If you have obstructive sleep apnea, you are twice as likely to have a car crash, and three to five times as likely to have a serious crash involving personal injury than someone without the disorder, according to a 2008 study by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
The older you get, the harder it may be to stay alert at the wheel as well, finds a 2007 study. When French researchers tested sleep-deprived drivers after they were given either coffee or a 30-minute nap, they found that the caffeine boost helped drivers of all ages reduce swerving (compared to a control group who drank decaf). But 20- to 25-year-old drivers were much more likely to benefit from a nap than their older counterparts—probably because they slept deeper and experienced more restorative benefits, say the authors.
Asleep at the Wheel
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When in doubt, pull over
All those tricks you have for staying alert while you drive—rolling down the windows, turning up the radio, chugging coffee—won't do a thing if you're already drowsy, says James Wyatt, PhD, director of the Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. His advice: "If you're falling asleep on your 15-minute ride home, you should absolutely not be driving."
Driver fatigue is responsible for an estimated 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,500 fatalities each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than a third of adult drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel at least once in their lives, found a 2002 study—three in 10 had nodded off in the previous year.
States across the country are beginning to enact legislation penalizing sleep-deprived drivers, and in 2007 the National Sleep Foundation established DrowsyDriving.org, aimed at education and public awareness. But the final decision belongs to you or your loved ones: If there's any doubt in your ability to drive, don't get behind the wheel.
