The night of sleep ends up being short catnaps, and the person feels sleepy when he wakes up in the morning. The next day he may fall asleep at work, at the dinner table, or worse, on the highway. The fact that many drivers aren t going to bed at a decent hour is another consideration. People are sleeping one hour less per day than they did 70 years ago. Socially and culturally we have moved toward a 24-hour day, and sleep has been a casualty.
Weariness can seriously impair judgment.
The brain operates on its own regulatory clock, known as the circadian rhythm. It causes people and many animals to sleep at night and awake with the sunlight. Any disturbance of this rhythm results in drowsiness. This may be one of the variables affecting sleepy drivers. The Sleep Disorders Clinic staff collaborates with experts in a variety of fields.