You would never drink and drive, but if you are like many Americans you have probably driven when you are tired without a second thought.
Yet fatigue while driving is more serious than you may think. The National Sleep Foundation estimates that 168 million people have “driven drowsy” in the past year.
Dr. Soma Mandal, Summit Medical Group internist, tells us why so many people drive drowsy and gives important information on preventing this dangerous health habit.
Selected Podcast
Drowsy Driving Prevention
Featured Speaker:
Soma Mandal, MD
Soma Mandal, MD, specializes in internal medicine, with focus on women's health, travel medicine, preventive medicine, sports medicine, evidence-based medicine, weight management, nutrition, mind-body medicine, and behavioral health. Before joining Summit Medical Group, Dr. Mandal was Medical Director and a physician for Take Care Health Services - Ethicon Employee Health Services in Somerville, New Jersey. She also has practiced privately in New York City. Dr. Mandal is Former Medical Director of the New York University Nursing Faculty Practice. She has been a hospitalist at New York University Medical Center, an attending physician at Maimonides Medical Center, and an attending physician with Gouveneur Healthcare Services, all located in New York. Dr. Mandal says, "My father's experience with severe asthma inspired me to help him and other people living with health issues." She adds, "I believe clear communication is key to an effective patient / doctor relationship." Dr. Mandal is a member of the New York University School of Medicine Board of Governors. She is a recipient of the Patient's Choice Award. She is featured in Consumer's Research Council of America "America's Top Physicians" listings. When she is not working with her patients, Dr. Mandal enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, knitting, crocheting, playing tennis, and playing music. She is writing a children's book on diversity. Dr. Mandal is the author of articles for MomMD and the Washington Square News. Transcription:
Drowsy Driving Prevention
Melanie Cole (Host): You would never drink and drive, but if you’re like many Americans, you probably have driven when you’re tired without even a second thought, and this could be really dangerous. My guest today is Dr. Soma Mandal. She specializes in internal medicine with a focus on women’s health, nutrition, mind, body medicine, and behavioral health with Summit Medical Group. Welcome to the show, Dr. Mandal. Tell us about drowsy driving. How common is it? It would seem to me to be just as dangerous, if not more, than texting or any of this other distracted driving.
Dr. Soma Mandal (Guest): Thank you, Melanie, for having me. Yes, drowsy driving is definitely a problem and is very dangerous. Many people do not realize how sleepy they are, but driving requires skills that are significantly reduced when you are sleep-deprived. Studies show that drowsiness can cause slower reaction time, impaired judgment and vision, decline to things like signs, road changes, and the actions of other drivers. Your alertness goes down, preventing you from seeing obstacles, avoiding a crack. It can cause road rage, problems with processing information, and you could even sleep behind the wheel.
Melanie: Who is most at risk for drowsy driving? We think of it as truckers. And that’s always my fear, but it’s not really just the truckers, is it?
Dr. Mandal: Definitely, commercial drivers like truckers are at risk, young people, shift workers, people with undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders, travelers like people who are traveling for business, if you’re driving long distances without any breaks, driving late at night or in the afternoon if you work more than 60 hours per week. If you drink even small amounts of alcohol, that puts you at risk. Taking medications that can cause sedation like cold medications or antihistamine. Then if you’re jetlagged, reduced sleep from traveling multiple time zone.
Melanie: We know that we’re not supposed to drink and drive, and you can avoid that by not drinking and driving. The same goes with texting. But sometimes, Dr. Mandal, you have to drive to work and you’re tired, or you have to drive, pick up your children and you’re tired. How do we avoid drowsy driving? Give us some of your best advice and tips for avoiding drowsy driving.
Dr. Mandal: Sure. Well, the first thing is to prioritize sleep. For adults, on average, we should be getting seven to nine hours, teenagers anywhere from eight and a half to nine and a half hours to maintain that proper alertness. Then if you are driving, to schedule breaks, so every hundred miles or two hours, whichever comes first. Ideally, if you have a travel companion, then you can share the driving. Avoid alcohol or sedative. Read the label if you are taking a medication to make sure that it doesn’t cause any sedation.
Melanie: If you do have to drive, do you have some tips for keeping ourselves kind of more alert, more awake? Does coffee work?
