Reasons people fall asleep while driving and what can be done about it

Drowsy driving can lead to dangerous accidents or road crashes. Expert discusses reasons why people fall asleep behind the wheels and how to prevent it.

Falling asleep while driving and losing control of the wheels is increasingly becoming a cause of concern. People who are sleep deprived or suffering from a sleep disorder tend to have microsleep episodes due to fatigue and are at increased risk of deadly road accidents or dangerous crashes. Microsleeps can last from a few seconds to a few minutes and while one may not be completely asleep, it is enough to lose focus as the brain drifts away for a few seconds. According to a study, people may have a steep cognitive decline after 18 hours of staying up, which is like having alcohol in our systems. Drowsy driving is thus no less dangerous than drunk driving and must be addressed. (Also read: Sleep deprivation: 6 side effects of getting less than 6 hours of sleep)

Cricketer Rishabh Pant met with an accident in December last years that left him injured, and the reason was his falling asleep behind the wheel. According to a report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Transport Research Wing, road accidents claimed 1,53,972 lives and harmed 3,84,448 people in 2021. Most of the affected drivers were in the age group of 18-45 years. A CDC survey estimated 1 in 25 adult drivers reported having fallen asleep while driving in the previous 30 days. In the same survey, it was noted that drivers who snored or slept for 6 or fewer hours per day were more likely to report falling asleep while driving than drivers who did not.

According to Dr Murarji Ghadge, ENT Consultant Surgeon and Sleep Specialist, drowsiness while sleeping is primarily caused by sleep deprivation and sleep apnea and one shouldn't operate a vehicle if they haven't slept for seven or more hours in the previous 24 hours.

How untreated sleep apnea can lead to drowsy driving

Dr Ghadge also suggested ways one can deal with sleep apnea

· Diagnosis by polysomnography/home sleep study

· Medical management of underlying medical cause

· Surgery of upper airway obstruction like nasal septum deviation/turbinate hypertrophy/nasal polyps/adenoids/hypertrophied tonsils

· Pap devices(cpap/bipap)

· Lifestyle changes

· Weight loss

How sleep deprivation can cause drowsy driving

"Many people who are sleep deprived mistakenly think that they can work well on a few hours of sleep every night for an extended period of time. Yet, lack of sleep, even partial lack of sleep, has a major negative impact on both physical and mental performance, including driving. Insufficient sleep or night time driving might make you drowsy, which increases your risk of being in a car accident. Drowsiness was predicted to be a factor in 13% of severe injury crashes and 21% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in recent studies," says Dr Ghadge.

Lack of sleep wears out your brain, making it less capable of performing its duties. Also, it might be more challenging for you to focus or pick up new information. Also, your body's signals may be delayed, which would impair your coordination and raise your risk of accidents.

Ways to avoid drowsiness while driving

· Listen to others.

· Be aware of the signs that indicate you are too weary to operate a vehicle.

· Pull over and nap.

· Switch drivers

· Drink some caffeine

· Take frequent breaks.

· Plan ahead.

· Pay attention to the medicines you take.

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