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Medical Video: The Try Guys Test Sleep-Deprived Driving
Sleep deprivation has been linked to various chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. However, getting enough sleep is actually not only important to avoid the risk of these diseases, but also to ensure your safety is on the road when driving, because research found that driving when drowsy is one of the most common causes of accidents.
Drive when you sleep doubles the risk of an accident
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that lack of sleep for just an hour or two can increase the risk of motorized riders experiencing traffic accidents, compared to drivers who sleep enough for seven hours. Driving when drowsy after not sleeping for up to 3 hours even increases the risk of motorized accidents by more than four times.
Furthermore, the risk of accidents from driving when drowsy is considered equivalent to the risks faced by drivers when drunk alcohol someone faces when driving above the legal limit for alcohol according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
According to Jake Nelson, director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, reported by CBS News, adolescents, young adult men, and people who owe hours of sleep are the three groups most at high risk of driving when drowsy.
The same was stated by a study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine which examined the factors of motorized accidents in the southwestern region of France. The study involved 679 people who were hospitalized because of car accidents between 2007 and 2009 in France. Researchers found that there was absolutely no difference between driving when drowsy and driving under the influence of alcohol. Both of them double the risk of motorized riders against traffic accidents. The study also found that the group of people most at risk of driving when drowsy were young children and adult men.
What happens when we lack sleep?
There have been many studies conducted to examine the cognitive effects of the brain due to acute sleep deprivation - very less than six hours. The biggest effect that can occur on your body after hours of not sleeping is the decreased ability to focus and concentrate drastically. A number of other studies also found the effect of staying up on the brain's ability to focus as well as having blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent.
At this time, your brain is still capable of functioning to remember quite well, such as to remember a number of different names. But your eye and hand coordination will start to deteriorate, and some difficult mental processes also start to get overwhelmed. And according to a 2011 study, staying up for more than 3-4 hours will make you very confused, making it difficult to make certain decisions. In addition, your body will also react slowly.
All of these bodily functions play a very important role in driving safety.
Tips for safe if you have to drive when sleepy
It's hard to keep your eyes open while driving is one sign of driving while drowsy, which is often accompanied by driving shaky out of the way should be. But according to AAA, most people involved in traffic accidents due to drowsiness when driving did not experience any symptoms of sleepiness before finally actually falling asleep behind the wheel. In the United States, one in five car accident cases that cause death, involves sleepy motorists or don't get enough sleep before.
Therefore AAA recommends that people not rely on physical signs that the body shows as a warning that they are too tired to drive. Instead, always prioritize getting enough sleep - at least seven hours every night.
To avoid driving while drowsy, AAA also recommends motorists who take long trips to plan their travel time when they feel the most literate and be alert, and schedule to stop by rest area every two hours or per 160 kilometers of travel. Long-distance riders should also be as much as possible to avoid eating foods that are too heavy and avoid taking drugs that make sleepy or other sleep disorders. Finally, AAA recommends taking turns to drive with other passengers who are more alert every few hours.