Dr. Mandal: Coffee definitely works. Coffee is actually the best. It has about 135 mg of caffeine in one cup of coffee. It takes about half an hour to get into your bloodstream. If you are feeling fatigued, the best thing to do is to take a short nap, 15 to 20 minutes, but also drink a cup of coffee before you take a nap, because, again, it takes about 30 minutes to get into your bloodstream. Monitor for signs of fatigue: If you are turning up the radio, rolling down the window, if you are drifting or you’re hitting the rumble strip on the side of the road. A lot of people say, “You know, I was driving and then I don’t remember what happened, how I got to my destination.” That’s called road amnesia and that’s a big sign of fatigue. These are all things to be aware of, to monitor. If you’re having these issues, then to stop or best, take the nearest exit and take a nap, or if possible, check into a hotel and get some rest.
Melanie: Dr. Mandal, if you know you are an at-risk person for drowsy driving, can you take some measures, some behavioral steps or alerting devices or bright light treatments? Do any of these things help if you’re one of the at-risk people?
Dr. Mandal: Well, the preventative measures are the best things. Again, prioritizing sleep is the best thing to do. Bright lights, I’m not sure if that does anything. Again, turning up the radio or rolling down the window to let the cold air come, that’s not the best way to fight off the fatigue. If you are feeling tired, then the best thing to do is to get off the road and avoid hurting yourself. Again, it depends on what’s causing the fatigue. There are certain medical conditions that can cause fatigue, so if it’s a chronic issue, then it’s best to go to a healthcare provider and get yourself checked out. There are many conditions like insomnia, sleep apnea. These are all conditions that can cause daytime fatigue, but it needs a proper evaluation in order for the fatigue condition to be diagnosed.
Melanie: One of the issues I would think, Dr. Mandal, there are so many energy drinks on the market now, Red Bull and such. Are people using these to combat the effects of a drowsy driving, if they have to go out and drive a long distance cross country or something? Are you seeing that more and more of them are trying these energy drinks, which I don’t think are so good for them anyway?
Dr. Mandal: Yes, the Red Bull definitely has a lot of caffeine. It’s not the best thing to do to replace sleep. However, a lot of people do do that so that they can drive or work, but when you’re doing things like that and not sleeping properly, you’re actually putting yourself into a sleep-deprived state. It takes a long time before you can catch up on sleep and so you’re constantly in sleep debt. Really again, prioritizing sleep, not using caffeine as a constant aid, is the best thing.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Mandal, please wrap it up for us. Give us your best advice and important information on preventing this dangerous health habit known as drowsy driving.
Dr. Mandal: The best thing to do, again, is to prioritize your sleep. Schedule breaks, again, about every hundred miles or two hours. Share the driving with a travel companion. Avoid alcohol or any medications that can cause sedation. Then if you are driving and you find that you are fatigued, monitor for those signs, and if you do feel tired or you do find yourself falling asleep, stop driving. Go to the nearest back seat or rest area and find a place to sleep for the night. Get a cup of coffee, get a short nap 15 to 20 minutes, and then let someone else take the wheel, if possible.
Melanie: It is so dangerous and you’ve given us such great information here today. You’re listening to SMG Radio. For more information, you can go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening and have a great day.
Drowsy Driving Prevention
Melanie Cole (Host): You would never drink and drive, but if you’re like many Americans, you probably have driven when you’re tired without even a second thought, and this could be really dangerous. My guest today is Dr. Soma Mandal. She specializes in internal medicine with a focus on women’s health, nutrition, mind, body medicine, and behavioral health with Summit Medical Group. Welcome to the show, Dr. Mandal. Tell us about drowsy driving. How common is it? It would seem to me to be just as dangerous, if not more, than texting or any of this other distracted driving.
Dr. Soma Mandal (Guest): Thank you, Melanie, for having me. Yes, drowsy driving is definitely a problem and is very dangerous. Many people do not realize how sleepy they are, but driving requires skills that are significantly reduced when you are sleep-deprived. Studies show that drowsiness can cause slower reaction time, impaired judgment and vision, decline to things like signs, road changes, and the actions of other drivers. Your alertness goes down, preventing you from seeing obstacles, avoiding a crack. It can cause road rage, problems with processing information, and you could even sleep behind the wheel.
Melanie: Who is most at risk for drowsy driving? We think of it as truckers. And that’s always my fear, but it’s not really just the truckers, is it?
