[KayDP]

Hi all,

I know Martin recommends not cancelling social plans after a bad night(s) of sleep… but what about when your social plans require you to drive? (In my case, public transportation isn’t accessible and Uber & such are too expensive.)

The CDC says drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Yikes! I’ve had a few experiences where I had to drive long distances on very little sleep. It indeed feels pretty risky. I’ve never fallen asleep at the wheel, but I have noticed myself sometimes just not being as alert as I should be while driving.

At some point, isn’t it better to stay home than try driving after having little sleep?

[Angeli]

Well, here I think common sense comes in. In my case, as I’ve suffered accidents due to being without sleep and using tranquilizers, I don’t drive anymore if I haven’t slept. But this is becoming more and more rare as my sleep issues were resolved from this course on. However, it is very important to maintain a normal life even after a whole night without sleep. From the moment we prioritize insomnia and make it important, it will grow and become more and more powerful. (forgive me for the english)

[Gods_kid]

I have missed exits – I will not drive again unless I have at least adequate sleep. Please be careful and wise here.

[Martin Reed]

If there’s ever any potential safety risk, you need to do what is right for your personal safety. If you are finding it hard to stay awake, you should not drive.

Although drowsy driving is very dangerous, we don’t often hear of people with chronic insomnia falling asleep behind the wheel (unless medications are involved) since people with chronic insomnia often give themselves more than ample opportunity to sleep and are often “tired but wired” — they are typically fatigued rather than sleepy.

However, just to reiterate — safety trumps everything and so if you are feeling drowsy, you should not drive.

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[KayDP]

Hi Martin and all,

Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences! I agree that personal safety comes first. Thank you for reiterating that, and for your kindness and concern.

Martin, I also appreciate the distinction between being “tired but wired” (and fatigued) versus being sleepy or drowsy. I’m starting to better understand the difference between these two feelings.

I will avoid driving whenever sleepy/drowsy!!!

[Chee2308]

Hello Kay
You can try driving short distances first then slowly ramp up as you get more comfortable. That’s how I did it. For me, the fear of getting into a horrible accident and dying was enough to keep me awake during the whole drive. I guess it’s the same fear of not sleeping that kept me awake also! But like many things in life, you can’t move on unless you are willing to move out of your comfort zone, it’s the same principle when it comes to sleep, you won’t improve unless you are willing to experience the unpleasantness of poor sleep until you no longer fear it. Nobody is saying you can’t do this at your own pace. Good luck and be brave!

[Gods_kid]

@chee2308
I like what you say about willing to experience the unpleasantness of poor sleep until you don’t fear it.
I am at this point of like you suggested to not care what happens in between the time I go to and get up out of bed.
I had given it so much power.
Your comments are very helpful and much appreciated

[Chee2308]

@Gods_kid
Thank you for your kind comments. A fear of something is very natural for anyone, that’s why people get phobias all the time. For insomnia, it just happens to be poor sleep. Are people afraid of getting in a plane crash? Sure everyone is, but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen though, hence people keep flying all the time. Nowadays, my mind still reminds of the pain of insomnia and the thought of not sleeping will still drop by and say hello, but am I worried? Well, I’ll be lying if I say I’m completely not, just that it doesn’t bother me that much anymore hence I just let it pass. At night when it happens while I’m in bed, I’ll just shrug my shoulders and say to myself, “I’ll deal with it and its consequences when it actually happens” and then before I know it, I’ll start yawning, feeling sleepy and then fall right asleep. Insomnia hasn’t revisited me eversince, if it does, I’ll prob say hello and howdy like meeting an old friend and then make the best of it by watching or reading something interesting on my phone in bed. What’s the worse that could happen anyway? ??‍♂️ Probably nothing. Good night to you and happy sleeping.

[Author]

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