How do I stay awake whilst driving through the night?
I’ve driven 10-13 hours (alone) at a stretch several times. One time I drover 30-some hours straight, but I had friends in the car and mini-thins (pseudo-ephedrine). I don’t suggest the pills — they work, but they don’t leave you feeling well. Caffeine doesn’t work for me, and in fact it backfires. I wouldn’t recommend it. You have to drink more and more, and you have to hit the bathroom more, and it loses its effect. Caffeine burns the candle brighter, but what you want is the candle burning longer. Take it easy the day before. Take a nap before you go. Music can be okay but can fail you. Music’s good for entertaining you 3-5 minutes at a time, but you can’t be excited or thrilled for 10 hours. It’s not like you’re preparing for a spell in a doctor’s waiting room. Join audible.com for a month and get the two free books. Pick something trashy you might not necessarily have read, like a Grisham novel or a mystery or something. Switch around what you listen to. For example decide that y
I found that a late burger meal and a can or two of iced coffee worked quite well to keep me awake when I had to catch a flight at 6am, and had to check-in and return the car beforehand… so I decided that it was pretty futile driving during the day and then getting a hotel room for just a few hours; and instead I drove all night – well, up to about 3am at least – and didn’t sleep at all. What probably worked fairly well for me was driving roads that were a bit more technical and required more concentration; as well as stopping to get out of the car and into the fresh air a few times. I didn’t listen to much music, because my rental Blazer had eaten the CD, and radio generally sucks 🙂 But then again, I’m not someone who falls asleep easily. If you do, then maybe you should re-evaluate your options.
