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Old 5th January 2013, 00:03   #16
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

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Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
On long drives when I feel sleepy, I pull over and take a nap, even under the harsh sun. A 10 minutes sleep works wonders, better than red bull and no side effects. I keep the car off and AC off, with the window glass down by an inch.
+1 , I have tried both i.e. taking Red Bull & what Samurai mentioned. Red Bull had absolutely no effect while the nap worked wonders
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Old 5th January 2013, 00:21   #17
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

No, it doesn't help, atleast according to what i have experienced. Better stop over at a secured location and take a nap.
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Old 5th January 2013, 00:23   #18
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Most of my friends and colleagues swear by Red Bull. Going by them, I tried it a couple of times and it does nothing apart from causing acidity the next morning and a bloated stomach.

I have never felt active, even by 1% after consuming Red Bull. Seems my soul needs something more stronger to get wings and start flying

What I like about it is the taste initially with loads and loads of ice.
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Old 5th January 2013, 00:37   #19
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Originally Posted by gauravdgr8 View Post
I have never felt active, even by 1% after consuming Red Bull. Seems my soul needs something more stronger to get wings and start flying
Why not try to take a nap with some soft sedative music with low volume.
Any softdrink will lower the water level in the body. What is needed is opposite, as some one suggested taking glucon-d or natural shurbat or fruit and periodical water intake without waiting for feeling thirsty.
And of course answering nature calls.
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Old 5th January 2013, 01:02   #20
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

I wouldn't go for red bull or any soda, it does harm. Energy drinks are worst with so much of fructose (not even advertised sometimes). Coffee again has got some caffeine content. You don't have to drink Glucon-D or other energy products unless you are doing a marathon
Similar in the lines of what others said, I'd suggest, keep a car kettle with you, if the distance/time you have to drive is not too much, take a short break and have a quick coffee/decaf or a green tea. If the distance/time to go is considerably more, take a power nap before you start again. Continue to drink lots of water during the journey irrespective of whatever you do/eat/drink.
One thing I can assure you that you have to do this only during initial days, your body will adjust to this routine pretty quick, its an amazing machine, try not to abuse but train it naturally and take enough rest during other part of the day.

Last edited by noopster : 11th January 2013 at 17:48. Reason: Rule#11 is inviolate
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Old 5th January 2013, 03:41   #21
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Last year, we did the long overnight drive, and Eurotunnel, from NW London to Spa Francorchamps. After a long day at work, short rest, and setting off about midnight, we reached the outskirts of Brussels about 8am. At this point pretty much all our group, esp the drivers demanded a stop and rest, with a bit of refreshment thrown in.

One of them did a mega family bag of peanut M&Ms, washed down with a litre bottle of Redbull. Ten minutes later he disappeared, returned a few minutes later a lot paler and somewhat shaky. He'd never seen chunky multi-coloured vomit expelled like a fire hydrant before.
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Old 5th January 2013, 06:53   #22
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

I generally avoid taking anything except water or tea (occasionally coffee). Other than water i usually stop at some roadside tea stall and have couple of cups of tea with good face wash, and that almost always helps.

We do not do a lot of night driving, but back in 90s when we used to do night driving, we would carry tea in a Thermos flask, and that surely worked.

Would recommend avoid Redbull, Coke etc, there have been some reported deaths with over-drinking of some of these drinks (Although Redbull was not mentioned), but you never know.
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Old 5th January 2013, 08:24   #23
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Please do not rely on any energy drinks while driving. These provide temporary relief, but in the long run will affect your body badly.
Energy drinks dehydrates your body faster than you think. You will need to drink a litre of water for each can of Redbull/energy drink.

I have had bad experience relying on energy drinks during exams, long drives and rallying. The negatives far outweigh the positives. Nothing beats fatigue like proper sleep and coffee.

I would suggest you change your sleep pattern and timings so that you are fresh before you are behind the wheel.
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Old 5th January 2013, 09:24   #24
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re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Red bull will give temporary activeness, after which it surely brings in more and more sleep. As others mentioned, please take a power nap which will surely freshen anyone up, and it is the natural organic method for the body. After that, a cup of coffee or tea will help get back all the lost alertness. Another effect of caffeine is that you would be taking pee-breaks more often I think half a liter of cola is better than a can of red bull, considering the health impact of either.
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Old 5th January 2013, 10:13   #25
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Re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

There is absolutely no harm in drinking Red Bull or the 5 hour enery shots once in a while according to me, they really help avoid the drowsiness and concentration lapse, in my opinion.
The problem lies with 'drug tolerance'. As with any drug, if we start driking the energy drinks on a regular basis, the effect starts decreasing and we need more and more drinks to maintain the high. So the humble 250ml gets replaced by 330ml and the number of cans start increasing, in return, adversely affecting the body.
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Old 5th January 2013, 10:58   #26
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Re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Red Bull makes me want to pee so i avoid them along with coke and what not as well :P

For long or unearthly hour drives i prefer strong chewing gums. Extreme Ice was amazing and so was Black Ice. Such a good kick

Of course, coupled with heavy metal you cannot go wrong. Singing along works well as well for me.

Beyond that if i still cannot keep my attention, i give in and go find a nice motel to crash for the night.
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Old 5th January 2013, 11:10   #27
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Re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Stop, take rest, eat fruits. Chai/Coffee works the best.

Something works for me - A mint favored toothpaste, I put it in my finger, quickly rub over my gums/teeth, wash my face, hands & feet. Feel fresh, really fresh.

Avoid chips (any stuff containing saturated fat) as well on long drives.
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Old 5th January 2013, 11:40   #28
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Re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Hi Team, Thanks for the excellent suggestions. Will experiment 'em all to check what suits me best and then update the thread.

BTW am equally apprehensive about using Red bull on a regular basis. But then the trivia found on the Internet suggests that Red Bull is not all that bad. Don't know if I can really rely on the info.

Presenting 'em here for your deliberation:

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NOTE: Click any picture to open a larger higher-resolution version in a new window

Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?-rb.png

Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?-rb2.png

Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?-rb-2.png

Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?-rb3.png

Source: Wiki and Redbull.com

Last edited by Warwithwheels : 5th January 2013 at 11:45.
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Old 5th January 2013, 14:07   #29
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Re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Warwithwheels,

I believe the first 2 pictures are from the Redbull website? Is that anything more than mere advertisement of their product? Of course they would be saying its safe and recommended. I suggest you take those views with a pinch (rather a sack) of salt.
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Old 5th January 2013, 16:50   #30
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Re: Does Red Bull / Any Energy Drink reduce driving fatigue?

Only time i felt lil sleepy when i drove continuously for more than 20 hours, and one red bull did indeed help me cover the last 100kms.
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