By Emily Woodbury
We RVers spend a lot of time driving. We’ve, sadly, become accomplished at “distracted driving” – settling arguments with our kids as they scream in the back seat, telling our dog to quit barking at a passing truck, ignoring a ringing cell phone when you just know it could be something IMPORTANT! Anyone who drives knows all about this. But I’ll bet you have never heard of something a whole lot more dangerous. I’m talking about sleep-driving!
Driving while asleep? Yeah, right. Not possible. Well, don’t laugh! It’s no joke. It happens, and usually to people taking Ambien, a sedative prescribed to combat insomnia.
Sleep driving is like sleepwalking, only instead of getting up and taking a trip to the fridge in the middle of the night, people, or “Ambien Zombies,” as they’re called, drive their vehicles while asleep with absolutely no memory of doing so.
Ambien is part of a group of drugs called “sedative-hypnotics” which were designed not to be addictive or not to leave users feeling groggy the next morning — something that most previous sleeping pills had done. The FDA warns that anyone taking any sleep medications, or “sedative-hypnotics” (mainly Ambien and Lunesta), may be at risk for sleep-driving.
“After taking Ambien, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing,” one label warns. “The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night.
Reported activities include: driving a car (‘sleep-driving’), making and eating food, talking on the phone, having sex, sleep-walking.” YIKES!
IN 2011, Lindsey Schweigert took an Ambien before going to bed. Hours later, she woke up in custody, charged with a DUI, and had no idea how she got there.
The story went like this: Schweigert woke up, bathed, took her dog outside and then climbed in her car. She began driving to a local restaurant and crashed into another vehicle shortly after that.
Schweigert is one of many who have suffered DUI consequences due to sleep-driving while on Ambien.
In 2008, actor Jack Nicholson told a photographer, “I took Ambien once. I fell asleep and almost drove off a cliff 50 yards from my house.”
Actor Steve Martin also commented that he had awakened one morning to find out he had won $1,000 in an online poker match. He had no recollection of playing poker due to an Ambien-induced stupor. Go, Steve!
Even though Ambien bottles warn of these dangers, no official studies have been done or research conducted on the subject. (Let’s get on that, folks!)
So, needless to say, if you take Ambien, well, maybe double lock yourself in your RV bedroom tonight. We don’t want your travel partner waking up in your bed, while you’re sound asleep in the driver’s seat, zooming down the highway at 3:30 a.m. No thanks.
##RVT1169
Sleep driving; possible? YES! I worked a 16 hour shift (3pm-7am) and headed to the campground 150 miles away. Thank goodness for rumble strips. I had driven about an hour, but only remember getting on the Interstate. When I hit the strips, the sign for the rest area was right there. Pulled in and slept for 4 hours.
Thank you Gaurdian Angel.
Yep…work 3rd shift for years and you’ll have that happen. My wife did it for 17 years and I did it for four. No ambien, just massive sleep deprevation. We both had incidences of arriving at work or home with no recollection of the 20 mile drive. Scary.
If you’ve seen the first “CARS” movie, the tired semi driving at night did the “stay awake” routine exactly….the head shake with lips flapping! 😂
I have nearly fallen asleep while driving our motor home! I call it Interstate Hypnosis. There are no drugs involved, good nites sleep, but hour after hour (not to exceed 6) – boredom? Air suspension ride? hum of the gas engine? It is insidious to say the least – to catch yourself virtually sleeping. In my case I woke up and realized what was happening before the shoulder, a road sign or whatever. I guess that is why they added rest areas to interstates! Duh! Walked around, readjusted the seat, got a cup of coffee….. I can’t even imagine drug induced sleep driving! What is Ambien for anyway?
It was about 3AM. Traffic on the interstate was sparse. I was a bit tired but thought a cup of coffee would keep me alert. I was moving a friends camper a few hundred miles and I just zoned out. The next thing I realized is that I was approaching the exit I needed to get off at. I had no recollection of the past 30+ miles I had driven. A friend that was with me said I had been quiet for a while but I was just cruising along at 65 MPH staying in my lane.
Don’t know how I did it but never want that to happen again.
Thank you, Emily! 🙂 Although DW regularly has trouble falling asleep, she has never taken Ambien. Nonetheless, thank you for the cautionary tale! 🙂 Have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