Overnight drive-caffeine drinks

[marius97]

Has anyone tried any of those drinks like 5 Hour Energy, Red Bull or anything with megadoses of caffeine? We are doing a 18 hour straight thru overnight drive. I'm not too worried. I think we have a good plan...leave at dinner. I drive for a few hours while wife rests. wife takes over and drives until midnight or later while I sleep. I drive as long as possible until an early breakfast. We'll switch back and forth from that point on. I bought a 5 Hour Energy Drink, thinking that it may be better than chugging pop (I hate coffee) all the way down. With a tiny bladder, that could be a problem. Does a drink like that seem to help you stay alert without getting gittery? I'll test it out during the day soon, just to make sure I don't get shaky on it.

 

[Lewisc]

Not a good idea. Not to mention the fact that you'll wind up crashing when you arrive at WDW. Have a AAA travel guide or some other listing of hotels along your route. If you're tired enough to want an energy drink you should be looking for a place to crash for a few hours. If one driver can drive while the other sleeps you have a plan. If the non-driver can't sleep you probably need a stop.

 

[marius97]

By no means are we going to push it. We'll be ready and willing to stop at a hotel if we get too tired. Even intend to stop at a rest stop preiodicly and do some jumping jacks to keep the blood moving. I was just curious as to if people had experience with drinks like that. I don't mind stopping to stretch out, but I don't want to stop every hour because I'm drinking gallons of pop. I figured something that was high caffeine but low volume liquid might work better.

 

[smcabee]

I use 5 hour energy a lot. While its not going to keep you awake if you are tired, For me it keeps me more alert. It does not rely on caffeine it has a cup of coffees worth and thats it. Its more of a B vitamin type drink. I have never used it as a crutch for driving but I work 7pm-7am and it definately helps me through the night at work.

 

[marius97]

That probably is a better way to describe it...If you are tired, nothing will keep you awake. But something like that might help me stay alert and fresh. If we start feeling tired, that will be it for the night.

 

[disneymayz]

My way, is to take a nap from about 4-7pm. We leave around 7pm and I drive to about 6am and then wife drives for a couple hours while I sleep.

I like to eat swedish fish. I drink gatorade. I start feeling tired around 4am. At that point I am willing to stop at a rest area and nap for a hour to refresh (haven't had to yet). We swim at the resort and basically I take a hr. nap after swimming. For me caffeine does not keep me awake, it does nothing for me.

 

[Kaler131]

We drove 17 hours straight through in September. It wasn't too bad.... I don't know if I would do it again, but that's just because I can't really sleep very well in the car so I didn't get much rest. BUT, what REALLY worked for me was drinking Sugar Free Red Bull!!

 

[Leash]

Dh and I drove from Vegas to Seattle a few years ago. We did exactly what you are planning, traded off and the non-driver slept then took over when the driver got tired. We stopped for food and got out and walked around and when we were both too tired to drive we pulled into a rest stop and slept in the car for about an hour to refresh. In all the drive took about 20 hours and that was before the birth of Red Bull!

We also trade off on the much shorter drive to Disneyland. Dh drives till Victorville then I take over and we usually leave very early in the am (3-4am). Maybe because we are a little older but when we stop for a bathroom break we each get a Red Bull, not so much cause we are too tired to go on but it refreshes us just enough to finish the drive.

I think your plan sounds good as long as you know when you need to pull into a rest stop and nap you should be fine even without energy drinks.

 

[dsnymomof4]

While I like to have my coffee when I'm driving, DH works the night shift and always likes to have an Mt. Dew Amp to help give him that little boost of energy. Snacking and listening to the radio also helps. But definitely pull over and take a nap if you're really tired - even an hour or two will help to refresh you and then you can continue one.

 

[ChloroFiend]

5 Hour Energy claims to keep you awake and alert without any jitters. I'm somewhat skeptical.

I'm a caffeine junkie...I drink (on average) 6 to 8 cans of Diet Mountain Dew a day. I also don't normally go to bed until around 0200. If i'm taking the overnight portion of a long drive (which i do since I can rarely sleep well in moving vehicles) I go for the big dogs....Monster, Red Bull, Sobe No Fear, etc...usually in 24oz or larger sizes. 2-3 of those of a nice quad-shot mocha keeps me going the 4-5 extra hours until one of those chipper morning people wakes up and takes over.

Another thing...having a small bladder is a good thing for alertness during overnights. Stopping frequently to pee will keep you awake and help break the trance of driving at night.

I also like to keep the temperature of the car a bit on the cooler side, also for alertness.

Also, as mentioned before, snacking and listening to some energetic music helps.