You worked a long shift. Your feet are throbbing, your back is aching, and your eyelids are drooping closed. Sound familiar? Nurses work long and tiring shifts. Twelve hours on the clock is standard, and that’s if you manage to get off on time.
After a long shift, you probably want to jump in the car and get home to bed.
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But Nurses’ long and tiring shifts put them at a heightened risk for dangerous and potential deadly drowsy driving.
You’re a Nurse. You already know how important sleep is. But when you’re so busy taking care of other people, it is easy to forget about yourself. It’s also not uncommon for the nature of a Nurse’s job to make it difficult for him or her to fall asleep at night. Did I remember to chart on that last patient? Did I give the right dosage of that last med? Did I leave the right instructions for the night shift nurse? These running worries make it hard to check out and rest up.
Next time you finish a long shift on your feet, maybe even running on less than a full night’s sleep, make sure you’re in good shape to drive. You want to return to work tomorrow as a Nurse, not tonight as a patient.
Here are some signs of drowsy driving:
- Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eyelids
- Daydreaming or wandering/disconnected thoughts
- Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs
- Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes
- Having trouble keeping your head up
- Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip
- Feeling restless and irritable
- Turning up the radio or rolling down the window
- Impaired reaction time and judgment
- Decreased performance, vigilance and motivation
What to do to keep yourself safe:
- Already driving and realize you’re in no shape to be behind the wheel? Pull over and call a ride. Middle of the night? Pull your car over in a safe, well-lit location and call a cab. It will always be cheaper to pay for a cab ride than a car accident or hospital bill
- Arrange for a travel companion. Find a Nurse on your shift who lives close by who can ride with you and help make sure you are in shape to be driving
- Take a nap. If you are too tired to drive, find a place at work to take a quick nap before you hit the road
- Consume caffeine 30 minutes or so before you plan to head out
- Arrange a ride. Have a friend or family member who works or live nearby? Schedule rides for different shifts, that way you know before going into work that you have a safe and reliable way to get home
Some Quick Stats on Drowsy Driving:
- In a study of hospital staff nurses, almost 600 nurses (596 out of 895) reported at least 1 episode of drowsy driving and 30 nurses reported experiencing drowsy driving following every shift worked. For nurses who worked only night shifts, the percentage rose to 79.5%
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 100,000 police reported crashes each year are the direct result of driver fatigue. (NHTSA)
- Each year drowsy driving crashes result in at least 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. (NHTSA)
- Most drowsy driving crashes happen between midnight and 6:00 a.m., when the body’s need for sleep is greatest
- Drivers who drive alone or have no one to help them watch for the signs of fatigue, like Nurses returning home from work, are at higher risk.
- Many people do not realize how sleepy they are, but driving requires a set of skills that are significantly reduced when you are sleep deprived. Studies show that drowsiness can cause:
- slower reaction time
- impaired judgment and vision
- decline in attention to important signs, road changes and the actions of other vehicles
- decreased alertness, preventing you from seeing an obstacle and avoiding a crash
- increased moodiness and aggressive behavior
- problems with processing information and short-term memory
- microsleeps—brief 2/3 second sleep episodes
Some quick reminders about the importance of Sleep- yes, even for nurses!
- Experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep for adults
- When a person doesn’t get enough sleep, a “sleep debt” accumulates that must be repaid—often at unexpected times, such as behind the wheel of a car.
- Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. A good night’s sleep should be a regular part of everyone’s daily schedule.
- Sleep affects every part of one’s life, including health, safety, mood, learning, appearance, relationships and productivity. It is as vital to our well-being as food and water!
- Learn to recognize sleep problems. Problems sleeping or daytime sleepiness can signal a sleep disorder, which usually can be treated, or another medical condition. Talk to your doctor.
Nurses, we need you. Please put the same effort in to keeping yourself safe as you do for your patients.
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Sources:
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/drowsy-driving
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Drowsy%20Driving-Key%20Messages%20and%20Talking%20Points.pdf
- https://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsdrowsydriving/index.html
- https://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Distracted+Driving/Research+on+Drowsy+Driving
- https://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/drowsy_driving1/human/drows_driving/index.html
- https://www.modernmedicine.com/modern-medicine/news/nurses-and-drowsy-driving
- https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/aaos-nwe111907.php
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I lost count of all my own near-misses due to driving while drowsy after work.
A co-worker fell asleep trying to drive home from a night shift. She hit a curb, blew a tire, and was extremely upset. She called our boss in tears – and was chastised for not getting enough sleep before her shift!
More nurses should read your article and heed your advice. It could save some lives – maybe even their own.
12 hr night shifts leave me comatose. I have to nap beforehand in the parking lot and still fall asleep driving home. Then I sleep only 5 or 6 hours if I’m lucky and do it again.
very good again Abbye! I enjoyed reading how nurses can put the breaks on drowsy driving! I am blessed not to have been to tired to drive but I only work days but I can see how easy this could happen! I know if you don’t take care of your self you are no good to anyone else. I passed this on on my facebook wall due to I think it is great for all nurses to read! Whoever wins the spa for nurses will be blessed, another great way all of you at California Casualty show you care!
My nurse friend after working a swing shift and then night shift, would call me at 7:30am while she was driving home, so I could keep her awake. I don’t know how she made it home sometimes. But is was very annoying waking me up, and scary when she didn’t respond to my question. I think she finally got her husband to start picking her up from work. This is a serious problem, that hospitals should work out, like provide a van for nurses who worked a double shift, and deliver all of them home safely in the morning. 🙂