Caffeine Vs. Napping Driving Effects

1
Caffeine Vs. Napping Driving Effects
2
I remember during my freshman year at college, I
worked at a retail store, and it was the evening
of Thanksgiving, so I was napping right before my
shift.
3
This to me meant that I would be going to work at
the stroke of midnight to deal with the huge
sales.
4
I remember thinking to myself, Im glad I took a
nap before driving to work.
5
However, I wondered what about my fellow workers
who just had an energy drink or some other form
of caffeine.
6
How are they feeling?
7
The answer is that they probably felt about the
same as me.
8
However, they probably werent as focused as I
was which is important especially when driving at
night on a busy night.
9
Napping versus caffeine has been proven to be
better for people.
10
A study at UG San Diego in California consisted
of 61 participants from which half was given a
caffeine pill and the other half took a 90 minute
nap.
11
The participants would soon be given a series of
tests to compare cognitive tasks emphasizing
verbal memory, motor skills, and perceptual
learning to see if there is a difference in
effectiveness between caffeine and naps.
12
Following the tests it appears that both parties
felt about the same at the beginning of the tests.
13
However the participants that took the 90 minute
nap scored higher in the tasks mentioned above.
14
Youre probably asking yourself What does this
have to do with driving safely? The answer is
that all of the skills that were tested above are
needed for safe driving.
15
Drivers use the verbal memory when they listen to
sounds on the road.
16
You remember from the sound you heard during
driving with your relatives or in a defensive
driving course that when you hear a train you
know to look out.
17
With your general motor skills you know when to
apply pressure to the accelerator to drive at a
safe speed.
18
You also know when to apply the brake to slow
down, make a safe turn, or merge into another
lane.
19
Drivers use their perceptual learning in order to
perceive what is safe and what isnt.
20
This comes from the experience a driver receives
from driving safely.
21
In conclusion napping is usually safer for
driving than taking a caffeine supplement when
the driver is tired.