The effect of Coffee and napping on nighttime highway driving

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News
on 06/12/2006

Although driver behavior is not the cause of all instances of drowsiness at the wheel (which can be caused by disease or secondary effects of medication), drowsiness is often the direct result of lack of sleep and bad habits of drivers. Pierre Philip and his team at the Physiology and Physiopathology of Cell Signaling Laboratory (CNRS, Bordeaux Universities 1 and 2) have tested, for the first time in real driving conditions, the effect of a nap in a highway rest area and the effect of strong coffee on the performance of young subjects driving on highways at night.

Some people suffer from drowsiness every day, and should consult a physician. For other drivers, drowsiness at the wheel usually occurs while driving at night after a long day's work, after lack of sleep due to working at night, or after a very early start to avoid traffic holdups or to get to work early.

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