The festive season typically sees adults burning the candles at both ends resulting in a lack of sleep, but did you know fatigue can massively increase your chances of being involved in a severe or fatal road accident?
Lack of sleep…a silent killer
This article aims to cover:
- Causes of fatigue
- The risks associated with driving when tired
- Tips on how to ensure you get a good night’s sleep
Alarmingly, lack of sleep and driver fatigue causes thousands of road accidents each year contributing up to 20% of road accidents and up to one quarter of fatal and serious accidents. (As fatigue is hard to spot and can’t be tested for in the same way that drugs and alcohol in a driver’s system can be, the figures might actually be higher.)
Causes of fatigue
Many factors can contribute to driver tiredness and fatigue including:
Stress:
- Signs stress could be affecting your sleep:
- finding it difficult to fall asleep
- lying awake at night or unable to sleep
- waking up several times during the night
- waking up early and are unable to drift back off to sleep
- finding it hard to nap during the day even though you’re tired
- finding yourself feeling tired and irritable during the day
- finding it difficult to concentrate during the day because you’re tired
- still feel tired after waking up
Lack of sleep or disturbed sleep:
Many factors can contribute to this such as a change in life such as a new baby, work stress, busy schedules, or sleep disorders.
Insomnia:
This can be caused by many things with the most common causes being:
- alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine intake
- noise
- jet lag
- room temperature – a room that is too hot or cold
- shift work
- stress, anxiety, or depression
- uncomfortable beds
- recreational drugs (e.g., cocaine or ecstasy)
Sleep apnoea:
Factors that increase the risk of this form of sleep apnoea include:
- Excess weight.
- Neck circumference.
- A narrowed airway.
- Being male.
- Being older.
- Family history.
- Use of alcohol, sedatives, or tranquilizers.
- Smoking.
- Nasal congestion.
- Medical conditions.
- Heart disorders.
- Using narcotic pain medications.
- Stroke.
- Medication.
- Irregular sleep patterns.
Time of day:
Accidents caused by tired drivers tend to happen in the early hours (2am-6am) and early afternoon (2pm-4pm). The body clock during these times reaches a natural dip, causing drowsiness and reduced concentration. Drivers should avoid making long journeys when they would usually be resting.
Driving for prolonged periods:
Driving for more than two hours cam impact on concentration and reaction time. Therefore, it is important to take regular rest breaks. If you do start to feel sleepy, you should stop in a safe place and take a break.
Signs of fatigue…
While most people do recognise the symptoms of fatigue, the majority of people tend to downplay the dangers of continuing to drive.
Fatigue warning signs include:
- Heavy eyelids
- Eyes starting to roll
- Neck muscles starting to relax, resulting in the head dropping forwards
- Yawning
- Concentration difficulties
When ignoring these warning signs, drivers may experience a ‘micro sleep’. This is where they briefly fall asleep, resulting in them having no control over the car for a short period of time. Drivers are often unaware that they have briefly fallen asleep (for between two and thirty seconds) believing they have simply nodded their head. Those seconds can literally mean life or death as losing consciousness for a couple of seconds is ample time for a car to travel and cause a fatal crash upon impact.
Risks associated with driving when tired…
Drink and drug driving are well documented in the news, however, driving when tired can be just as dangerous. Even moderate sleep deprivation can affect driving performance to the same degree as low-level alcohol intoxication.
Tiredness when driving can:
- Reduce reaction time (a critical element of safe driving), preventing drivers from being able to react quickly, for example when breaking.
- Reduce vigilance and alertness resulting in tired drivers often drifting across lanes or fixating on driving towards lights on the road at night.
- Affect concentration levels with drivers having trouble focusing.
Driving when tired significantly increases your chances of having an accident. Drivers do not need to completely fall asleep at the wheel to cause damage to themselves or others.
The importance of sleep!
Lack of sleep results in people functioning with lower energy levels, low mood, reduced concentration levels and unregulated emotions. All of which can affect a person’s day to day life especially their driving skills! A lack of sleep on a regular basis can result in health consequences that affect your entire body.
Research shows people are five times more likely to crash when having less than five hours sleep, with men 60% more likely to be involved in a crash when tired.
How to improve your sleep…
Routine
Having a regular bedtime and wake-up time each day can significantly help your body to become accustomed to getting the full amount of sleep you need. Routines allow the body to know when to produce the correct hormones at the right times.
Diet
Before reaching for a mid afternoon/early evening caffeine shot or a sugary treat, stop and reconsider. Eating too late in the evening can cause your core body temperature to rise, which will in turn affect your sleep and your health. If you do find yourself craving a late night snack, opt for sleep inducing foods such as bananas.
Remove stressors and stresses!
Prolonged stress and poor sleep are intricately linked…sleep deprivation can cause stress while stress can cause a lack of sleep! Try to cut stressors and stresses in your life – easier said than done, but essential for ensuring a good night’s sleep.
Create a relaxing environment…
When a bedroom is optimised for light and noise levels, comfort and temperature, people tend to sleep better. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your sleeping environment promotes sleep.
Ensuring your mattress, pillows and covers are clean and comfortable will help aid the sleep process and could play a significant role in the quality of your sleep. A weighted blanket can also help.
Making sure that your room is clean and clutter free, by ensuring clothes are put away properly in wardrobes and drawers, will help create an environment that promotes sleep and also improve how you feel when you are awake.
Artificial lighting can confuse the body and interfere with your body’s circadian rhythm and the normal production of melatonin, resulting in you being kept awake at night. So, where possible, dim the lights when you get into bed and where possible, avoid using screen devices in your bedroom.
Additional information:
Struggling to stay awake can be a sign of an underlying health condition and therefore should be taken seriously. If you have any concerns about your sleep patterns, contact you GP as soon as possible, especially if you think it could affect your safety and that of other drivers.
Do not drive if you are tired.
Our team of bed experts are on hand to help you create the bed of your dreams at prices you will love. On the rare occasion that a competitor is offering a like for like product at a cheaper price, we will always aim to price match. Give our team a call today on 01928 242829 or use the chat feature on our website. Alternatively, visit one of our stores or email us: sales@landofbeds.co.uk and let us help you to sleep well and stay safe on the roads.