Tips for sleep and travel Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Summer is fantastic, the kids are out of school, the weather is amazing, and you are ready to go and travel the country! One of the biggest mistakes people make when traveling is forgetting to prioritize sleep especially on road trips. Drowsy driving causes approximately 72,000 car accidents each year. Driving while drowsy can be just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Each hour of sleep you don’t get only increases your and your family’s chance of a crash.
Here are some helpful hints to making sleep a priority while on vacation
- Try to drive during the parts of the day when you are most alert. Typically mid-morning, early afternoon, and evening people tend to be at their most alert (luckily this also corresponds to the time where the roads tend to be less crowded)
- Bring your blanket or pillow! This might sound strange but when traveling to multiple destinations or staying in unfamiliar areas and mattresses having a part of home helps you sleep better.
- Be careful of what medicines you are taking. You don’t want to become drowsy because of a side effect of an allergy medicine.
- Take advantage of any time you get to relax. Use those rest areas to get out and stretch and even take a nap.
- Don’t rush your trip Take that extra day to stop and stay the night rather than booking it straight from one destination to the next. You can always find somewhere to stay that has something interesting for the family along your journey.