Here are a few ways to keep yourself alert on the road.
Trucking is all about finding ways to endure those hours on the road. No matter how dangerous you know falling asleep behind the wheel is, it can be hard to resist when you have nothing else to do. But here are a few ways to keep yourself alert on the road.
Get Rest While You Can
A good night’s sleep the day before a long haul is the most important step to staying away on the road. You’ll be fighting an uphill battle to stay awake on a boring stretch of the highway if you’re already exhausted. And even with a good night’s sleep, you should still make sure to schedule a couple of rest breaks for naps if you know you’ll be traveling for several hours. Besides the fact that sleep is a key part of having a healthy lifestyle on the road, being rested makes you alert and sharpens your reaction time to unexpected cars or other hazards that might get in your way.
Avoid Boredom
If you haven’t heard of highway hypnosis, then it’s the sensation of losing focus while riding on a monotonous length of the highway. It’s easy to get tunnel vision if you’re staring at the same thing for a long time, which is why you should find some other things to occupy your mind. Crank up the music or get an audio book of an exciting story. You can even break out some old road trip games, like trying to find license plates from all of the states. Just remember not to cross the line from keeping your brain engaged to becoming distracted.
Try Some Exercises
The hardest part of spending long periods of time on the road is that it can be rough on your body. It can be the worst of both worlds having to sit in on position and stay completely focused until you’re exhausted and drained but still lack the health benefits of a person who works half as long. But the truth is that sometimes you just have to get moving. Pull over and stretch or even do some jumping jacks to get your blood flowing. Even a little exercise can energize you and keep you awake.
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Tags: lifestyle, trucker, trucking, trucking basics, trucking lifestyle