Falling Asleep while driving?

[Billydude]

I started noticing a couple of years ago that I would fall asleep for a second while driving.  It escalated to a point that on a weekly long trip I needed to take that I would start falling asleep at the wheel many times and have had many close calls.    I finally had to give up on driving this trip and had to hire someone to drive me.   I don't believe I have sleep apnea as I sleep well, don't snore and get a full nights sleep.   This falling asleep at the wheel can happen at any time of the day.
Is there a medical reason for this?    I also have severe neck degeneration.  Could sometime be cutting off oxygen to my brain when I'm in this position?    I don't fall asleep at other times.  Just while I am driving.

[janedoe74]

Billydude...I know you said you have resolved your issues, can you possibly tell us what medications you were taking that was causing your problems?  I too have the same symptoms and know it didn't start until the dr put me on paxil.  She insisted that it could not be the cause.  After me driving them nuts they switched me to pristiq.  I thought it had helped but all the symptoms are slowly coming back.  Just wondering if it has something to do with antidepressants in general....although this never happened when I was taking fluoxetine.

[MeLeea]

I have the exact same issues for the last 2 yrs its gotten worse. I recently was diagnosed with a thyroid issue. And with further concern for the safety of my kids, I have been looking into why I fall asleep while driving, I found out that it may be just that HYPOTHYRIOD.
The following is an article I found that led me to looking into treatment...


Low Thyroid Function - Hypothyroidism
Pat Elliott, ND

Common Symptoms:

Fatigue, falling asleep during the day, excessive need for sleep, difficult to awaken, sleepiness after eating
Weakness, lightheadedness
Low pulse rate (below 80), low body temperature
Muscle and joint aches and pains
Low tolerance for temperature fluctuations, easily chilled or overheated
Cold hands and/or feet, poor circulation, Raynaud's phenomenon (fingers turn white when exposed to cold)
Pale skin, pale lips
Depression, decreased joy in living, lethargy, apathy, poor memory, difficult concentration
Irritability, mood swings, nervousness and anxiety
Un-coordination, sluggishness or "laziness"
Easy weight gain, difficult weight loss
Swelling in feet, puffiness around eyes on awakening
Sugar and other food cravings, hypoglycemia symptoms (weakness, shakiness and/or irritability before meals)
Dry skin, itchy skin, hives, acne, coarse or rough skin, eczema, psoriasis
Decrease in or lack of sweating
Brittle and slow growing hair and nails, dry hair, hair loss, loss of lateral eyebrows
Recurring or prolonged infections including: sinusitis, bronchitis/pneumonia, ear infections, tonsillitis, boils, vaginitis, bladder and kidney infections, and prostatitis
Poor wound healing, tendency for bruising
Elevated cholesterol and/or triglycerides in the blood, atherosclerosis, angina, heart attack, palpitations
High or very low blood pressure
Low libido, infertility, repeated miscarriage
Menstrual disturbances including: early or late starting age, painful periods, long or short cycles, irregular periods, heavy bleeding, bleeding lasting greater than 5 days, PMS, endometrial hyperplasia, uterine fibroids, and ovarian cysts
Constipation, indigestion, loss of appetite in the morning
Abnormal sensation in throat or upon swallowing
Hoarseness of voice
Allergies, asthma
Difficult breathing
Insomnia
Carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve entrapment symptoms (burning/tingling), hands or feet falling asleep
Migraine and other headaches
Poor hearing
Decline in health following a pregnancy
Family history of any of the above disorders

Diagnosis - Although cases of severe hypothyroidism can usually be diagnosed using standard laboratory testing of thyroid function, most mild and many moderate cases of hypothyroidism are only identified using clinical assessment of symptoms by a physician experienced in identifying patients with hidden hypothyroidism.  

Treatment - Recognition and proper daily treatment of low thyroid function using thyroid hormone replacement therapy will result in resolution of deficiency symptoms usually beginning within the first month of therapy and reaching a maximum at 6-12 months of treatment.  In most cases the therapy is continued for life.

Hypothyroidism Resources:

Thyroid Books:
Living Well with Hypothyroidism by Mary Shomon
Solved:  The Riddle of Illness by Stephen Langer, MD & James F Scheer
Hypothyroidism:  The Unsuspected Illness by Broda O. Barnes, MD & Lawrence Galton
The Thyroid Solution by Ridha Arem, MD

Thyroid Websites:
thyroid.about.com
http://www.altsupportthyroid.org/index.php

[NikkiJ1984]

I struggle with the same things as a lot of people do in this forum. I am a 29 year old mostly healthy female with an hour commute to work. During that time I fall asleep several times per day, whether I have had enough sleep or not. The other day I found myself asleep, behind the wheel, stopped at a stop light.

My question is, does anyone think we could all be the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning in our vehicles perhaps? Tho my car is not old... I am considering this blood flow angle too... and like other people here the ONLY thing that has helped is talking on the phone while driving.

[lolajune]

I  have the same issue of falling a sleep while driving for no reason.It almost makes me think this is some kind of hypnosis.

[lolajune]

I do have same issue of falling a sleep while driving for no reason.It almost makes me think this is some kind of hypnosis.

[PeterJP]

Do you suffer from dyslexia or have you been checked for it and do you fall asleep when reading for a short while?