The San Francisco Symphony, when I was in high school. It was an Orchestra trip, we had left really early in the morning for a 5-hour bus-ride, spent all day walking around SF, then went to the Symphony. I slept through the entire second piece, which was a rather monotonous contemporary composition.

Prison cell in Khartoum. Enough said.

Enough said.

That could not possibly be less true!

Behind the wheel.
i hear the screams of my companions and corrected my steering before i opened my eyes.
i was sixteen and possibly on my sixth sleepless day. We all continued on without incident but much animated conversation.

I have no good stories personally, but a close friend of mine has a hell of a story: She went to a tire store and while waiting for her car to be worked on, went to the toilet. She claims that she was overcome by the rubber fumes because she awoke on the toilet and found that she'd vomited in her lap.

I fell asleep watching the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie in the theater. I had just gotten off a plane and (I later found out) had walking pneumonia. And I'd just finished the most physically and emotionally draining few months planning an event.

Still, I was shocked at myself. I hadn't fallen asleep during a movie since I was a little kid.

I was at the time, a bright happy 14 year old student who really tried very hard to listen and learn every class. So there I am, eyes all big, chin in one hand, pencil in the other looking at my teacher.. And suddenly I snore. Loud.

My eyes were open and everything but I slept through my entire two period math class that day.

Behind the wheel.

There's a joke about that:

When my time comes I'd like to die peacefully, in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.

At the wheel. On the Autobahn. At 185 km/h (115mph, it's legal on the Autobahn). And it was just starting to snow.

Srsly, it was not one of those "fall asleep for 2 minutes thing", more of a few instances of drowsiness + " OH SHIT where did this truck beside me come from?". Of course, I stopped at the nearest station to change drivers.

Half an hour later, we were (again at 185km/h) on the left lane, when, just after a hill, we faced a wrecked (really wrecked) car in the middle of the lane. The driver had about 1s to see and react to it (it was just after the hill, so we only saw it from the top of the hill). Luckily he saw some debris flying before and preemptively started changing the lane. Our bumper passed about inches away from the wreck. So I guess I didn't take THE most inconvenient time/place to sleep after all.

I fell asleep at church once as a kid. It was a late night Mass, and I was leaning on the wall. The wall was humming due to the organ music, and I could not keep my eyes open. I woke up to my mom nudging me.

Um, once during a production of Hamlet in Stratford, Ontario as a teenager. Also during a NY Symphony performance as a new college grad.

And then once a few months ago (cringe) naked in the bathtub of a friend and then later on, naked on the floor of his other bath.

There was an unfortunate confluence of factors that day--brewery tour, free beer, high test beer, lack of eating substantially, not knowing the beer was 9-10% and for feeling compelled to DRINK FAST FREE BEER!

That was bad. Very bad. Very out of the ordinary, too.

i fell asleep during Batman two, and kept waking up to Batman two. Three times. That was pretty bad.
i have far worse stories but the rampantly killing people seems to put it a step above.

The Long Island Rail Road. Woke up somewhere in Long Island, instead of the stop in Queens I was going to. The train was empty, and shut down, with all the doors locked. I crawled out of the conductor's window. Not my proudest moment.

Also, and I suspect this will break TPS's heart, during the Phantom of the Opera. In my defense, I was severely jet-lagged.

Also, and I suspect this will break TPS's heart, during the Phantom of the Opera

No. You didn't miss much.

That could not possibly be less true!

One day I'll shall share some travel adventures with MeCha, I promise :) But really, it was my worst sleep ever.

Maybe when I learn how to construct English sentences correctly: One day I'll shall share some travel adventures with MeCha, I promise :) But really, it was my worst sleep ever.

I fell asleep during a film class in first year university. It was after lunch, and lunch was often a BLT and fries, with at least 2 rye and gingers. The sandwich, fries and one drink came to $4.95.

Anyway, I fell asleep during Kurosawa's Rashomon. I woke up to a baby crying in the film, and felt REALLY FUCKING WEIRD.

That's gotta be the worst. Of mine anyway.

I've fallen asleep driving multiple times sp that's kind of a moot point. (Once I even made the 22 minute trip from my then bfs place to my parents house completely asleep. Woke up in the driveway with the car idling. Oops. Another time I almost ended up taking an exit off 95 towards BWI. And there was a cop just a further bit up the ramp.)

I fell asleep once in college in bed with various people sitting on it watching cartoons, which led to some hilarious conversations later.

I fell asleep once in the middle of having sex.


When I was younger, my mom took me to some godawful play (The Mousetrap, I think) and I fell asleep on her arm. Where a bird had shit before we went into the play. Heh.

I've fallen asleep at the wheel also. I was 17 at the time. I stopped at a convenience store after school to buy a Snickers bar on my way to an orthodontist appointment (You brush your teeth before you see the dentist. My braces weren't packed with peanuts). At this time in my life sugar really affected me. For about a year I noticed whenever I had refined carbs, especially chocolate, I would become very drowsy and would need to sleep. I swear I was hypoglycemic but was never diagnosed. Anyhoo, it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm driving down Peninsula Avenue (a fairly busy road) and I'm very drowsy. I'm aware that I'm very drowsy, but I'm so confused I believe I can sleep a second here and there. It takes everything I have to keep my eyes open. I'm not coherent enough to pull over and get a grip. I awake to crashing down five road signs at full speed like they were dominoes. BAM, BAM, BAM... There was a curve in the road. The signs I smacked down were the signs to alert drivers about the approaching bend. It is a miracle I didn't kill myself or anybody else. A landscaping crew ran over to my rescue. I told them that I had fell asleep at the wheel. They started to pull the signs out of the street and said "go, go, get in the car! hurry!". They were trying to save me from before anybody saw the damage. They probably thought I was drunk or something. That was one of the nicest things anybody has done for me. A bunch of strangers helping a girl evade the law and make a clean getaway. :)

Oh, I've fallen asleep during sex before - didn't even think it was that bad...

I was working part time at Mervyns after my regular job at WSL. I'd get off of work from anywhere between 10pm and 1pm depending on how long recovery (store clean-up) would last. I'd be damned tired and would have to get up again at 6am to start over again. Anyway, as I was driving home I was thinking that that just a minute or two of closing my eyes would be fine, nothing bad could or would happen in the short amount of time. I realised that was some pretty fucked up thinking and quit the job.

Also, and I suspect this will break TPS's heart, during the Phantom of the Opera.

No. You didn't miss much.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 07 February | 18:08

This is good to know -- I've been dealing with residual guilt for the last four or five years, plus not being able to categorically say that I've seen that play.

Am I the only one who's reading this thread with my heart in my mouth at the number of people who fell asleep while driving? Not just in a public safety kind of way, but also in a I kind of know you people, and that sounds like way too many brushes with horrible ends kind of way.

At 70 mph on the Beltway.

On two occasions in Boston's Symphony Hall. Once during Madame Butterfly (I was way in the balcony, it was warm) and again during a performance by a Korean drumming troupe -- rather preposterous, considering how loud they were.

I fell asleep behind the wheel. I had pulled an all nighter for finals at SWT (go Bobcats!) and the next afternoon I was stuck in traffic on the lower deck of I35 in Austin in rush hour. The traffice was stop and go (mostly stopped) for a while and had the car in gear and the clutch depressed. I was awakened but the car lurching forward when my foot slipped off the clutch. Fortunately I didn't hit the car in front of me. Lesson learned: When you're tired, pull over for a cat nap.