Dr. Mandal: Definitely, commercial drivers like truckers are at risk, young people, shift workers, people with undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders, travelers like people who are traveling for business, if you’re driving long distances without any breaks, driving late at night or in the afternoon if you work more than 60 hours per week. If you drink even small amounts of alcohol, that puts you at risk. Taking medications that can cause sedation like cold medications or antihistamine. Then if you’re jetlagged, reduced sleep from traveling multiple time zone.
Melanie: We know that we’re not supposed to drink and drive, and you can avoid that by not drinking and driving. The same goes with texting. But sometimes, Dr. Mandal, you have to drive to work and you’re tired, or you have to drive, pick up your children and you’re tired. How do we avoid drowsy driving? Give us some of your best advice and tips for avoiding drowsy driving.
Dr. Mandal: Sure. Well, the first thing is to prioritize sleep. For adults, on average, we should be getting seven to nine hours, teenagers anywhere from eight and a half to nine and a half hours to maintain that proper alertness. Then if you are driving, to schedule breaks, so every hundred miles or two hours, whichever comes first. Ideally, if you have a travel companion, then you can share the driving. Avoid alcohol or sedative. Read the label if you are taking a medication to make sure that it doesn’t cause any sedation.
Melanie: If you do have to drive, do you have some tips for keeping ourselves kind of more alert, more awake? Does coffee work?
Dr. Mandal: Coffee definitely works. Coffee is actually the best. It has about 135 mg of caffeine in one cup of coffee. It takes about half an hour to get into your bloodstream. If you are feeling fatigued, the best thing to do is to take a short nap, 15 to 20 minutes, but also drink a cup of coffee before you take a nap, because, again, it takes about 30 minutes to get into your bloodstream. Monitor for signs of fatigue: If you are turning up the radio, rolling down the window, if you are drifting or you’re hitting the rumble strip on the side of the road. A lot of people say, “You know, I was driving and then I don’t remember what happened, how I got to my destination.” That’s called road amnesia and that’s a big sign of fatigue. These are all things to be aware of, to monitor. If you’re having these issues, then to stop or best, take the nearest exit and take a nap, or if possible, check into a hotel and get some rest.
Melanie: Dr. Mandal, if you know you are an at-risk person for drowsy driving, can you take some measures, some behavioral steps or alerting devices or bright light treatments? Do any of these things help if you’re one of the at-risk people?
Dr. Mandal: Well, the preventative measures are the best things. Again, prioritizing sleep is the best thing to do. Bright lights, I’m not sure if that does anything. Again, turning up the radio or rolling down the window to let the cold air come, that’s not the best way to fight off the fatigue. If you are feeling tired, then the best thing to do is to get off the road and avoid hurting yourself. Again, it depends on what’s causing the fatigue. There are certain medical conditions that can cause fatigue, so if it’s a chronic issue, then it’s best to go to a healthcare provider and get yourself checked out. There are many conditions like insomnia, sleep apnea. These are all conditions that can cause daytime fatigue, but it needs a proper evaluation in order for the fatigue condition to be diagnosed.
Melanie: One of the issues I would think, Dr. Mandal, there are so many energy drinks on the market now, Red Bull and such. Are people using these to combat the effects of a drowsy driving, if they have to go out and drive a long distance cross country or something? Are you seeing that more and more of them are trying these energy drinks, which I don’t think are so good for them anyway?
Dr. Mandal: Yes, the Red Bull definitely has a lot of caffeine. It’s not the best thing to do to replace sleep. However, a lot of people do do that so that they can drive or work, but when you’re doing things like that and not sleeping properly, you’re actually putting yourself into a sleep-deprived state. It takes a long time before you can catch up on sleep and so you’re constantly in sleep debt. Really again, prioritizing sleep, not using caffeine as a constant aid, is the best thing.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Mandal, please wrap it up for us. Give us your best advice and important information on preventing this dangerous health habit known as drowsy driving.
Dr. Mandal: The best thing to do, again, is to prioritize your sleep. Schedule breaks, again, about every hundred miles or two hours. Share the driving with a travel companion. Avoid alcohol or any medications that can cause sedation. Then if you are driving and you find that you are fatigued, monitor for those signs, and if you do feel tired or you do find yourself falling asleep, stop driving. Go to the nearest back seat or rest area and find a place to sleep for the night. Get a cup of coffee, get a short nap 15 to 20 minutes, and then let someone else take the wheel, if possible.
Melanie: It is so dangerous and you’ve given us such great information here today. You’re listening to SMG Radio. For more information, you can go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening and have a great day.