Beware The Danger of Drowsiness While Driving

Traffic accident is a very frightening factor that causes fatal accident. Every year, millions of men, women and children died or permanently injured due to traffic accidents. Estimated that, every minute two people died in traffic accidents worldwide.

One of the major causes of traffic accidents is the driver falling asleep momentarily or experience what is called micro-sleep. Micro sleep is the sleep episode lasted only a split second to thirty seconds. (If more than 30 seconds, it is called sleep).

Although only a flash, micro sleep is very dangerous in the event of a situation that demands constant awareness, such as driving vehicles or heavy machinery running. People who are usually unaware of micro sleep had fallen asleep or lose focus for a moment. When experiencing a micro sleep while driving a car, for example, the driver always feels in control of his car, and then suddenly realized that a few seconds have passed without awareness. In a situation with no awareness that brief, fatal accidents can happen.

Causes and symptoms of micro sleep

Micro sleep is a spontaneous reaction of self-defense because the body had a deficit of sleep, physical or mental fatigue, depression, sleep apnea, hypoxia, narcolepsy, or hypersomnia. Micro sleep may occur at any time without prior warning. However, in most cases micro sleep preceded by a common heavy drowsiness :

   1.       Often make mistakes. When driving, speed is often irregular, incorrect lines taking, etc..

   2.       Heads often nodding / drooping

   3.       Heavy eyelids, intermittent closing of one or both eyes

   4.       Headache

   5.       Evaporate

   6.       Feeling tired

Tips for you

To avoid the danger of accidents caused by micro sleep, consider the following two tips:

You need to take a break every 2-5 hours to drive to avoid tiredness. When having symptoms of severe drowsiness, you should immediately stop the vehicle for a stroll or a nap. Opening a window or turn up the volume radio only creates short-term effects, does not eliminate the danger of micro-sleep. Coffee, energy drinks or other stimulants only delay sleep episode as well and does not eliminate the threat. After the delay, micro-sleep attacks could then be more severe and unbearable.

Often difficult for drivers to recognize the symptoms themselves. If there are some people in the vehicle, make sure there are people who assist the driver to invite to speak and watching his consciousness. Insisted the driver to rest or freshen up if he showed some symptoms of sleepiness at the top. Better achieve your destination in a time much longer than an accident because of a rush to fast.