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Sleepy Riding
Have you ever wondered why you feel sleepy every time you get behind the wheel and hit the road even though you have slept enough? There are many reasons for sleepiness while driving or riding. Besides not getting enough rest, fatigue and alcohol are one of them. Surprisingly, car engine can make a driver and passengers feel sleepy in just 15 minutes.
Professor Stephen Robinson, a researcher at RMIT University, Australia, and his team revealed that vibrations caused by a running car can lull drivers into a sleepy state through brain and body while a car is on the road. The constant vibrations with low frequencies can cause the body to become more and more drowsy even in well-rested or otherwise healthy people. Two tests were conducted on 15 volunteers in a highway driving in which a simulator was installed on a vibration platform.
The first test was conducted with no engine vibrations while, in the second test, the engine was vibrated at a low frequency of 4-7 hertz then the heart rate variability (HRV) was measured over a period of 60 minutes. The HRV value was an indicator of drowsiness because our body adjusts the central nervous system when feeling tired.
The results showed that participants exhibited drowsiness within 15 minutes after the test started, and it took a lot of effort to keep their body awake with full consciousness after 30 minutes later. They were even in a more and more drowsy state throughout the test. However, further studies are needed to see how engine vibrations affect different populations such as age groups or those with some health issues.
Our body has an internal clock that controls and signals our brain every 12 hours of a drowsy state that occurs, often during the day and at night before we go to bed. It is strongly recommended that you stop the car and rest as soon as you can if you feel sleepy while driving, just for the sake of your own safety and passengers’. Be reminded that an accident can happen in just 4 seconds.
Source:
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-hidden-way-car-driving…
https://www.optalert.com/driver-fatigue-why-does-driving…/
https://www.dmh.go.th/news/view.asp?id=1229
