Sleepiness

I truly appreciate all the replies & suggestions. I am going to try drinking more water when I ride. I work (hard) outside about 95% of the time that I am not riding a motorcycle, and although I drink lots of water, I wonder if maybe that I am dehydrated when riding . I have all but given up the energy drinks, and I know they are not good for me, but I was desperate for help. I will certainly give it a try. I have noticed an increase in my heart rate at times, usually hours after drinking a Monster or Red Bull, so giving that up as I don't like that feeling. Guess I really am getting old , but I'll bet I can outride most 20 year olds . At least I haven't caught myself drooling while dozing....yet. Maybe I can be the only resident at the nursing home that rides a m/c.

Gatorade works

Mostly, you're dehydrated. Caffeine is dehydrating, too ... go for water or gatorade. Energy drinks are caffeine, gatorade is electrolytes.

ATGATT helps keep sun and wind off and that's yet another good reason for wearing it because sun and wind are dehydrating. Still, you'll experience some wind anyway.

Another thing to remember about dehydration...once you're in a dehydrated state, it's difficult for your body to absorb enough water just by drinking to make a difference while you're out riding. If you're planning a long ride, you need to start hydrating 2 days before you leave. If you're well hydrated when you start, drinking water will help keep you hydrated, both for that day and as you keep hydrated for future days.

shortythorne said:

Thanks for all the replies! I am really struggling with this at times, and it can make me VERY miserable. I have tried everything suggested and the fresh air in the face, standing on the pegs, etc. do help, but not for long. I think I will try the caffeine pills and see if they work for me. I drink coffee, but not while riding due to having to stop too often. I have told Paul to just stop for a minute and let me walk around a bit. I also have been known to do exercises on the side of the road! Anything to become more alert. I do have a full face helmet, but it has a built in sun visor which allows me to open the face shield and still have protection for my eyes. Right now, the caffeine pills may be the ticket. It would just be plain stupid to have an accident due to falling asleep, as I am otherwise over the top about safety. This isn't something new for me, as I have suffered with bouts of this for years, but I've just got to find a solution before I become a hood ornament. Voni, the article pretty much sums it up exactly! THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM FOR ME. Thanks...Gail

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I ride exactly like you do - tank to tank and have experienced this in my cage and early on with the bike. For me, the answer was absolutely no large or even medium meals. Small nibbly snacks often and constant small sips of water and later in the day sometimes 50% water and gatorade (carry a zip lock bag of powdered version). The idea is to be hydrated all the times as well as topped up in electrolytes without your body trying to digest a big carb load ever. Some say only high performing athletes need gatorade; well I posit that long distance riding is an athletic endeavour. Ride safe and well fed.

Were I to drink as much water, Gatorade or anything else, as is being discussed here, then I would ride only 20-30 minutes between pee stops.

akbeemer said:

Were I to drink as much water, Gatorade or anything else, as is being discussed here, then I would ride only 20-30 minutes between pee stops.

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Or put another way, as we strain more with age to urinate, we are actually flexing the muscled walls of the bladder with each trip to the potty. This causes them to thicken over time - hence our bladders become a little smaller each year.

Growing older is not for the faint of heart.

Since you penned this in Spring have you considered seasonal allergies? Spring and Fall can be rough on those that are prone. It isn't simply about sneezing. Allergies can manifest themselves into multiple ailments, including lethargy. Might be worth checking out.
Good luck!

As a general reply, those who get sleepy while driving a car are probably not sleepy because they are dehydrated.

As was mentioned above dehydration can cause kidney stones. I just went through a bout with a kidney stone. It was a tough couple of days. Fortunately I am close to a hospital (3/4 mile) and they had the necessary equipment and personnel to help me have a successful outcome (lithotripsy).

The doctors indicated that when one urinates the urine should be clear. A yellowish color indicates inadequate hydration. I am going to make a point of hydrating myself more adequately before and during my riding. I now know that I have been doing a poor job thus far.

The pain from the kidney stone came up fast. I would have been unable to ride during this interval. I am fortunate to have been at home and with my wife and myself retired, it was relatively easy to make the short trips to the hospital.

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

WWeldin said:

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

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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.

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.


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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.

glennmac said:

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.


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It works because of the sugar in it.

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


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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?


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"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.

PoorUB said:

"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.

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

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.

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.