sleeping on a train

[andizuki1982]

Can anyone tell me why so many people fall asleep on a train? I know the journeys are long and boring, but surely there are other things to do? I have seen 3 or 4 people in a carriage and a person fast asleep with a laptop on the table infront of them in the case!

[kaktus]

�They're tired after a long work day perhaps?

[jno]

weird, isn't it... I was on the London tube last week, around 6pm, and I noticed that about half the people in my carriage were reading or listening to ipods and the other half were nodding off. I suppose it's got something to do with warmth and gentle motion, like being rocked to sleep; also, I think our circadian rhythms are low at that time of day, meaning we're ripe for a little nap. Speaking for myself, though, I can drop off at pretty much any time on a train. Wish I had one in my bedroom; it can take me a lot longer to fall asleep at night there...

[andy hughes]

It's the 'rerturn to the womb' thing - you are warm and reasonably comfortable, and bneing rocked, so your instinct is to sleep.

Personally, all my train joruneys are three minutes long - that's how long it takes for me to sit down and doze off. No problem going to London - the train terminates at Euston, and one of the cleaners wakes me up (honestly!).

Before mobile phones, I would have to ask a passenger to wake me at Birmingham / Manchester, where ever, because if left, I would awake in Exeter sidings at 3.00 a.m. Now i cvan set my mobile alarm, so no problems.

Similarly, on planes, I am asleep beflore taxi-ing, and have to be woken when we are at the terminal, so i can get off.

[simonok]

If you own a laptop, it makes your sleep more and thats a fact!

[funkychicken]

maybe they're just tired, bored or ill.

[irisred]

Personally, if I know I'm travelling for more than an hour I get into travel mode, completely switch off and sleep.  Makes the long journeys fly!

However, have not yet mastered the not dribbling on oneself thing!  Thought this was unattractive until some bloke followed me off a train one day and gave me his number claiming he'd been watching me and thought I was gorgeous.  Quite obviously I never called him as he blatantly was insane!

[Narolines]

Personally I can never sleep on trains, buses or planes; the only time I can remember doing it was on a long overnight direct flight from Los Angeles to London, but otherwise I'm awake from start to finish, regardless of the time of day or night.  A 4/5 hour flight from Birmingham to the eastern Mediterranen leaving at 10 or 11 pm means a missed night's sleep for me........