Yes, I Can Drive

By Lauryn Craine

3 min read

People automatically assume a lot of things when I first tell them I have idiopathic hypersomnia (IH).

It causes them to jump to thinking about all the things that I can't do with my condition.

Idiopathic hypersomnia and driving

One of the usual questions that I get is, "Can you drive a car?" because people assume that due to my idiopathic hypersomnia, I'm not allowed to drive a car. Personally, since being diagnosed, my doctor has given me the all-clear to drive as long as my IH doesn't affect my driving. Thankfully, I am among the group of people with IH that can drive and owns a car. (My most prized possession is my car! We have the same birthday, surprisingly.)

While my condition has not affected my driving, I do take precautions for longer drives or night drives. I let people know where I'm going, I share my location with people who want to follow me on my trip, and I try to avoid long drives at night unless I'm the second shift driver. With my personal driving rules, I've been able to do a bunch of long distance drives! My farthest drive was from Dallas, Texas to Columbia, Missouri on my own. I've also driven to Wisconsin, around Illinois, Indiana, and around Dallas!

Keeping extra comfort and convenience items in my car

People also ask if there is anything extra I do to make sure I drive safely. Over time, I have slowly created a collection of items kept in my car. These are items that I have felt made it easier for my day-to-day and for if I'm doing a longer adventure.

A blanket/plushies
These items are grouped together since I usually end up using both at the same time. The plushies are a comfort item for when I have anxiety and need a minute to calm down. A lot of passengers love them as well, since anyone who rides in the backseat is allowed to use them.

The plushies also double as pillows! The blanket is for if I have a situation where my car breaks down and it's freezing outside (which, sadly, has happened to me before!). Or, if I need to pull over to take a quick nap, I use the pillows and blanket to create a makeshift bed in my backseat.

Spare clothes
As someone who also likes to party and be out late as a young adult, I have moments where I need to crash at someone's house. Having spare clothes is great for those spontaneous sleepovers so I have fresh clothes to change into. They are also useful since I am one to not check the weather app, causing me to dress too hot or too cold for the day. Having extra clothes to change into if the weather shifts is always nice.

An umbrella
Since I don't remember to check the weather, a spare umbrella in my car has come in handy more than once.

Spare medications
Sometimes I forget to take my medications, so I'll have some leftover ones when I go to refill them. These leftovers I keep in my car for days when I forget my dose but don't have my main pill bottle on me. I keep headache medication in the car as well, in case I need it at some point in the day.

Something to read
I get bored waiting in the car for people, so I keep a book in my car for spontaneous reading if I need something to do.

Overall, idiopathic hypersomnia has created obstacles, but it hasn't stopped me from driving!

What are some safety or comfort items you keep in your car to help you drive more safely with IH or narcolepsy? Share with us in the comments or in our forums.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Narcolepsy.Sleep-Disorders.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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melaniep Member
I have type 2 narcolepsy and can only stay awake on the highway for 30 minutes at most. My medicine works for city driving though. No more falling asleep at stoplights. I'm thankful for that. 
1. Lori.Foster Community Admin
 I am glad you can at least get around the city safely, <inline-mention username="melaniep" user-id="4122165"/>. I see you are new to the community. Welcome! Are you newly diagnosed as well or are you a narcolepsy veteran? - Lori (Team Member)
Sketters Member
I totaled 17 vehicles in 17 years before I was diagnosed. Now, I rarely drive more than an hour or two at a time, and while I can't sleep in my car because I'd never be able to straighten up again (old, arthritic, and too tall for all but vans and SUVs), I do adopt a lot of the same strategies you do. I also share my location with family members through my phone so they'll know which ditch to find me in if I don't come home. If I drive more than 2 1/2 hours at a time I have to be careful. The longest trip I've done solo was 12 hours door to door (7 of actual driving, the rest was a mid-winter roadside emergency nightmare for which my feline travel companions have still not forgiven me), and it was irresponsible of me to go that long. 6 hours seems to be my limit, and I can only do it once in a while. When I was diagnosed, I was shocked to realize how often I had been driving while my brain was in REM sleep. The closest I can get to describing it is that someone is having a really intense discussion in the back of my mind, and I'm listening as hard as I can but don't understand all the words. I once hit a giant tree and lost the entire front end of my Volvo because someone in the back of my mind was yammering on about the spider that I had just discovered on my lap. I wasn't startled by it, but apparently conversing with myself about where it had come from was more important than paying attention to my speed or the road. Now that I know what that daydreamy feeling is, I won't get behind the wheel if I have not had enough sleep, or if I'm having a REM day. I'm allowed to keep my license as long as I am taking meds, have regular sleep studies, and can prove that any accidents I have are not sleep-related (for instance, the ones where someone ran a red light and plowed into my vehicle). 
1. Lori.Foster Community Admin
 How fortunate that you survived all those wrecks, <inline-mention username="Sketters" user-id="8771397"/>. Those must have been scary. I am glad you know your limits now and that you abide by them. Thanks for joining the conversation. - Lori (Team Member)

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