somewhat awesome
Microsleeps
Ever had one?
I had one last week... Was driving to work, on this particular road where it begins to queue up so I was doing about 40km/h about 20 metres behind this other guy, next thing I know I'm about 5 metres, he's just about to stop so my first instinct is to slam on the brakes hard enough to make the car turn to the right a little bit. I literally do not recall the period of time in which I caught up that 15 metres difference. I don't remember my eyes closing either.
I'm pretty sure it's not the first time I've had a microsleep either. A few years back on the way to TAFE I had had a late night and on this particular road I was fine, next thing I had overshot a corner and didn't realise how - fortunately I recovered quickly and didn't get into any grief. Scared the crap out of me though! I'm sure I've had more than a few on the freeway.
It seems there's not much I can do about it though? Caffeine doesn't wake me up, it just sometimes keeps me up so a coke in morning (I hate coffee) is no use to me. I also seem to be incredibly tired no matter how much sleep I get - 6 hours, 8 hours or 10 hours. I don't particularly consider myself a danger on the road as I make an effort to make sure I am completely aware of everything around me and ahead on me, and yet all that can be undone with half a second of involuntary unconsciousness...
Anyone else had a similar experience?
Projecting
Can't say I've ever fallen asleep. The only time I did go close I pulled over and took a nap.
You may not consider yourself a danger, and in all honesty your not, but when your not in control of the car I think you've been quite lucky.
Do you start feeling tired or do they just come on randomly? If your feeling tired maybe pull over and have a 15 minute power nap or something. 15 minutes late or dead, your choice.
somewhat awesome
You don't start feeling tired, it just happens. I feel tired all the time, morning, day or night. I think you missed this bit:
and yet all that can be undone with half a second of involuntary unconsciousness...
Random
Time to go to the Doctor? Definitely sounds wrong to me. I went to the Docs tired all the time (plus some other symptoms) and it turned out I have diabetes!
Although you are safe 99.9% of the time, you have probably realised that the 5m you had to spare could so easily have been 0m if the microsleep had been just the tiniest bit longer!
Whoever said 'There is no substitute for cubes' had obviously never heard of Jet power
somewhat awesome
I've been to the doctor, they say there's nothing wrong with me and that I just need to eat healthier.
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Projecting
I'd be going back to the dr until they find something.
Is it only when your driving? And no I didn't miss it..
Not too sure what your options are but the Dr may have to run some more tests I'd say. I don't think any other measures will help you.
Definitely get it checked out by a specialist.
A mate of mine suffered from narcolepsy, which is probably the extreme form of what you describe. That's where you go into deep sleep (not just a microsleep) at the drop of a hat. Wrote his car off once, was lucky to survive and doesn't drive anymore.
But my untrained medical opinion is that you could have sleep apnea. That's where you basically stop breathing for a short period of time while you're sleeping. It can happen hundreds of times during the night and disrupt your sleep cycles. That might explain why you're tired no matter how long you sleep for because you're not getting a "quality" sleep. Do you snore much? For those who have sleep apnea bad, it can be a life and death problem so they're on positive pressure ventilators while they're asleep to keep their airways open.
Go and see a doctor to get a referral to a specialist, you've had a couple of close calls already - time to heed the warning signs. From what little I know about it they analyse your sleep patterns during an overnight stay.
somewhat awesome
I can't say I feel like I'm having breathing problems when I sleep - once I drop off I seem to sleep pretty well. Usually if I have a blocked nose or something it wakes me up straight away when I can't breathe but unless the sleep apnea is an unconscious thing I don't think that's it.
My diet is still pretty rubbish though but it's improving... But considering I've been like this for years (a good 15 years as far as I can remember... back to early primary school years) then perhaps it would be a good idea to have a proper test of my sleep patterns.
ive done this before.. was on hume hwy (surrounded by trucks, SCARY) then a few seconds later i had sailed thru a set of lights (ill presume they were green or i ouldnt be here) and u to the next set.. scared me tht night...
DaZ
Project: Shifty1 commences Feb 2007
The_Monk says:
im a leech
yeh i had a similar experience saturday night, not the 1 just gone, the 1 b4, i was driving home at 4 in the morning, i was really tired but there was no-one on the road so i thought i should b fine, then the next thing i find myself heading straight for the side of the road, i mustav slept goin around a corner on portrush road, thats been my only bad experience though
That's the problem with it, it's an unconscious thing. For the mild sufferers the brain briefly arouses during sleep to clear the blocked airway, but sleep is fragmented. The sufferer is never aware of it, apart from unexplained tiredness, or a sore throat. There's a few other symptoms but nothing that screams "Holy crap!! I've stopped breathing!!"Originally Posted by DavidPartay
For the ones who get it bad the body doesn't register that the airway is closed and it remains closed while they're sleeping = extreme danger.
somewhat awesome
Yeah, that is pretty bad...
