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Nothing unusual about being tired after making a cross country drive. Focusing on the highway takes more out of you than you think it does. Crossing times zones requires some adjustment ( until you adjust, when it is 9AM on the east coast, it is still 6AM to your body ), as does living in a new environment. Slow down, rest, & just take it easy. Be good to yourself. Drink some green tea or yerba mate and remember to take your nutritional supplements.
Pace yourself some, Greenie. 40 or 60, 50 or 45, our bodies do need a healing time, and that drive across the country, and any tension in the body, can have added to a sense of tiredness.
Here's a cup of soothing tea...just for you.
Thanks so much for the tea.
Another friend invited me to dinner tonight, and I turned that down as well. I feel guilty that I don't have the energy. On the other hand, I am so grateful to have so many friends here in the east who want to see me.
Hi Greenie, I take some long road trips every year, and I have found a couple of things that help me feel good during and after the trip. Obviously, a lack of sleep is problem one. Set aside at least 8 hours of sleep time till you are feeling better.
Road trips often take people to fast food joints. Avoid junk food, eat a healthy breakfast. Plain oatmeal with a banana, a glass of milk, and maybe a slice of bagel or toast, OJ.
Go to the grocery store and get a bunch of apples, bananas and oranges for snacks anytime during the day. Keep a bottle of drinking water handy and take a few big gulps per hour. You would be surprised how many people are under hydrated in winter just because it is not warm outside. For lunch, maybe a Subway veggie delight sandwich with a piece of fruit - no burgers, fries and coke. For dinner, avoid fried stuff and things hard to digest like steak. Fish, rice, veggies are perfect. Getting some sleep and some healthy food in your system will power you back to normal or better than normal in no time. Good luck in your new place.
I agree with the time change Greenie..let your body rest.
May I please say to you that you really should not be sleeping in a rest area. They are not the safest...be careful.
Actually, I feel very safe sleeping in a rest area. That's what they are for. If I am tired to the point where my driving is impaired, I pull over and go to sleep.
This is in contrast to a friend of mine, who says that when he is tired and driving, he'll close one eye at a time to give it a rest.
Last edited by GreenMachine; 12-26-2007 at 01:49 PM..
Rest areas are for resting...If you can find one when when you're tired. On the day I was discharged from the Air Force, I hit the road around noon, leaving from Warner Robbins Air Force enroute to southeastern PA. In the wee hrs of the morning, as I was driving north on I-81 thru the Shenandoah valley, I was so tired I started hallucinating, repeatedly seeing a moose crossing the highway just up ahead. So I pulled over on the shoulder of the highway, put the seat back and took a nap. I was awakened by the knock of a state trooper telling me I couldn't park along side the road, that I had to move along to the next rest area. I explained that I was was too tired to drive, but he insisted that I move on....so I did, without incident. A rest area never looked so good. Nonetheless, I tend to agree with crazyworld that they aren't the safest places to hang out.
It's very dangerous to pull over on the side of the road and stop. A 5-ton 18-wheeler could plow into you and flatten you like a bug. Please don't do that again!
Actually, I feel very safe sleeping in a rest area. That's what they are for. If I am tired to the point where my driving is impaired, I pull over and go to sleep.
This is in contrast to a friend of mine, who says that when he is tired and driving, he'll close one eye to give it a rest.
I've done the sleeping in rest areas while doing a x-country trip too.
Having my dogs with me helps as does very tinted windows.
I agree, it isn't the safest place...but...you have a better chance of saving your life and those around you from falling asleep at the wheel.
As far as feeling tired...the big picture is usually involved as factors...ie., what and when you eat/drink, if you workout, sleeping pattern.
As far as vitamins...if you do take the B, take it in the B-Complex form so you get the right proportions and don't take it at night. It may keep you awake.
Also depending on where you're at on the east coast...you most likely have hit a huge change in the weather...less sunshine, colder temps...that could play a part in your psyche too and will mess with your internal clock and could make you feel lethargic.
I know cloudy, dismal, cold days would make anyone feel tired.
My advice would be to get some fresh air, take a walk...
and...
...put down that pint of Cherry Garcia!....lol...I kid, I kid...
I've done the sleeping in rest areas while doing a x-country trip too.
Having my dogs with me helps as does very tinted windows.
My dog was useless. She is completely deaf, has lost most her teeth, and nothing can wake her out of a deep sleep.
My cat, on the other hand, was on high alert. He took his job as sentinel almost too seriously, stepping over my face while I slept so he could stare out the windows and keep us safe.
Are you tired during the activities or just after? You sound very active as I am, and by the end of the day after work, kids, and everything else the bed looks really good. So if your not dragging through your daily activities, I think that sounds pretty normal to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenMachine
Thanks. I was wondering what was wrong with me.
My energy is coming back slowly. Yesterday, I cooked a large batch of butternut squash soup and cleaned out half the fridge. Today, I'm doing laundry, cleaning out the rest of the fridge, and getting things organized. By nightfall, however, I'm usually wiped out. I get discouraged.
Greenie
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So if your not dragging through your daily activities, I think that sounds pretty normal to me. 
