Experiencing extreme fatigue after driving

March 4, 2015 5:38 PM

If I drive for about an hour, city or highway, I am extremely tired when I get to my destination. This happens during times of day when I am otherwise perfectly alert. I usually have no problem staying awake during the day, but if I have to drive, my body is screaming for a nap afterwards.

I suspect that this is because I find the act of driving to be extremely stimulating. It requires a hyper-awareness of my surroundings, and operating a manual transmission also plays into it. Also, since I started driving a decade ago, I've gotten into accidents at a rate of about 1.5 per year, so I'd be lying if I said that I don't get a little bit anxious about driving.

This really disrupts the rhythm of my life because I can't just take a nap in the middle of the day whenever I have to drive my wife to work across town. When I say my body is screaming for a nap, the urgency falls short only to a hypoglycemic reaction once I had to a steroid. If I do manage to power through it and stay awake, my cognition is foggy and I can't get any homework done.

I've tried a few things, to little or no avail. Caffeine, a glass of water, small snacks like a Clif bar or sunflower seeds, taking a short walk. The only thing that seems to cure it is a nap, or time.

I should also mention that while driving, I'm perfectly fine. I wouldn't consider falling asleep at the wheel to be a threat at all. The fatigue spell often comes within about 10 minutes after I get out of the car.

I just want to know if there is anything I should try before seeing a doctor.

posted by triceryclops to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

This is a shot in the dark, but could you try mindfulness while you're driving? By that I mean, in addition to being hyperaware of your surroundings, be aware of the feeling of the shifter under your hand, the pedal under your foot, the seat against your back. Even acknowledge and observe any feelings of anxiety you have: is your heart racing? are you catastrophizing? etc. My thought is that this might short-circuit the anxious response while you're driving, thereby leaving you less depleted after.
posted by mchorn at 5:46 PM on March 4, 2015

Best answer: I wonder if you might need glasses or a prescription correction. Perhaps the act of focussing at the predominant driving distance is what's exhausting you.

As an aside, does it happen when you're a passenger as it might were the cause sensitivity to the soporific effects of engine drone and motion? With respect, your accident rate strikes me as high.
posted by carmicha at 5:59 PM on March 4, 2015 [6 favorites]

Can you add in ten minutes or so to your timing when you drive your wife to work? You could plan on stopping after 30 minutes. Get out, walk around, stretch, shake out the tension, rest your eyes. If you spend an hour being tense, it's reasonable that you are going to be tired afterwards.

I know you are anxious about driving but being hyper-aware doesn't seem to be working for you. When I have to drive in bad traffic, I listen to a variety of comedy stations on Pandora. It's not so distracting that I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing but laughter increases endorphins and I'm in a much better mood when I get to my destination. It might help you relax while you are driving and feel better post-trip.

Last, have you thought about some kind of driver's ed class? Look for defensive driving classes. The number of accidents is concerning. You might learn some techniques that will make you a better driver, a more confident driver, a more relaxed driver.

Good luck and stay safe!
posted by Beti at 5:59 PM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Wait, so you've gotten into approximately 15 accidents in ten years? That's way, way too many accidents, so many that it sounds like you need to take a hard look at what's going on there before you even get behind the wheel again. Maybe you need to go back to driving school, maybe it's something medical, maybe you need to talk to a therapist. Getting your vision checked could be a good idea. I don't know what's going on... but at the rate you've been going, it sounds like you're lucky to be alive!

I also kind of wonder if there could be some kind of leak in your car that's making you woozy, although that seems like it would hit while you're driving instead of shortly after. This could be a long and tedious process, as you try eliminating different things and seeing what helps.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 6:04 PM on March 4, 2015 [30 favorites]

15 accidents is way above average.

Over the course of a typical long, driving lifetime, you should have a total of three to four accidents.

Perhaps there is some sort of common cause behind both how often you get in accidents and how tired you are after driving.

Car accidents have a certain risk of death, so both you and your wife would be a lot safer if you can spend less time driving her. A different job, moving closer to her work, or maybe she could get a spot in a carpool. I do think if you are asked to drive for a carpool you should disclose your accident rate, as some people might just rather drive an extra day instead of having you take a turn.

operating a manual transmission also plays into it

I feel like there might be a clue here. I've driven manual transmission cars. How exactly does operating a manual transmission play into it?
posted by yohko at 6:54 PM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Get your eyes checked, and sign up for a defensive driving course. I hope I'm not about to jinx myself, but I've been driving for way more than a decade, and have gotten into no accidents except two in the last couple years in which I was rear-ended by people not paying attention, and I drive a lot.
posted by rtha at 7:08 PM on March 4, 2015

I didn't think I felt super tired outside of driving, and my subjective answers on the sleepiness test didn't indicate I was sleepier than normal, but it turns out I have moderate sleep apnea. This diagnosis explained a lot, maybe consider a sleep specialist? I now realize how tired I was throughout the day, believing that to be normal.
posted by tweedle at 11:19 PM on March 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

I commute an hour each way 4 days a week between MA and NH. In the winter, the drive home is in the dark, often in the dark and the snow/sleet/frozen hellscape. I'm usually fine when I get to work, but when I get home after an hour in traffic in the snowy/icy dark, I'm the walking dead. Like you, I'm totally fine while I'm in the car. But once I step out of it at home, it's all over.

You say driving is "stimulating" and makes you "anxious" -- this means you're experiencing stress while you're driving. I'd also suggest that if you're having 1.5 accidents per year, you either have the worst luck in the universe, or your nerves are contributing to accidents. You can cause an accident by being too reactive as well as by under-reacting.

It sounds like you find driving super stressful. Your mind and body are on high alert the whole drive. You can only be hyper-aware/hypervigilant for so long before you run out of juice. Hence the immediate need for recharging after a drive. I think the only way you're going to be able to solve this problem is to find a way to relax more while driving.
posted by kythuen at 7:00 AM on March 5, 2015

You are having more than one car accident a year? That is way, way too many, as others have pointed out. Something is very wrong. This is not normal.

If I were you, I'd go to my doctor, explain what is going on, get a complete check-up and diagnostic workup - including a vision test, a sleep test, and a screening for ADHD. Then I'd find a good driving instructor or school specializing in adults and take some driving lessons. And consider getting a car with an automatic transmission.

For the record, I became a much better driver once I got my sleep apnea treated. I also found I was a lot less sleepy in situations like being a passenger on a long car trip or sitting in a stuffy office after lunch.

Please get some sort of help - frankly it sounds as if you're a hazard on the road.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:02 AM on March 5, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for the advice! I hadn't considered the problem might be related to my eyesight, so I'll be setting up an optometrist visit. Weirdly enough, I have a reading disability that is often related to ocular issues that lead to fatigue when reading.

I was unclear about the 15 accidents in my life. I meant to say that I've been IN several accidents. I wasn't always the driver, and when I was, only 2 of them had me at fault. So don't worry, I'm a much safer driver than you initially thought!
posted by triceryclops at 9:38 AM on March 5, 2015

Get your eyes checked, not just for glasses I'd get a full ophthalmologist check up if your optometrist doesn't do the tests, it is very easy to underestimate just how bad your eyesight is. My mother is legally blind & when first diagnosed argued vehemently she could see as well as she always had, one of the the early signs she was having eye problems was getting tired driving or reading. Having to concentrate to see clearly is exhausting even if you don't realize you are doing it it might also explain your rather high accident record.

Also do you wear sunglasses when driving, glare or having to squint while driving can also lead to feeling tired.
posted by wwax at 9:56 AM on March 5, 2015