A long trip requires plenty of pre-planning. We suggest you also take into consideration tiredness and fatigue when going on a long trip and how to manage them.
We’ve all experienced travel fatigue. Those creaking limbs, the stiff joints, the yawns you exhale upon arrival at your destination and after your return. Your mind wants you to complete the journey, get out of the car and feel perfectly at ease, but your body simply will not cooperate. So you lose time. Valuable time that could have been better spent. But, today you’re in luck. Yes, we’re going to end your days of constant tiredness and sunken eyes after travel. Right here, right now I’m going to be putting you through your paces; drilling you, until you overcome your travel fatigue. By the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll have the lowdown on how you can prevent fatigue on a long trip. You’ll wonder how you ever got tired in the first place.
Take Regular Rest Stops
Circulation is a major key to how you can prevent fatigue on a long trip. So take a break every 90 minutes. You’ll stop tiredness and stop fatigue very easily. If you’re in your car, get out and stretch your legs. If you’re on a Plane or Train, walk up the aisle and back again to your seat. Energy comes from the flow of Oxygen in the blood and blood flow is fastest when you’re standing up and being active. So be active. You don’t need to be sitting down for the whole journey. Not when you could be making all that wonderful energy to be used later.
Don’t Play Catch-Up
Make sure you get a full night sleep the night before you leave. Otherwise, you’ll be starting off tired and it’ll only get worse as your journey progresses. Get a full night sleep and you’ve got a body you can work with during the trip to stave of fatigue. Plus, with good night sleep, you’ll be safer on your travels.
Drink Water
I’ve been advising people on fatigue for a quite a while and how you can prevent fatigue on a long trip is the same as any other type of fatigue. Stay Hydrated. Dehydration is a leading cause of accidents both at home and on the road. The body has lots of uses for water. It uses water for digestion, sweating, and in the maintenance of Cells and Organs. It’s the most important thing to stop tiredness and stop fatigue. Without enough Water, your Cells aren’t taking in or releasing enough energy into your body. Hence your constant tiredness.
Save Up Those Mental Energy Coins
This point is often neglected even by experts. But it’s critical to how you can prevent fatigue on a long trip. Save up those mental coins. What do I mean by that? Well, when you arrive you’re constantly tired because you had a certain amount of energy in the bank and you’ve used it all up. You got your energy from foods you ate, and from the Oxygen breathed in, but it’s all gone.
How could it have all gone when I’ve just been sitting here doing nothing? I hear you cry. You’ve been frustrated, impatient, alert, stressed, counting the miles, reading the signs, thinking and planning. Take your mind away from all of that. You wouldn’t believe how much mental energy you’re spending. They estimate that you’ll spend more energy driving long distance than running 2 miles. Mental energy counts. So when you do your Circulation stops breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do that for 5 minutes. It relaxes the body and the mind, and you can take that relaxation on for the rest of the journey.
Stay Connected
I sound like your cable company but how you can prevent fatigue on a long trip is often as simple as calling family. Reconnecting with family after a few hours apart is an excellent way of relaxing yourself and taking your mind off the stresses of travel. Speaking with a familiar person slows down brain waves and decreases heart rate. It’ll also make the journey go quicker. If you’re on a Plane or Train you might not be able to call family so I’d recommend music which has the same effect of decreasing tiredness.
Take a Passenger
You don’t have to do all the driving yourself. Or all the thinking. So, you can save both mental and physical energy by having another person with you. You can split the driving 50/50 and you’ll also have some good conversation (hopefully), to pass the time by. Time flies when you’re having fun.
Be Aware of Maximum Driving Time Guidelines
The maximum amount of time you should drive per day ranges from country to country. But, it’s generally between 8 and 10 hours. Drive for longer than that and with the best advice in the world, you’re still going to be fatigued by the time you reach your destination.
Choose Your Driving Time
Try not to travel at times when you’d usually be asleep on your pillow. The body is like a well-functioning factory. There are lots of jobs that need to be done and your body does most jobs when you’re sleeping. It can predict when you sleep and has come to rely on the fact that those hours offer an opportunity to do some much-needed repair jobs. If you’re awake, your whole system goes into shock mode and guess what – that expends energy.
Final Thoughts
I think that if you read this article over again, and take the information on, you’ll benefit greatly during your next trip. You won’t be constantly tired and you’ll have a more enjoyable journey. Just a few further points about how you can prevent fatigue on a long trip. I’ve recommended drinking water for your hydration and for the proper functioning of Cells. Coffee is no substitute for water, neither are fizzy drinks. They just don’t do the same thing. So by water, I mean water. Remember to take those breaks, and to breath in and out during them. Make sure you don’t drive more than 8-10 hours a day and avoid driving at night. Try to take a passenger and call family. These will help with your relaxation And don’t spend those mental energy coins. They’ll hurt you later. Thank you for reading.