Do you have rhythm?

Yes, you have A rhythm, not for dancing , rather for sleeping. If you cross the this rhythm with driving at the wrong time the results are deadly. Driving while fatigued is just as, if not more, dangerous than DWI/DUI. The rhythm which effects us so severely is called the circadian rhythm. "Wiki" has this to say about circadian rhythm: Humans, like most animals and plants, have biological rhythms, known as circadian rhythms, which are controlled by a biological clock and work on a daily time scale. These affect body temperature, alertness, appetite, hormone secretion etc. as well as sleep timing. Due to the circadian clock, sleepiness does not continuously increase as time passes. A person's desire and ability to fall asleep is influenced by both the length of time since the person woke from an adequate sleep, and by internal circadian rhythms. Thus, the body is ready for sleep and for wakefulness at different times of the day.The comparison to DWI/DUI is accurate Alcohol, however, has a clear legal limit for impairment; there are no comparable criteria to suggest sleepiness.

Drowsiness has been recognized as a pervasive problem for drivers. This is due largely to the necessity to have good eye-steering coordination and sleep deprivation or disorders affect this profoundly.
The amount of sleep a person gets affects his or her physical health, emotional well-being, mental abilities, productivity and performance. Recent studies associate lack of sleep with serious health problems such as an increased risk of depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

A study, authored by Mark Chattington of Manchester Metropolitan University, focused on six participants, who drove a winding route on a driving simulator. On the first day, they drove for one hour starting at 5 p.m. The subjects were kept awake the following night, and on day two, drove again at 5 p.m. for up to two-and-a-half hours. Their eye movements were monitored using a dashboard mounted eye tracker, and steering wheel movement was monitored through a precision potentiometer attached to the steering column. The results showed that, in all drivers, sleep deprivation adversely affected their ability to coordinate eye movements when steering. There were instances of both acute and chronic reductions in the degree of coordination and in the time lead of eye movements over steering.

Circadian rhythm is strongly effected by light, so driving at night has effects different than driving during daylight. This is important for drivers to understand since many people work at jobs requiring shift rotations. These rotations adversely affect your sleep cycle and it may take several days to "reprogram" the cycle. All drivers should be aware that we are sharing the road with these individuals and should be especially alert at the most common shift change hours.

So how do we help alleviate these adverse reactions?

1. Get plenty of rest each 24hr cycle.
2. Re-adjust sleep habits for shift work.
3. Avoid changes in light (other than day/night cycle)artificial light and sunlight variances have very different effects on your rhythm.
4. Get healthy, the better you feel the more rest you will get while sleeping.
5. Create a proper sleep environment. No phones, timers(alarm clock ok), light interruptions or "reminders' that you are not on the old cycle.
6. Avoid caffeine and heavy foods before sleeping.
7. Do not elevate heart rate before sleeping. (working out or stressful situations)
8. Wear comfortable non-binding sleepwear.
9. Make sure room temp is in your normal range.
10. Take advantage of down time for a short nap.

Keeping yourself alert and well rested before driving is essential for the safety of all drivers. If you feel drowsy or recognize the signs of fatigue, get off the road and get some rest. All the myths for staying awake while driving are generally false and will only get you in trouble, hurt or worse! There is NO substitution for sleep.

Thank your reading and please keep your rhythm while driving.