While riding my bike back to my parents’ place this evening, I was so sleepy after dinner that my eyelids just started drooping out of nowhere. I could sense that microsleep was coming, so I decided to ride my bike up onto the empty sidewalk, lean down on my handlebars, and take a quick shut-eye. It felt like a minute or two had passed until I was woken up by someone tapping on my shoulder. I looked up and saw a guy on his bike wearing a Be ride-booking app yellow jacket with a Red Cross vest over it. He asked if I was alright and checked on me to see if anything was wrong. I thanked him and explained that I was just drowsy from riding my bike a lot, so I stopped to take a quick break. He then advised that I should call my family to pick me up if I got too tired, then said goodbye and rode off. He must have been younger than me.

The nap might have lasted 10-15 minutes. I sat on my bike for an extra minute or so to gather myself after the interaction with a stranger and to evaluate whether I needed to rest longer before rejoining traffic. Feeling more alert, I started my bike and rode the rest of the way home.

The lesson here is not to drive or operate any vehicle while sleepy. Rest when you begin to feel tired, and find a safe environment like a coffee shop or convenience store to recover before driving again. I could have been mugged or worse, sitting unconscious on my bike on that sidewalk despite the heavy traffic. Microsleep is a dangerous thing that can lead to grave consequences for you and others. Driving sleepy is just as bad as driving drunk.

Stay safe out there, everyone!