Road trips are a summer tradition for many families, but some drivers are so focused on reaching their destination that they tend to ignore their bodies' need for sleep. However, Baylor College of Medicine's Dr. Philip Alapat explains the importance of getting enough sleep to ensure safe and fun road trips.
Alapat, assistant professor of medicine and an expert in sleep disorders , said sleep deprivation can be an issue before people even begin their trip. "People may be sleep deprived because they stay up late preparing the night before for the trip and then want to get an early start," he said. Additionally, most of us try to finish up a lot of work prior to the trip because of the anticipated lack of access during vacations.
According to Alapat, sleep deprivation on road trips also can occur because people try to stay awake to drive late into the night instead of sleeping. "All of these situations can lead to significant sleep deprivation that will inevitably end up causing excessive sleepiness and fatigue , which can be very dangerous while driving and trying to maintain attention on the road," Alapat said. Driving late at night or driving through adverse weather conditions becomes increasingly dangerous when people are sleep deprived.
"We know that most traffic accidents that occur at night are single-vehicle accidents—not multi-vehicle accidents. These are accidents that often happen because people fall asleep at the wheel and run off the road or run into something on .