How to deal with fatigue

A quick, 20 minutes’ nap may often work real wonders. That’s the result of a recent survey commissioned by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). 58 long distance truckers took part in the study. It revealed that neither fresh air nor coffee nor loud music are effective in combating tiredness. However a quick nap is. According to the survey tiredness can be managed. Falling into a dreaded microsleep can be avoided without adversely affecting the trucker’s daily routine. 15 to 20 minutes sleep as and when required is often enough.

Recognising one’s individual sleep requirements and taking nap breaks accordingly is something that can be systematically trained. During the 2 years of the study project, the truckers recorded their sleeping habits in “sleep diaries”, becoming aware of the relationship between tiredness and sleep requirement. The truckers also learned how to recognise the signals of the onset of fatigue in good time and to proactively counter it with a nap.

Fatigue – an accident risk

One in five road accidents in Germany is attributable to driving when tired, according to the Federal Highway Research Institute. It is estimated that traffic accidents due to tiredness cause economic damage amounting to approx. five billion euros annually.

Falling into microsleep is a particularly insidious danger. This is when the driver nods off for a couple of seconds unintentionally. It can happen even with open eyes and it poses a risk particularly during long night drives or monotonous journeys.