January 25th, 2012
Caffeine and Long-Distance Driving
Most travelers who have done even short stints of night driving have likely noticed that there are a number of alertness products on the market. Every truck stop and convenience store seems loaded with supplements meant to increase concentration, and there are as many kinds of power drinks as there are kinds of beer. Certainly there are signs that the labs are very busy at work making new drinks that can help keep drivers awake. Most travelers are probably also aware that the reason for these products comes from the dangers of the road, of falling asleep while at the wheel.
While truck stops
are often a nice place to meet other travelers and locals, and talk about custom rims and other things of the road, they can also be great opportunities to find out how these products really work. It’s always interesting to find out what the professionals do to stay awake, and it’s also an opportunity to find out how to drink coffee, “trucker style.” It’s probably not surprising when one finds that for truckers, the preferred beverage on the road is still coffee. There are plenty of reasons it’s been popular for so long, and even though ginseng and guarana might have their benefits, coffee is still the most social of all the alertness-inducing chemicals.
Sometimes it takes science awhile to catch up and focus on proving something that is probably very obvious to most. There have been studies recently to measure levels of alertness and responsiveness with and without caffeine. It would be no shock to discover that there is a correlation, according to the studies so far. Drivers who have caffeine late at night are more alert than those who do not. It may be true for the other alertness chemicals as well, but until there are more tests to demonstrate their statistical efficacy, common sense will probably have to serve in its place.
When it comes to real experience, it’s often more pleasant, and certainly more social, to talk to the ones having the experiences. Professional drivers and well-seasoned travelers all likely have stories about coffee and the road. They’re likely to be able to speak about toyo tires, horsepower and torque, and other variations in driving that make it interesting. So while medical studies may be able to explain coffee in terms that scientists understand, drivers can speak directly to the moment to moment feeling of being in the drivers seat. Sometimes the metaphors can serve for the real thing, but sometimes the real thing is a little bit more fun.
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