Method One of Six:

Using food and drink to stay alert

Keep your taste buds awake, drink an energy drink. This may raise your level of alertness for a reasonable amount of driving time. Suck or munch on an apple, orange, or even a lemon to keep taste buds awake. The more tangy the food item the better. (Pull over somewhere safe before eating anything that you can't just pop in your mouth, however. Eating while driving can also cause accidents).

2
Eat slowly. If you have a snack that comes in small pieces, eat them one at a time. Otherwise, take small bites of whatever you've got. Make it last. The more active you are, the easier it'll be to stay awake.

3
Drink beverages slowly. Coffee works especially well since it contains caffeine, which might keep you awake. (However, see next note.) Also, the frequent bathroom stops will help your mind stay alert for the next rest area!

4
Avoid sugar. Sugar causes several responses in your system which result in drowsiness and brain fog some time later. The faster the sugar was taken into your system, the stronger the effect.

5
Chew gum to keep your mouth busy. It stops the yawning, which stops the dozing off. Just make sure you keep chewing, even if your mouth gets tired of chewing. This is gum trick taken from truck drivers and it works really well!

6
Do something that engages more than one sense. For example, crunching on ice chips or eating sunflower seeds work because the crunching action keeps you engaged but not distracted from the road.
Ice works extremely well for some people. You don't necessarily have to crunch the ice. It works well for afternoon meetings, too.

Eat sunflower seeds either one at a time or a mouthful. The action of cracking the seed, manipulating the seed in your mouth, removing the seed, and discarding the shell will keep your mind active and awake. Remember to keep a plastic cup in the car to spit the shells into (or due to their size, you might be able to get away with spitting them out the window).

Method Two of Six:

Keeping things cooler

1
Set the car temperature lower. A little cooler than you'd ordinarily like. But not cold, as your body and brain need to stay warm enough to function well. Set the vents to blow on your face.

2
Wipe your face and neck with a wet cloth. This is very refreshing.

3
Open a window. A strong, cold wind in your face can help you stay alert, although make sure it doesn't dry out your eyes to the point of challenging how well you can see (this is especially common if you wear contact lenses)

Method Three of Six:
Playing music


1
Listen to music that you hate. The more annoying you find it, the better. Whatever you do, don't listen to music you like, especially if it's rhythmic and soothing. You'll go into your happy zone and start to nod off. If possible, tune to a station that you normally can't stand--the variety of a radio station will help. Put the volume up high.

2
Sing along with the radio or have a conversation with someone in the car. Avoid talking on a cell phone as it's both dangerous and illegal (in many places in the world). Singing and talking are both active things you can do that won't interfere with your driving.

Method Four of Six:
In-car activities

1
Periodically shake your head from side to side and take a deep breath. Slap your own face if you have to.
2
Keep one hand up in the air.
3
Hold yourself up out of the seat.

4
Add and subtract numbers out loud. This can keep your mind busy enough to stay alert until you reach your destination.
5
Move to the music, the more energetic, the better.
6
Grasp the steering wheel in your clenched fists and apply extreme muscular force in any or all directions isometrically. This will increase your adrenaline and blood pressure.
7
Worst case scenario, scream, either though inner dialog or out loud. Go absolutely nuts. This will wake you up temporarily under any degree of fatigue but in that you are so tired, it's time to get some sleep immediately.

Nice post

Method Five of Six:

Change settings


1
Don't use cruise control.

2
At night, turn the interior light on. Darkness causes your body to produce melatonin, the hormone that puts you to sleep, much faster than tiredness. Plan ahead and put the light on before you get tired, if at all possible, because once you have melatonin in your system it is difficult to return to a wakeful state without a 15 minute nap.

3
Place the seat in a position you are not used to. Be sure not to place your seat into such a position that the airbag will injure you if deployed. But make sure you keep a good visibility of the road and the mirrors. When you get used to it, change the position again!

Method Six of Six:

Medical help


1
Consider prescription medication if sleepiness while driving is an unavoidable hazard, such as if you have shift work sleep disorder (SWSD).

http://m.wikihow.com/Stay-Awake-when-Driving

The most important, which was not listed by the op is,

Get enough rest before embarking on a road journey. If one is tired, the above points may offer only temporal alertness.

Simple,just chew chewing gum or blast music

no

chop gworo

Before driving for long hours I make sure I have a long Nap...

Intermittently, Just keep saying...life has no duplicate. That alone is enough to keep you awake while driving.




But if you can't hold out, please please please, pull over to somewhere along the way that's safe enough for you to have a short nap before embarking on your journey.

crap. avoid driving if u feel sleepy or tired

The music part works perfectly for me.

I love listening to good music while driving.

Keeps me awake, makes driving fun and helps me arrive my destination in a very good mood.

Some1 who will sleep will still sleep

Nice post OP
this is better than all these snake posts that are crowding FP lately

END TIME STAY AWAKE WHEN DRIVING.WHO DEY DRIVE NOR KNOW SAY HIM/HER GO STAY AWAKE ABE DEM DEY SLEEP DEY DRIVE.

Music no work for me. I tried it once, i pushed the volume button to maximum and sing follow, na when I almost enter bush my eyes clear.

on point op,bt just sleep well b4 you drive

If you had a sleepless night and you are on a long drive, almost all of these methods will fail you.