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In some states your medical condition would prevent you from getting (or renewing) a driver's license. You need to talk to a doctor immediately because you're

In some states your medical condition would prevent you from getting (or renewing) a driver's license. You need to talk to a doctor immediately because you're an active risk to other people on the road.

ogre_codes 6y ago
See my comment in the other thread.
- gamblor956 6y ago
  That other comment was posted after my reply, and your original comment said nothing about falling sleep after strenuous activity or large meals, so my comment still stands as a response to what you originally posted. Mostly just doing something physically tiring and having a full stomach, plus being in a monotonous 1-2 hour drive is a recipe for sleep. What you are describing still suggests an underlying medical condition or extreme indifference to the safety of others. I was being generous and assuming you were not deliberately being indifferent to the well-being other drivers. It's not normal to fall asleep driving after only a few hours of strenuous activity followed by food.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    > That other comment was posted after my reply, and your original comment said nothing about falling sleep after strenuous activity or large meals, so my comment still stands as a response to what you originally posted. You made a bunch of assumptions based on a small comment. I didn't say I have narcolepsy or regularly fall asleep at the wheel. > What you are describing still suggests an underlying medical condition or extreme indifference to the safety of others. I find it fascinating that people feel they are capable of coming up with a medical diagnosis for a random person over the internet based on a few vague comments.
myHNAccount123 6y ago
Yeah this persons actions are VERY concerning. They need to change their behaviour immediately. To Ogre_... you cannot self diagnose by saying "I know when I'm feeling tired so I nap." Go To A Doctor NOW.
- droopyEyelids 6y ago
  Im struggling to imagine how going to the doctor is going to fix this guy's issue. Do you hypothesize the doctor will be able to cure him?
  - TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
    They have good medicines for narcolepsy nowadays. Modafinil is an extremely good stimulant that reduces accidental sleeping like this significantly. They can also look at their sleep and see if there is an underlying issue that can be fixed.
dathinab 6y ago
What if? You need you driver license for your job, without you will lose everything. You already know that this is not something the doctor can easily help you with (e.g. caused by overwork or because you already visited the doctor). Sure it's kinda wrong, but most people would just continue driving, especially in countries with no good social net where permanently losing your job can easily lead to it really messing up your live (no health insurance, losing you home, not being able to care for your kids properly, maybe even starvation).
- gamblor956 6y ago
  You need you driver license for your job, without you will lose everything. This is why they provide ID cards that do not grant driving privileges. And why public transportation exists.
  - damnyou 6y ago
    Public transportation does not in fact exist in large parts of the US. Our society puts so many people in impossible binds. This discussion needs a great deal more empathy for them.
    - sillysaurusx 6y ago
      I just wanted to chime in and say that you’re right. Lots of people have no experience outside of big cities, so they don’t know how bad it is. Cars are a necessity in many places in the US; perhaps even most. Uber didn’t come to the St Louis “surrounding area” for some time, and even when they did, it was hard to find a driver.
    - ghaff 6y ago
      There are large areas of the world where public transportation is pretty limited as a day-to-day thing.
  - dathinab 6y ago
    > And why public transportation exists. But in many places it doesn't. Or is basically unusable for all kinds of reasons (e.g. you having night shift, being a woman and no security at all in public transport). Furthermore public transport doesn't fix the problem of losing the job for all people. There are enough jobs where you normally will never drive but you need a driver license for "emergencies" (whatever that means is job dependent).
ogre_codes 6y ago
FWIW, I'm pretty sure "5 hours of mountain biking", having post-ride food with buddies then driving home isn't considered a medical condition. Mostly just doing something physically tiring and having a full stomach, plus being in a monotonous 1-2 hour drive is a recipe for sleep. Thus my comment below about taking a nap and having company on the return trip.
- NikolaNovak 6y ago
  I've done drives where for various reasons it's difficult to stay as alert as I'd like to. FWIW - I normally have some kind of insomnia and take long time to fall asleep; but if I'm that tired, I can pull up into gas station or Tim Horton's (it's a Canadian thing:) and have a 30min power nap immediately. It's the only time I CAN have a power nap, but it works wonders. I fully 100% support the general notion expressed here that if we find outselves in a risky position as a driver, we should do something to mitigate that risk. I don't think "don't drive" is always in every circumstance a achievable recourse though, so a power nap can mitigate risk significantly.
- ghufran_syed 6y ago
  I agree - the problem with a lot of the replies to your comment is that everyone’s mental image of what you mean by “history of dozing off at the wheel” differs. I would guess that most drivers, and certainly every doctor who drives has “nodded off” at least once in their life. And you’re right, most of these situations are not indicative of a medical condition. I think it’s true that every driver should take responsibility for their own internal state, and do whatever they can to ensure they don’t drive in an impaired state, whether that’s just getting enough sleep, avoiding alcohol or certain meds, or being prepared to pull off the road and nap.
- adriancr 6y ago
  Have a coffee/redbull, get some sleep, or have someone else drive you. You might just doze off for a second or two and hit a tree or worse, someone... ( best depiction: https://youtu.be/ya3_EwQdJrk?t=30 https://youtu.be/ya3_EwQdJrk?t=30 )
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
LeifCarrotson 6y ago
Nonsense, this is almost certainly not a medical condition, this is normal biology. The constant attention required when driving makes everyone tired, during long drives especially, and if you're tired when you start driving from sleep deprivation or stress it's even worse. The important thing is that you recognize when you're tired and choose not to drive at those times. People get tired and need to sleep, usually, we can recognize it ourselves, it would be nice if technology could help us keep tabs on our tiredness automatically. I pushed my own tiredness limits when working 40 hours a week at a job 40 miles away while going to college full time that was 20 miles away, when driving for my first job delivering equipment 3 hours away, spending all day at programming the equipment, and driving back home in a single 15+ hour day, and also when trying to commute to work after staying up most of the night with my infant. I've never fallen asleep at the wheel, but I've noticed many times that I'm struggling to concentrate, so I opened a window and found somewhere to pull over and take a walk. Being tired in those conditions is not a medical problem. Being unsafe, however, is a choice. If and when you get too tired, you ought to pull over into a rest stop (that's what they're there for) and take a quick nap. The trouble is that whether or not you're getting tired is something you have to actively be checking (along with a million other things while driving), it's all too easy to let your brain transfer speed, lane centering, and navigation to your subconscious and not realize where you've been for the last 10 minutes. If cruise control can help you keep your speed, adaptive cruise can do it while in traffic, lane control can help you check that, and a driver-facing camera can help you check for attention, that's a big help. BTW I now work about 35 hours a week and commute just under 4 minutes each way - I worked hard to get here, but it's so worth it.
- jacksonlango 6y ago
  You're using your experience of "I've never fallen asleep at the wheel" to normalize "I have a history of dozing off at the wheel" FYI.
closeparen 6y ago
If anyone took this seriously, the hospital would take your drivers license before handing over your newborn.

