Driving a truck for a living often involves spending long hours behind the wheel both night and day. Sometimes the monotony of the long drive can take a toll on our mental state and make us less alert. Staying sharp behind the wheel is a key element of being a safe driver. There are ways to train your brain so that it can stay sharp and alert.
Get in the habit of using all your senses every time you get a chance. During a meal or snack or even a cup of coffee, use all five senses at once: taste, smell, hearing, seeing and touch. Observe each sense’s intake fully. Doing this on a regular basis can make all your senses keen.
When you get a free moment, think of a familiar place you enjoy. Try to visualize it as you can best remember. Picture each item there, as clearly as possible, in your mind. Try to recall the sounds, the smells, what you feel there. This type of exercise helps your memory and imagination improve and helps our brain process information better.
Try changing things up a little by doing different things. Take a different route to a destination occasionally, even if it means a few more minutes driving. Your brain will be stimulated by the change. It can be as simple as switching from doing the newspaper’s word search to doing the crossword puzzle. Varying your hobbies and free-time activities more is beneficial to sharpening your creativity.
Exercise is always recommended for keeping your body in shape, but it’s also needed to keep your brain in shape. Getting regular cardio exercise and eating a diet low in saturated fat has been scientifically shown to help the brain. Getting enough sleep also plays a major role in maximizing brainpower.
Working long hours driving a truck may not always allow time for doing all of these things but even doing one or two will help keep your brain alert and make you a safer driver.
