Heavy eyelids, tilting head, uncontrollable yawning... When driving, fighting against sleep is, in addition to being unpleasant, particularly dangerous.
According to a study published on July 6, it would be enough to listen to your favorite music and programs to reduce the chances of falling asleep at the wheel.
The Assurance Prévention association placed 97 participants in a driving simulator for 90 minutes on the motorway, divided into five groups, each exposed to different auditory simulations: the normal purring of the passenger compartment, imposed music, imposed music interspersed with advertisements , music chosen by the driver and finally a podcast.
Participants were asked to rate their drowsiness on a scale of 1 to 9. A box also continuously analyzed the drivers' facial signs and behaviors during the experiment.
Result: those who choose what they listen to, music or podcast, take longer to fall asleep.
Imposed music (with or without advertising) would also tend to reduce the onset of drowsiness, but to a lesser extent.
For its part, the group lulled only by ambient noise is the most prone to falling asleep.
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"What wakes us up is speech and the emotional charge"
The "drowsiness and fatigue" factor is the leading cause of death on the motorway, responsible for 15.8% of fatal accidents, according to the 2021 report of Asfa (Association of French motorway companies).
And according to the 2022 barometer of the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, nearly one in two French people (46%) continue their journey although they feel very tired, a figure up seven points compared to last year. .
“
Faced with drowsiness, there is no fatality, we have means of action.
What wakes us up is the word and the emotional charge,
” Professor Michel Lejoyeux, psychiatrist and addictologist who supervised the study, told the press.
Choosing your music or program would stimulate areas of the brain that play a role in memory and emotions, such as the hippocampus and the amygdala, according to a scientific hypothesis considered by the study but which deserves to be confirmed by another. more pushed.
"
The hypotheses are what they are, but the results are already very nice
," said Professor Lejoyeux.
“
The most important thing is the driver's self-assessment: if you know you're falling asleep on Vivaldi, then you shouldn't use Vivaldi
,” he added.
As a bonus, that's enough to convince other passengers to let you listen to this podcast that you love but that everyone finds boring.