# lethargy \[does anyone know why i feel more lethargic when im driving?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886 "2017-05-18T01:14:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![burty1972](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@burty1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burty1972)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/1 "2017-05-18T01:14:46Z")
hi does anyone know why i feel more lethargic when im driving? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/2 "2017-05-18T01:44:23Z")
You might try reading this: [Highway hypnosis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_hypnosis) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/3 "2017-05-18T02:21:00Z")
Since we lack enough information to do anything more than speculate, let’s move this to IMHO. Title edited to indicate subject. Please use descriptive thread titles. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/4 "2017-05-18T19:17:41Z")
Please give a complete description of your vehicle. It won’t help me answer the question, but will help me avoid you on the highway! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/5 "2017-05-19T03:08:34Z")
Do you get a slight headache? If so, have your exhaust system checked. You might have a leak and CO is getting into the passenger compartment. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/6 "2017-05-19T04:33:04Z")
Vibration can do it. In my many years on motorcycles, I notice a definite correlation between how badly an engine vibrated and how lethargic and tired I felt. My old ironhead Sportster (a/k/a the “Milwaukee Vibrator”) would practically put me to sleep. There was no way I could ride for more than an hour or two without getting off and resting for a while. I rode a friend’s Gold Wing a few times, for some pretty long (multi-day) rides. I could barely tell there was an engine in that thing. And I stayed alert and energetic the whole day. My favorite BMW was pretty smooth, too, and I could ride that all day. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethargy-does-anyone-know-why-i-feel-more-lethargic-when-im-driving/786886/7 "2017-05-19T14:02:32Z")
That’s interesting. Once (just the once) I was visiting a friend in Australia and we’d hired a campervan. One morning, it was my turn to drive, and although it was first thing in the morning and I’d had a good night’s sleep within about half an hour I - but not he - started feeling drowsy, to the point that I had to stop and ask him to take over. I’ve often wondered how and why that happened. Given that it didn’t happen to him, I’m inclined to think it probably was over-concentrating on the road and/or horizon (it was what the Australians call MAMBA country - miles and miles of bugger-all) rather than anything to do with the vehicle itself.