Sleepiness

[greenwald]

There are some good urine color charts for dehydration online. A former employer had one posted in the restrooms. Good info.

An informative and relevant discussion - thanks Gail.

However, you can tell this is a BMW crowd.

Unlikely a discussion like this is occurring on some 'American Iron' / 'Live To Ride - Ride To Live' site.

[glennmac]

I too suffer being sleepy on the bike. I use chewing gum and believe it or not it actually works wonders. My wife educated me on this a few years ago. I keep a pack of gum in all of my vehicles and all of my tank bags.

Good luck and ride safe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PoorUB]

Like others have mention, drink water or Gatorade and drink before you leave, and drink before you need it. Once you get dehydrated it is tough to catch up if you are still riding.

I start in the AM drinking too much water. I also take an ibuprofen in the morning. I try drink a 20 ounce bottle every hour in normal weather, hot weather even more. If I don't pee at a gas stop, I force down more water. I will carry one or two 20 ounce bottles on the bike and drink constantly while riding. 20 minutes from a gas stop I will drink it all I can stand so I am ready to relieve myself at the stop.

[powwow]

I too suffer being sleepy on the bike. I use chewing gum and believe it or not it actually works wonders. My wife educated me on this a few years ago. I keep a pack of gum in all of my vehicles and all of my tank bags.

Good luck and ride safe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It works because of the sugar in it.

[glennmac]

Actually the gum I use is sugar free. Don’t know what makes it work. PFM I guess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tangoalpha]

Interesting topic. Fortunately I do not experience this in general, unless I’m riding while exhausted or didn’t have sufficient sleep the night before. The furthest I ever rode in a single day was 700 miles, stopping only for gas, bathroom breaks along the way and a quick bite to eat. During this ride I never had any sleepy symptoms, I attribute it to getting plenty of rest the night before. That evening after the 700 mile ride, I slept like a baby.

However, I do recall nodding off once while riding through a traffic intersection about 30+ years ago. I was riding home around 1AM and had no place to spend the night, so I opted to ride home. Well, I was already fighting off sleep before I even got on to bike, so that was just poor judgment on my part. I was about 18 or 19 years old at the time, so need I say more?

In any event, I was approaching an intersection along a major thoroughfare...I was probably 100 yards away. I recall seeing the traffic signal as I approached and the next thing I remember I had nodded off and in my shock as I regained control and became aware of what just happened, a quick look on my rear view mirrors confirmed, the traffic signal was no longer ahead of me, but BEHIND ME! Honestly, it scared the hell out of me to realize what had just taken place. It’s a miracle that I didn’t crash my bike, get struck by a vehicle as I passed through the intersection or strike an oncoming vehicle. Pure miracle...as far as I’m concerned. Needless to say, it’s never happened since as I will not allow myself to ride under those conditions. It’s not worth taking that risk.

Anything like that ever happen to anyone else?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PoorUB]

"Anything like that ever happen to anyone else?"

Woke up from hearing gravel hitting the steel fenders on my Honda, running 55 on a rural highway. I woke up on the opposite shoulder.

[tangoalpha]

"Anything like that ever happen to anyone else?"

Woke up from hearing gravel hitting the steel fenders on my Honda, running 55 on a rural highway. I woke up on the opposite shoulder.

Yikes! Glad you survived. Could have very easily gone the other direction....if you know what I mean.

[rmcclure]

My LT has about a four hour range between fuel stops. I find that if I stop about every two hours, drink some water, and maybe a bite of trail mix or something similar is helpful. Next stop again in two hours will be for fuel, washroom, and more water and a small bite to eat. Having a full lunch definitely would bring on a sleepy feeling on the next leg of the trip. I have coffee, but only one in the morning when traveling all day, otherwise washroom breaks are all too frequent.

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and I used to get a sleepy feeling almost every day sometime between 1230 and 3pm. A brief catnap (10-15 minutes of shuteye) would cure this feeling. Turns out, even although I was sleeping for 7 or more hours at night, I was not getting good quality sleep. Using the prescribed CPAP machine has allowed me to get the sleep I need and no longer have my afternoon sleepy spell. A friend that I sometimes ride with would literally fall asleep while riding. Turns out he had issues with blood pressure, possibly low? It would seem that a thorough medical evaluation might be helpful in pinpointing the cause of your drowsiness. Best of luck in finding a solution. It is a lot more enjoyable when you can stay alert all day, rather than feeling like you are just hanging on.

[ExGMan]

I just had a conversation with a family member who was diagnosed with sleep apnea at age 76. She'd been drifting off into naps at various times during the day. After she began using the CPAP machine, she was sleeping for 8.5 hours/night without waking up. She's feeling full of energy now.