ogre_codes 6y ago

See my comment in the other thread.

gamblor956 6y ago
That other comment was posted after my reply, and your original comment said nothing about falling sleep after strenuous activity or large meals, so my comment still stands as a response to what you originally posted. Mostly just doing something physically tiring and having a full stomach, plus being in a monotonous 1-2 hour drive is a recipe for sleep. What you are describing still suggests an underlying medical condition or extreme indifference to the safety of others. I was being generous and assuming you were not deliberately being indifferent to the well-being other drivers. It's not normal to fall asleep driving after only a few hours of strenuous activity followed by food.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  > That other comment was posted after my reply, and your original comment said nothing about falling sleep after strenuous activity or large meals, so my comment still stands as a response to what you originally posted. You made a bunch of assumptions based on a small comment. I didn't say I have narcolepsy or regularly fall asleep at the wheel. > What you are describing still suggests an underlying medical condition or extreme indifference to the safety of others. I find it fascinating that people feel they are capable of coming up with a medical diagnosis for a random person over the internet based on a few vague comments.

myHNAccount123 6y ago

Yeah this persons actions are VERY concerning. They need to change their behaviour immediately. To Ogre_... you cannot self diagnose by saying "I know when I'm feeling tired so I nap." Go To A Doctor NOW.

droopyEyelids 6y ago
Im struggling to imagine how going to the doctor is going to fix this guy's issue. Do you hypothesize the doctor will be able to cure him?
- TheAdamAndChe 6y ago
  They have good medicines for narcolepsy nowadays. Modafinil is an extremely good stimulant that reduces accidental sleeping like this significantly. They can also look at their sleep and see if there is an underlying issue that can be fixed.

dathinab 6y ago

What if? You need you driver license for your job, without you will lose everything. You already know that this is not something the doctor can easily help you with (e.g. caused by overwork or because you already visited the doctor). Sure it's kinda wrong, but most people would just continue driving, especially in countries with no good social net where permanently losing your job can easily lead to it really messing up your live (no health insurance, losing you home, not being able to care for your kids properly, maybe even starvation).

