Falling asleep while driving

I have never fallen asleep at the wheel but there has been times of extreme tiredness or fatigue that I can feel my eyes wanting to close and/or my mind just shuts off. I don't have it all the time either but I know exactly what you're talking about. There are times when I am at home that it happens too.

Please be careful! If you feel this intense fatigue coming on while driving, pull over and walk around for a minute or two. If you are near a restaurant or rest stop, splash some cold water on your face.....anything to keep your eyes open.

Have you ever been checked for Narcolepsy?

You know, its kinda funny. I am not tired/sleepy but am falling asleep at work in the afternoons and am having a hard time with my evening commute home. And, I only have a 15 minute drive.

what helps - munching on ice. As soon as I find myself dozing, I start munching on ice and it seems to wake me up. I wonder sometimes if it isn't dehydration that plays a role in the afternoon slump?

I have had the same problem for many years. Even if I'm not driving if I sit and relax for a few minutes I will fall asleep. Usually only for 15 min to an hour. My husband does most of the driving now when he's here and he jokes that if we go on a trip that I'll be asleep before we get to the city limits LOL .

The docs didn't think it was related to my meds so I had a sleep study done last year and was told I wake up 30 times an hour which is 240 times in 8 hours. I was just wondering if anyone else has had a sleep study done and what were the results? Does anyone know if this is a common problem for people with FM? Thanks.

Casey (Vegas)

my fatigue and concentration has got so bad that my dr. or my husband doesn't want me driving anymore. I actually wasn't to upset becasue I was scaring mysefl getting lost. I am very lucky to live in a town with anchor -rides. It picks me up at the door and carries me any where I want to go.It extremely cheap and I am safe.

I too, think you should have a sleep study done..any of you falling asleep driving, anyone fallisng asleep at their desk in the afternoon.  I do have sleep apnea, was 95# heavier when diagnosed.  I had a 2nd study done last summer and they dropped the titration on my machine by 2 points.  That was 30# ago and now I am not using the machine, which my doctor knows about.  It keeps me awake now, the doc feels with my weight loss, I probably am not having the issues with my breathing passages anymore.  I have 2 sons with apnea, one whoms titration is so high, if it needs to go up again, he will need 2 machines.

Some times though, I do believe we can have issues with sleep outside of apnea.  Just have it ruled out.

Hello Chompers. As a matter of fact that same thing has happened to me while I was on a 6 lane interstate. Another time when I was driving home from work. I have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine. It doesn't matter if I sleep 10 hours or 7 hours, if I close my eyes for more than a blink..... I am in REM just that fast. I could not perform my job. I have fallen asleep with a 750 degree soldering iron in my hand many many times. It became to much... I was on the verge of losing my job maybe even my life. I told my neurologist about all this. I see him for an arachnoid cyst that is inside my brain in the Parkinsons region. Those cysts are usually on the outside of the brain. Anyway, I have been prescribed Provigil. It helps so so much. I try to only take it when I am working. I also have deteriorating disks. I have edema terribly bad that my life is altered by it some times. Sometimes I feel it is a catch 22. I hope the info on the Provigil helps... It works for me.

I had the sleep apnea test and that is not the issue. I am on several meds but have been on them for several years and this falling asleep kinda thing is only been recently so thats not the problem. So, I blame it on the hypothyroidism.

Chompers, I agree. Its not like feeling sleepy and NEED a nap. Its kinda like one minute your fine and the next you realize that you just had some sort of split second brain shut down. Its like a total shut down of all systems and then the switch is hit and all is back on - its really weird and very scary, especially when you are driving.

Hopefully, the thyroid meds will bring everything back to normal and these brain zaps will cease. If thats not the reason......I can only hope they don't get worse or happen more frequently. I cannot afford to not drive/work.

I will go get checked out!

I just had thyroid and everything else checked out because their suspicion initially was MS..