones. What you need to understand, though, is that you don't have to drive a truck or pilot a plane to be at risk. If you simply are overtired from consecutive restless nights, then you need to be really careful about your driving - especially when it starts to get dark outside. And, there is no magical secret to stay awake - your body needs sleep and it won't give up until you give in - it's just a matter of time. So, if you're constantly sleep deprived, just think twice before you get behind the wheel. It may be the difference between getting where you have to go or never arriving at all.

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Matthew White, the Sultan of Snooze, is the author of "Sleep Anywhere Anytime in 7 Minutes or Less" and "Eliminate Jet Lag Now".In his experience nearly all insomnia is curable. His work has proved this countless times. Matthew's mission is to pull back the curtain on those cures.Follow him on * Twitter * Facebook