gamblor956 6y ago
You need you driver license for your job, without you will lose everything. This is why they provide ID cards that do not grant driving privileges. And why public transportation exists.
- damnyou 6y ago
  Public transportation does not in fact exist in large parts of the US. Our society puts so many people in impossible binds. This discussion needs a great deal more empathy for them.
  - sillysaurusx 6y ago
    I just wanted to chime in and say that you’re right. Lots of people have no experience outside of big cities, so they don’t know how bad it is. Cars are a necessity in many places in the US; perhaps even most. Uber didn’t come to the St Louis “surrounding area” for some time, and even when they did, it was hard to find a driver.
  - ghaff 6y ago
    There are large areas of the world where public transportation is pretty limited as a day-to-day thing.
- dathinab 6y ago
  > And why public transportation exists. But in many places it doesn't. Or is basically unusable for all kinds of reasons (e.g. you having night shift, being a woman and no security at all in public transport). Furthermore public transport doesn't fix the problem of losing the job for all people. There are enough jobs where you normally will never drive but you need a driver license for "emergencies" (whatever that means is job dependent).

ogre_codes 6y ago

FWIW, I'm pretty sure "5 hours of mountain biking", having post-ride food with buddies then driving home isn't considered a medical condition. Mostly just doing something physically tiring and having a full stomach, plus being in a monotonous 1-2 hour drive is a recipe for sleep. Thus my comment below about taking a nap and having company on the return trip.

NikolaNovak 6y ago
I've done drives where for various reasons it's difficult to stay as alert as I'd like to. FWIW - I normally have some kind of insomnia and take long time to fall asleep; but if I'm that tired, I can pull up into gas station or Tim Horton's (it's a Canadian thing:) and have a 30min power nap immediately. It's the only time I CAN have a power nap, but it works wonders. I fully 100% support the general notion expressed here that if we find outselves in a risky position as a driver, we should do something to mitigate that risk. I don't think "don't drive" is always in every circumstance a achievable recourse though, so a power nap can mitigate risk significantly.
ghufran_syed 6y ago
I agree - the problem with a lot of the replies to your comment is that everyone’s mental image of what you mean by “history of dozing off at the wheel” differs. I would guess that most drivers, and certainly every doctor who drives has “nodded off” at least once in their life. And you’re right, most of these situations are not indicative of a medical condition. I think it’s true that every driver should take responsibility for their own internal state, and do whatever they can to ensure they don’t drive in an impaired state, whether that’s just getting enough sleep, avoiding alcohol or certain meds, or being prepared to pull off the road and nap.
adriancr 6y ago
Have a coffee/redbull, get some sleep, or have someone else drive you. You might just doze off for a second or two and hit a tree or worse, someone... ( best depiction: https://youtu.be/ya3_EwQdJrk?t=30 https://youtu.be/ya3_EwQdJrk?t=30 )
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

LeifCarrotson 6y ago

Nonsense, this is almost certainly not a medical condition, this is normal biology. The constant attention required when driving makes everyone tired, during long drives especially, and if you're tired when you start driving from sleep deprivation or stress it's even worse. The important thing is that you recognize when you're tired and choose not to drive at those times. People get tired and need to sleep, usually, we can recognize it ourselves, it would be nice if technology could help us keep tabs on our tiredness automatically. I pushed my own tiredness limits when working 40 hours a week at a job 40 miles away while going to college full time that was 20 miles away, when driving for my first job delivering equipment 3 hours away, spending all day at programming the equipment, and driving back home in a single 15+ hour day, and also when trying to commute to work after staying up most of the night with my infant. I've never fallen asleep at the wheel, but I've noticed many times that I'm struggling to concentrate, so I opened a window and found somewhere to pull over and take a walk. Being tired in those conditions is not a medical problem. Being unsafe, however, is a choice. If and when you get too tired, you ought to pull over into a rest stop (that's what they're there for) and take a quick nap. The trouble is that whether or not you're getting tired is something you have to actively be checking (along with a million other things while driving), it's all too easy to let your brain transfer speed, lane centering, and navigation to your subconscious and not realize where you've been for the last 10 minutes. If cruise control can help you keep your speed, adaptive cruise can do it while in traffic, lane control can help you check that, and a driver-facing camera can help you check for attention, that's a big help. BTW I now work about 35 hours a week and commute just under 4 minutes each way - I worked hard to get here, but it's so worth it.

jacksonlango 6y ago
You're using your experience of "I've never fallen asleep at the wheel" to normalize "I have a history of dozing off at the wheel" FYI.

closeparen 6y ago

If anyone took this seriously, the hospital would take your drivers license before handing over your newborn.