Driving Sleep Stroke - Sleep and Road Safety

Driving asleep is an insidious phenomenon, which can lead to dangerous situations for oneself and for others.

Sleepiness is one of the main factors that increase the risk of road accidents. The stroke of sleep at the wheel occurs above all due to the deprivation of night sleep and excessive fatigue that makes the driver less attentive and receptive to external stimuli. In practice, when the dreaded sleep stroke occurs, the driver falls asleep for a very short time time, but staying even just two seconds with your eyes closed while traveling at a speed of 130 km / h, means traveling almost 72 meters without vehicle control.

Typically, sleepiness is preceded by some warning signs, the first of which are: yawning frequently, blinking or feeling heavy and burning eyes.

they are more active when sleeping than when they are awake. Sleep can therefore be defined as a period of decreased motor and perceptual activity that follows a circadian rhythm. During this "suspension", the processes of vegetative life remain active: we continue to breathe, the heart does not stop beating, the blood circulation does not stop and the production of hormones does not stop. Perception is also not absent, as a person may be awakened by a sound or tactile stimulus and occasionally muscle activity may occur (for example, when changing position in bed).

Many theories have been advanced to explain the physiological role of sleep. Some researchers believe that the function of sleep is mainly of refreshment to allow the body to recover the energy expended in daytime activities. Other experimental evidence has shown that night rest can facilitate the storage of useful information acquired during wakefulness and helps to consolidate the experiences lived. Furthermore, recent data demonstrate the implication of sleep in immune defense mechanisms; some animals, deprived of rest for a long period, are more prone to infection.

and psycho-physical fatigue the next day.