Effects of Sleep Deprivation #2

Tushita Bandelu
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

We all have at some time or the other, either told someone or have been told by someone, to “See the bigger picture!” And we all know that it is not as easy as it sounds. Being sleep deprived adds to the problem. Let me share an interesting experience where literally, the bigger picture was missed out.

A decade ago, i used to drive a Maruti Omni (which i’ll refer to as “van” from here onward). This one used to be parked facing our house, so i had to back her up in a curve whenever i needed to drive anywhere. i was always very careful about animals sleeping under her so i’d get down on my knees and check before starting. Some passersby thought that i’m very religious and superstitious, and was bowing down, saluting the van or the earth, before embarking on my journey. i’m not making that up, someone actually asked me what i was doing!

Once, there was a dog sleeping right behind the rear tyre of the van. i woke it up. The dog opened his eyes. They were red. He was more sleep deprived than me. i felt bad for him but i needed the van. So i tried to get him to move. He reluctantly got up, unsteadily walked two steps and plopped down to sleep. He was still near the van. i woke him up again and shouted at him to move. Again he got up, looked at me with pleading red eyes, took two steps to the side and plopped down to sleep. He was still in the curved path that i’d usually take. i gave up trying to wake him and decided to take a bigger curve while reversing so as to avoid him. What other option did i have? i knew how it felt to not get the needed sleep.

i got in the van, pressed the clutch and brake, turned the keys, shifted to reverse gear, and keeping an eye on the sleeping dog toward my right rear, turned the steering wheel while slowly releasing the clutch and pressing the accelerator. i almost successfully saved the dog when i heard a shout from behind, “Oyeoyeoye!!!” and i dashed into something. i instantly pressed the brake, turned off the engine and turned to my left. i had dashed the van into a big truck! Now where had that truck come from? It wasn’t moving. It was there from the start. I had just not noticed it. The driver asked me what happened. i replied that i didn’t see the truck. He exclaimed with exaggerated gestures, “Kya baat karte ho! Itni badi gadi kaise dikhayi nahi di!” (What are you saying! How could you not see such a big vehicle!)

Did you see what happened? i wasn’t alert to my surroundings and didn’t see the bigger picture. i just focussed on the small dog near the van and completely missed out the big truck parked behind. Nothing happened to the truck, but my poor van got a dent. My family didn’t scold me, they knew that my sole focus was saving the poor sleepy dog. Add to it dulled senses and poor judgement due to sleep deprivation and you’re sure to crash somewhere. Did you know that driving when sleep deprived is as bad as driving drunk?

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-blog/2016/12/drowsy-driving-worse-than-drunk-driving

But this experience has a lesson for all, whether sleep deprived or not.