7 replies to this topic

[gurlzylla]

I narrowly avoided falling asleep in traffic this morning! I was so drowsy that I had to fight to stay alert. I wound up pulling over to a parking lot to try and sleep... but after turning my car off, the cold creeping into the car made me come to enough to drive into work.

I seem to have particular trouble with stop and go traffic. I think it has something to do with the warm car and having to concentrate on one thing (stop/go/stop/go) for too long! Up until this point I have not had any problems in my new car (I replaced my automatic with manual transmission).

Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?

[tklemp]

yes... I think I am nuts for not switching jobs, but I drive in 45minutes of rush hour traffic to and from work AND am a social worker and drive to my client's house's. I have to always have either the window open or the air on really high because the second I get warm I will fall asleep. I am always drinking cold water, stop a lot and get out (usually to go to the bathroom for drinking so much water), and at the worst times, I have my mom on stand by to talk to me until I can pull over. It sucks, but I love my job too much to change it. I think the biggest key is to stay focused (or take a break) and stay cold.

[hssmith]

I can't stress how much you need to re think driving until you are able to do so without falling asleep. As Narcoleptics we owe it to ourselves and everyone else to be as responsible as we can. I personally do not drive if I know it's been at least 6 hours since I last took my medication. Sometimes, that meant having to take an nap at work to enable me to be awake long enough to drive home. Certain kinds of music can trigger you to fall asleep, as well as an overly warm car. Remember that when you drive sleepy you are putting yourself and everyone else on the road at risk and that should never be acceptable.
Be safe!

[gurlzylla]

UPDATE:

I kept the heat super low on the way in to work this morning and I had no trouble at all. I think it really was the temperature! I noticed that when I am anywhere that is warm enough to make me flush that I become immediately drowsy.

Obviously, I would never set out to drive in the car if I was already feeling sleepy. The episodes I have had were when I was already at the wheel and feeling otherwise alert.

[BeautyCochran]

I just can't drive. :cry: I haven't in over a year because I can't stay awake long enough behind the wheel and I'm concerned I'll fall asleep and accidentally kill somebody on the road with the vehicle!--Beauty

[Julie A]

I have always had this issue as well. Sometimes I would call my mom or husband to keep me awake at the wheel. But I have also been known to turn on the AC and scream at the top of my lungs for a burst of adrenaline, though it only works for a few seconds. I recently stopped driving. I will start again once I am able.

[mom always wants to sleep]

I narrowly avoided falling asleep in traffic this morning! I was so drowsy that I had to fight to stay alert. I wound up pulling over to a parking lot to try and sleep... but after turning my car off, the cold creeping into the car made me come to enough to drive into work.

I seem to have particular trouble with stop and go traffic. I think it has something to do with the warm car and having to concentrate on one thing (stop/go/stop/go) for too long! Up until this point I have not had any problems in my new car (I replaced my automatic with manual transmission).

Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?

[mom always wants to sleep]

Hi, I am replying to what you wrote about driving and being nice and warm and what happens that you have to pull over and park the car because u know what is going to happen next ........SLEEP.

I know the feeling to to to well!!!! I can't take it no more and it seem no one understands, they think all I Love to do is sleep.

I can really relate to the heat, if it is in the winter and the heat is blowing out of the car's vents or the summer when you sit down on a nice comfortable chair and then all of a sudden your eyes get soooooooooooo heavy and you are struggling to keep them open and then out you go and don't even realize you feel asleep.

The heat really bothers me and as time goes on it is getting worse and worse. It is really scaring me because I think into the future ....... what is going to happen next year or 2 years from now.

Oh I am sorry, let me introduce myself.......

My name is Lucille I am a 44 year old Mom with 3 kids, one son that is 20 years old and set of twins that are 9.

This narcolepsy all started about 3 years ago after a accident I had when I feel down the basement stairs. Since then I have never been right.

I just did my 3rd sleep study and got the results yesterday and now not only do I have Narcolepsy but also Sleep Apnea... They saw from last year to this year I picked up that too, and it showed in the sleep study that if I was a 2 on a scale of 1-10 last year I am now a 7......the doctors can't even give me answers to what the hell is going on here!!!! You tell me what the hell is this *BEEP*!!!

Now I am waiting for the C-pap machine whichI need to sleep with at night because sleep apnea is a problem when not enough air is getting to the brain. As each year comes along I am getting more and more scared.

I am sorry if I am going on and on, but I am fairly new to this site and it feels good to know that there are people out there like me with this sleeping desease.

Tell me a little about you, how long you have been suffering from this problem and how you function on a daily basis. Myself, I ,make it to 1:30P.M. and the sleep sets in and I have to go home because i AM AFRAID.

I look back to when I would wake up at 6 am and go until 12 midnight even later and never was not once even tierd. Now......I cry.....I hate being this way.

Let me end this letter before I really write and write about this horrible sickness.

Maybe we can chat online - E=mail me if you like.

Looking forward to chatting

Lucille