# Car hypnotism **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178 "2003-08-19T11:30:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![frookah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@frookah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frookah)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/1 "2003-08-19T11:30:29Z")
If this is better for MPSIMS, I do apologise, I couldn’t decide. 🙂 Anyway, when I’m in a car, I fall asleep. Fact. Ten, twenty miles is enough, 100 guarantees that I’m drooling and snoring. Being well rested dosnt help, eating or not eating dosnt help. I do it on buses, in taxis and always in passenger vehicles. Being in the front is worse than being in the back. But its not normal sleep. Im sure theres been a thread or a million threads, heck, a blanket on this, but heres the bit that worries me: When I fall asleep, actually I fade out, as in, get walled eyed and tingly same as when you faint. I continue to participate in, and even begin conversations with husband as he drives. (I dont drive!!!) When I wake up, I hear the last few words Ive said but I really dont know what Im on about. And weirdest of all, when I open my eyes to wake up, the vision in one or both of my eyes is rotated 180-365 degrees. (Is that what I mean? Its sideways or upside down!:eek: This is a bit of a problem in my household, as we travel pretty broadly and are driving across Spain next week! My husband gets so cross with me!!!:smack: ---
**Author:** ![frookah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@frookah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frookah)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/2 "2003-08-19T11:34:35Z")
Oops, my actually blinkin’ question is, am I being hypnotised, by the motion, or something I see? Or am I just the freek of the week? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/3 "2003-08-19T11:38:33Z")
Your state sounds like what we professionals\* call “dozing”. Also known as a hypnogogic state. It’s kind of like tripping. I was trying to find a site about it, but the only sites I can find on google are all wooly mystical sites. I’m the same in planes, by the way - the moment the engine starts, I’m in a fuzzy la-la land. \*Professional bullshitters ---
**Author:** ![frookah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@frookah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frookah)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/4 "2003-08-19T11:42:37Z")
Oooooh, on a plane, I’m yer girl. I get all, I dunno, high. No pun intended. I just be jammon. It must be the vibration. Again, no DI meant! I think other things send me into funny non-drug induced happy places, but none so quickly as a car ride. The best is the exact moment when the neuophen plus or whatever kicks in against your blistering headache and the blood rushes back to your head and you just go, ahhhhh…but that is slighltly drug induced, though isn’t it…oops. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/5 "2003-08-19T14:10:37Z")
You _knew_ someone was going to come in here and talk about the time they made their car bark like a dog, right? ---
**Author:** ![frookah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@frookah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frookah)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/6 "2003-08-19T14:13:07Z")
Lmao! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/7 "2003-08-19T15:42:12Z")
You mention snoreing. Do you snore? Maybe you should have a sleep study done. You may suffer from sleep apnea in which case you are not getting a good nights sleep. This could be why you fall asleep in the car. Do you fall asleep anywhere else? The movies? Watching TV or reading? I used to fall asleep on the subway everyday. Now I don’t. After my sleep study I was prescribed a sleep mask and I actually get a good night sleep. ---
**Author:** ![frookah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@frookah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frookah)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/8 "2003-08-19T23:15:01Z")
No, I’m rather lazy, but not overly sleepy! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/9 "2003-08-19T23:19:35Z")
I used to beat this by the following: drive for an hour, stop, let wife take over, snooze in passenger seat for about an hour, wake up, slam down a cold Coke, drive for eight hours. I don’t know why, but this always worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/10 "2003-08-19T23:32:59Z")
I have the same problem. When I’m in a car, I’m almost invariably the one driving (no, it’s not a power thing; It’s just that I almost always drive alone). On those rare occasions when I’m just a passenger, I fall asleep in no time at all. I must be a lot of fun to travel with… ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/11 "2003-08-19T23:43:29Z")
I think it is called highway hypnosis. I have had it happen to me and have driven quite far without any memory of the drive. I think it is from a boring long straight road that causes this to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-hypnotism/196178/12 "2003-08-20T00:08:08Z")
I also fall asleep really easily in cars. This is particularly odd for me, since I’m a super light sleeper. Even slight noises/disturbances keep me awake, so I don’t know what it is about cars that cancels this effect. As for planes, I can’t sleep at all. Flying is too exciting 😃