I've been looking up sleep disorders on Wikipedia, but it's really a situation of rather than me trying to diagnose the problem myself I should probably get checked out by a specialist, I agree. I never wake up with a sore throat though, so whether sleep apnea is the problem I don't know... I've never had anyone tell me that I snore (although I did punch my ex in the head once in my sleep...)
is that why shes ya ex? :P
Anyway, i wake up with a sore throat sometimes.. a glass of water or juice fixes it.. and ive been told i snore.. a little loud too..
DaZ
Project: Shifty1 commences Feb 2007
The_Monk says:
im a leech
somewhat awesome
Nah, she's my ex for many other reasons although I would be well justified in saying that she deserved it... Not that I have ever or would ever hit a woman unless they were seriously trying to do me some damage and I had no choice. But you don't necessarily need to hit someone to stop them hurting you.
Anyway, I just went out and bought some multi-vitamins which I'm hoping will help while I'm trying to fix up my diet, I'll see how I go for another couple of weeks.
Yeah, Im the same mate..
I used to take them.. dont remember if they made a difference..
DaZ
Project: Shifty1 commences Feb 2007
The_Monk says:
im a leech
somewhat awesome
Well at the moment I'm trying to be as stingey as I possibly can be, so if the multi-vitamins and my developing change in diet actually help me not to feel tired anymore then that'll be a much cheaper alternative to seeing a GP which may or may not say more than the last one telling me I was nearly anaemic.
3Y3 K4N 5P33K 1337.
worst ive doen is foolishly driving home at 4am after getting up eairly the previous morning and pulling an all nighter, blacked out a few times down the freeway, so i just sat in the middle lane slowed down a little and tried to remain alert, was very unwise but i made it home w/o scratching my mates car, needless to say i hit the sack first thing
attn Über geeks, i play Second life. Patrio Graysmark.
DJ Titan...Hardstyle guru
well davidpartay i just reckon its a thing called 'zoning-out'.......happens to alot of people a bit but noone really takes any notice its happening till they ### up and stack or get close to it...
happens to me on the freeway a bit, have cruise control on, listening to tekkas and a good song comes on you think more about the music and pretty much ignore the road....then you realise youre not paying attention and snap back and make sure youre concentrating from then on.... i doubt youve got a medical problem
Loudness - the intensity of sound!
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check it...
somewhat awesome
Mate, I have zoned out in the past (usually when fiddling with stereo), and it's not what happened. I refuse to drive with Cruise Control on (with my new car) because to me it's just asking to lose concentration and have an accident. If you're not doing anything, that's why you zone out.
I do get you though, I do zone out at times and I understand completely that it can be just as dangerous as a micro-sleep. That's why I always put an effort into making sure I keep my eyes moving, watching everything that's going on, etc.
Legendary Baby!
Ive had microsleeps, nothing too bad though, but i agree with some people about your diet, my diet is absolute ratshit, so i dont get decent sleep. Late last year i began to eat really well, and within a week, i wasnt tired anymore, i would get up when i had too and wouldnt sleep through alarms and i was less of an asshole, it lasted a few months then i got lazy again and im back to my old ways, its time to change and start to eat properly again i reckon
(The "Docs" recommendations)
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DJ Titan...Hardstyle guru
wasnt having a go at ya man, although the start of my post may have indicated otherwise.... its all good
i had never heard the term "microsleeps" and i would think, based on a general description, they the same as zoning out, its the caspe or conciousness, where youre awake but dont think for a while... i dunno, i aint no brain electro genius so meh....
Loudness - the intensity of sound!
check it...
Penguin Whisperer
When I was working longer hours than I do now I sometimes got into the driveaway and couldn't recall passing certain landmarks, etc on the way home, it does scare you when it occurs
we like the bun
i'd recommend going to a real doctor then. that seems like rubbish advice. as Demons said conditions like narcolepsy and sleep apnea are real and exist in many people. you can suffer mild forms of them and it's absolutely in your best interests to have yourself diagnosed properly, even if it turns out there's nothing wrong.
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