Falling asleep behind the wheel. need help desperately!?

i drive 50 miles each way for my commute. And everyday i start falling asleep behind the wheel. its already caused one accident. i've tried everything, turning up the music, rolling the windows down, calling people, eating sunflower seeds, even inflicting small amounts of pain, drinkin energy drinks to try and stay awake. I almost feel narcoleptic with how sudden and persistent the urge to sleep is. I don't want to die in a flaming car crash cause i can't stay awake. does anyone have any tips to help me stay alive????
Additional Details
as per request i am adding more detials. this happens to me if im a passenger or a driver and is happening during long drives upwards of 40 minutes. i drive an hour and a half to work each way. I have driven several cars over the coarse of my employment here and everytime i have the same symptoms. I also tend to fall asleep at work during odd times. even while talking to customers on some occasions. Its been this way as long as i can remember, i take sleeping pills for insomnia, ironically, i can't sleep at night but sleep uncontrollably during the day. the onset is sudden and almost impossible to avoid. I've fallen asleep standing up talking on several occasions. Im at a loss for solutions, and moving and carpooling are not an option unfortunately. Any possible solutions or devices you may have heard of would really help. Please try not to judge me harshly, i wouldn't be asking if i wasn't truley concerned. I could just ignore it, but im asking cause i want to fix it. Thank you.

A.J.

I won't disagree with anything that's been said here, but the obvious thing is that your body needs more rest than it's getting. I also used to fall asleep behind the wheel on long drives, and being the only driver in the family at the time, it was either drive and risk falling asleep, or just pull over and grab a 20-30 minute nap (pissed off the ex-wife to no end, but she never wanted to drive even though she had a license). Try finding a safe place to pull over along your way home and just take a nap when you feel sleepy (don't just pull onto the shoulder, you might get rear ended), there are alarm clocks that truckers use that WILL wake you up. Also, try adjusting your seat so that you're sitting straight up. Two reasons: 1) it might make you uncomfortable enough that you stay awake a little longer, 2) IF you DO nod off, sitting bolt upright will make your head fall forward, and you'll be more likely to wake up than if you were reclined and your head falls backwards.

It's just an alternative solution, not meant to be a long term fix because I think that an M.D. could really be more help. From someone that's been there, please go see your doctor. Good luck finding a solution to your problem.

jjg15p

you need to stop driving before you kill some one, i hope i dont end up on the same road as you with my family!!! you should get more sleep, or if you are getting enough sleep go and see your doctor, there may be an under lying cause.

briguy0103

Try and get professional help, and DONT DRIVE untill you do. You may be able to get disability leave or something while you get this taken care of. I know work may seem necessary but what would be worse than dying in a car wreck is sending a car full of kids to their death or something. Get the problem taken care of, and dont drive to work everyday in the meantime. Get a friend to take you or take the train or something.

mustang63b

See a doctor, might have a problem. Of course the other question is, are you getting enough sleep? How long of a shift do you work? If all the tricks you have tried failed, and this is a daily problem, then there might be a medical problem.

Gypsy Red

I think that you need to get a physical to determine what the problem is. Could be a number of things that are making you tired at a certain time of day. Please don't drive under these conditions. Killing yourself of someone else isn't worth it. Carpool or take public transportation until you can get this problem solved. As you said you've already caused one accident, do you want to cause another? You have to be responsible enough to find an alternate way to work or take a leave until you find out what the problem is.

Brian A

You need to get more sleep and/or see a doctor.

bungee

move closer to your work<

oldman49_2000

Please visit a sleep clinic and schedule a test. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I slept restlessly but had no idea I was "waking up" 78 times a night. I never did achieve full rest. I was prescribed a CPAP machine and it has restored my life. I have more energy and lots clearer thinking...by the way, I am a long haul trucker that requires being alert for hours on end,,,it works !!!!

Statie

Do not drive, you are going to end up killing yourself or others.

One of the worst MVAs I ever worked was caused by a man who fell asleep at the wheel. Without going into all the details, a couple of little kids, their parents, the driver and his wife and children left the scene in body bags. You couldn't even tell that the pieces of metal and broken glass were once cars.

Go see a doctor and stay out of the driver's seat. Innocent lives do not need to be lost because of your foolish/stupid decision to drive when you know full well what happens and that that the consequences may be deadly.

dirtytricksracing@sbcglobal.net

Do not drive til you find out why and stop going to sleep.

gapsusie

see a Dr you probably have narcolepsy

Kelly

this is similar to my husbands situation, but his is worse. He is falling asleep at the wheel and has to pull over to nap because he can't make the drive home. But once home he is able to sleep fine. The problem is his job is 1 1/2 hours away, and his shifts are 12 hours long and very physical (standing all night, no sitting at all) so he is exhausted. The only time he sits is for a 1/2 hour break for lunch. It also doesn't help that because it's the night shift it messes with the body's natural time clock. He is supposed to work a 4 day week, but they always have mandatory OT so it always ends up being 5 nights, sometimes 6. And with the economy being the way it is, he has been searching for another job for a year and not found anything closer. He is afraid of falling asleep at the wheel and dying, but if he just quits then what happens to us? It's not like we could collect unemployment while he looks for another job or re-trains for something. What do we do??

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