How to Stay Alert When Driving During Fasting
27 April, 2020
Observing Ramadan fast is obligatory for Muslims around the world. Although you need to hold your hunger and thirst the whole day, you may still wish to be fully productive.
It is inevitable, however, that during fasting, the body experiences a lack of fluids that result in dehydration and the decrease of stamina and concentration. The body eventually becomes weak, and you may get sleepy. Even worse, road conditions during Ramadan evening rush hours can be very packed and even experience traffic jams. It is indeed very overwhelming when you have to drive during these hours.
However, no need to worry as we have curated some tips on how to stay concentrated behind the wheel when fasting!
What To Do
It is recommended to consume healthy and easy-to-digest food during the pre-dawn meal or suhoor time. The nutrients must be balanced as well, between carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Foods such as cheese, eggs, milk, beans, and vegetables are good options to eat for suhoor.
Foods that contain lots of protein are good for the body as it can keep your strength during the day. Consumptions of vitamins from fruit or juice are necessary as well to keep your energy maintained.
Moreover, to avoid dehydration during the day, you need to drink enough water before the fast starts. Dates are also good not only when breaking your fast, but also during suhoor.
What To Avoid
During suhoor, you should avoid foods that are too spicy, salty, or contain a high level of fat. Spicy and salty foods are believed to trigger excessive thirst. On top of that, spicy food can even cause stomach pain and interfere with digestion. For those who suffer from gastritis, consuming spicy foods can trigger the increase in stomach acid and potentially cause stomachache.
Besides that, high-fat foods can worsen symptoms of constipation and speed up the work of the digestive system, hence causing diarrhea. During suhoor, you may want to avoid caffeinated beverages as well, such as coffee and soft drinks. Caffeine is known to cause dehydration and lethargy to the body.
When breaking the fast, remember to eat something else before consuming spicy foods. Eating spicy foods on an empty stomach is not a good idea as it can damage your stomach and cause pain.
Not only concerning foods, but there are also a number of things you need to consider when driving during fasting:
- Watch your driving speed
You must be patient when driving during fasting since your body is not in its normal condition. Drowsiness is one problem that can occur now and then. You can suddenly feel sleepy and barely see through the road clearly, thus impairing your driving, you should avoid driving at a high speed. It is highly recommended to keep your driving at a reasonable speed instead.
- Control your emotions
Driving in a jam always dragging out the negative emotion. During Ramadan, you should control your emotions when driving. It is an undeniable matter that people may hastily run to where they are heading in Ramadan, especially to break their fast with family at home. Therefore, please try to control your emotions.
- Enjoy your trip
During fasting, you may still want to enjoy your trip even though the road conditions can be quite congested. Having some entertainment features in your car is very beneficial during these times. If you drive a Wuling Almaz car, you can enjoy its Smart Multimedia Hello Wuling feature. The feature can be operated on one screen on the dashboard simply by generating some voice commands. So, lessen the worries, the driver can stay focused on driving when he/she wants to enable or disable the multimedia feature.
In addition to that, Smart Multimedia Hello Wuling can also turn on the air conditioner, start an application, ask for the date and time, and even open the sunroof. The voice commands feature is very helpful for drivers since they can keep their eyes focused on the road without having to bother pressing buttons on the multimedia screen!
