As all long-haul drivers would know, keeping alert and awake during a trip is the most crucial part of the job. It’s not just about comfort and boredom: it’s about the safety of you, your cargo, and everyone else sharing the road.
Want to know the best ways to stay focused during a long drive? Here are our top tips, and why a truck replacement seat could make all the difference.
Doing What’s Best for Your Body
- Stay hydrated – The body needs adequate water to digest food and produce energy. Dehydration leads to dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea.
- Rest well – Always have a good, solid sleep before you take to the open road, and pull over for small naps whenever you’re tired. Even twenty minutes will do wonders to refresh your mind and body.
- Manage your emotions – Overthinking or fixating on things like your home life, the traffic, or other problems can be exhausting and distracting. Try to learn mindfulness and the ability to let things go while you drive.
Eating Well
The food you eat is an incredibly important factor in alertness—after all, it’s where we get our energy from. Although truck stop diners are temptingly convenient, make sure you balance fatty, sugary meals with foods rich in vitamins and nutrients. A balanced diet will help the body last longer and your mind concentrate better.
Don’t overeat, either, since digesting a large meal will only make you more tired. It’s better to eat smaller portions and snack frequently, and those snack breaks will give you something to punctuate your trip and look forward to.
Another thing to remember: By all means get a quick pick-me-up from sugar and caffeine, but don’t rely on it to keep you awake. Remember that the body will crash once those stimulants disappear.
Working in the Right Environment
- Choose your entertainment wisely – This is a difficult one, because you want to stave off boredom by listening to something you like, but not focus too much so your attention is taken off the road. Keep your mind occupied by audiobooks and music you like, but don’t make it too complex and make sure you alternate between sounds and silence. Don’t forget to tune in to the CB, too!
- Keep cool – The warmer you get, the drowsier and less alert you’ll be. Open a window and put the AC a couple of degrees lower to get your blood pumping and help the mind sharpen.
- Invest in the right seat – It’s hard to overstate the effects of a semi-truck seat on your body. With the right seat, your body is cooler, you’ve got better lumbar support, and you don’t have to expend as much energy being comfortable. The best semi-truck seats make driving long distances—and staying alert the whole time—that much easier.
Your safety is our priority. At Suburban Seating & Safety, we stock high-quality commercial truck accessories designed especially for the long haul. Stay focused and drive better—browse our range of custom truck seats today!
