Heavy eyelids, drooping head, uncontrollable yawning… Fighting sleep while driving is not only unpleasant, but especially dangerous. According to a study published on July 6, listening to your favorite music and programs would be enough to reduce the likelihood of falling asleep at the wheel.
Assurance Prévention put 97 participants in a 90-minute highway driving simulator, divided into five groups, each exposed to different auditory simulations; the driver and finally the podcast.
Participants were asked to rate their sleepiness on a scale of 1 to 9. The box also continuously analyzed the drivers’ facial cues and behavior during the experiment. Result: those who choose what they listen to, whether it’s music or a podcast, take longer to fall asleep. Forced music (with or without commercials) also tended to reduce the onset of sleepiness, but to a lesser extent. In turn, the group relaxed only by environmental noise is the most prone to sleep.
“We are awakened by speech and emotional charge”
“Drowsiness and fatigue” is the main cause of death on the motorway, responsible for 15.8% of fatal accidents, according to a 2021 report by Asfa (Association of French Motorway Companies). And according to the 2022 Barometer of the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, almost one in two French people (46%) continue their journey even though they feel very tired, a seven-point increase compared to last year.
” Faced with sleepiness, there is no fatal way out, we have means of action. We are awakened by speech and emotional charge “, – emphasized Mr. Michel Lejoie, a psychiatrist and drug addict who led the research. Choosing music or a program will stimulate areas of the brain that play a role in memory and emotions, such as the hippocampus and amygdala, according to a scientific hypothesis considered by the study, which deserves confirmation by another.
” The assumptions are what they are, but the results are already pretty cool “, Professor Lejoie assessed. ” The most important thing is the driver’s self-esteem. if you know you sleep on Vivaldi, you shouldn’t use Vivaldi. “, he added. As a bonus, it’s enough to convince other passengers to let you listen to this podcast you love but everyone else finds boring.
Source: Le Figaro
