Research carried out by the German insurance industry cited microsleep as the cause of 24% of fatal motorway accidents. A further 14% was caused by drivers not being alert*. But what is microsleep and how does it occur?

If someone has noticed you ‘nodding off' it probably means that you have just experienced microsleep. It is a brief experience in which the brain enters a sleep state regardless of the activity that is being carried out at the time. This can manifest itself as a blank stare, prolonged eye closure or ‘head snapping' and can last between two to thirty seconds. People are not aware that they experience microsleep and it often occurs with the eyes open.

Scientific research has discovered that most cases of microsleep happen during the times when our bodies are programmed to sleep i.e. pre-dawn and mid-afternoon. In addition, people who suffer from a lack of sleep are more likely to experience episodes of microsleep. And when you consider that almost 20% of the European population are not getting enough sleep, this presents quite a disturbing picture. How many seconds does it take to notice a curve in the road or a red traffic light? Now convert those into microsleep seconds. The result could be deadly…

The motor industry is currently testing an in-car device that lets drivers know when they are becoming less alert and more prone to microsleep. But why not look at the root of the problem and concentrate on getting good quality sleep in the first place?