Tips for Staying Awake While Driving

By Kimberly Graf. Published on June 18, 2025

Whether you're a long-haul truck driver or a road trip enthusiast, it's likely that you've had to battle some degree of drowsiness while driving before. As we all know, it's pretty dangerous to drive while your eyes are sliding closed, especially on highways where the speeds are high and the traffic is tight.

Even a small amount of tiredness can reduce your reaction time. If the car in front of your brakes and you're a second too slow on the brake pedal, there can be disastrous consequences. So to avoid that, here are some tips that will help you stay awake and interested in the journey ahead.

The first thing that most people do is to caffeinate themselves until they are alert again. This is a viable option, with some drawbacks. First off, if you make the investment in your own travel mug, most gas stations will allow you to fill it up with their coffee. They will also likely charge you the approximate price for one of their sizes, so the chances are that you might get more for your money that way. Plus, using a mug that you can wash cuts down on the usage of paper cups, which is better for the environment. Win-win!

But coffee and energy drinks only give you so much energy for so long before you start to feel drowsy again. This can get dangerous and expensive quickly. To avoid the crash, you can use other methods to stay awake - after all, doctors recommend that you try and avoid drinking more than four cups of coffee a day.

One of the best ways to avoid falling asleep is to have a traveling companion who won't fall asleep in the passenger seat. This is rare, but while your friend or partners are awake, talking to them can help you stay alert. It requires your mind to be engaged. If you find yourself falling asleep and don't have anyone with you, you can call someone and chat with them until you get somewhere you can safely stop for a nap or a night of rest.

Make it cold in your vehicle. Keeping it nice and toasty tends to make you more drowsy and comfortable, and doing this can quickly lead to nodding off and excessive yawning. Keeping the air conditioning running on frigid or a window cracked in cold weather will help you keep your eyes open.

If you can, get plenty of sleep the night before you set out. This means you're starting out with a fresh slate, and while you still might get bored or sleepy, you're already one step ahead of the game if you're running on a full tank. It also helps to eat a healthy meal before you take off, because that fuel is going to burn longer and cleaner than junk food will.

If you can't avoid it and you need to pull over, don't be afraid to. Roadside parks and large parking lots often play host to napping travelers, so don't feel like you're going to be alone in this. A 20-minute power nap will get you going again in no time, even though you might feel groggy at first. Of course, each person has a different time limit for when a nap stops being effective, so knowing your own sleeping habits really helps in this situation.

Loud music can also help. It will definitely help keep you awake, and the more jarring the music, the better. Be warned, though, that music loud enough to keep you awake might also harm your hearing.

Though this may seem like a no-brainer, you should definitely hydrate! Dehydration can cause tiredness even if you've gotten enough sleep and had healthy meals.

You should note, though, that too much sugar makes you tired. So stay away from sugar in your drinks and foods, and you may be more alert for longer periods of time.

Vitamin supplements for Vitamin B and C might help you be more alert if you're feeling tired all the time as well. Taking these regularly boosts the levels of critical nutrients you might be lacking.

And finally - take breaks. Whether this is working your muscles while you're sitting in traffic (regardless of the looks your fellow drivers might give you) or stopping to get out of the car, getting your muscles moving will definitely help keep you alert. Get out and walk around for a moment; it's amazing how just some time out of the car might help boost your energy levels after all.

Driving drowsy is dangerous, and can lead to all sorts of problems. It's your responsibility as a driver to make sure that you're driving safely, for yourself, your family, and the other cars on the road. Using some of these methods will help keep you awake and alert, but they aren't any substitute for actual rest, so make sure you're getting plenty of that as well!

Comments

More Articles & Road Trip Tips