Can You Sleep In Your Car With It Running For People Who Live In It

Whether you’re a nomadic car dweller, someone stuck living out of their car temporarily, or just looking for a quick rest during a road trip, the idea of sleeping in your car with the engine running can be tempting to some of us. When it comes to the question of, ‘can you sleep in your car with it running?’, it’s actually a bit complicated and not really a simple yes or no answer. In this article, we’ll talk about the safety risks, legal considerations, and best practices related to sleeping in your car with the engine on, helping you become better informed on this topic.

Why Would You Sleep With the Car Running?

Before we talk about the actual risks of sleeping in your car with the engine running, it’d be useful to understand why someone might want to sleep in their running vehicle.

One reason that I’ve slept with my car running before was because of the extreme heat that wouldn’t dissipate even late at night. I’m not fond of sleeping with my windows down, I have done it before, but even then they’ll only be cracked a couple inches, not enough for someone to stick their arm through. But alas, with that and two portable fans blasting directly onto my face and chest with no shirt on, I was still lying in a puddle of my sweat unable to get a wink of sleep. So what did I do on multiple different days and occasions? I started the car and blasted the A/C when it got too bad, blissfully cooling down and enjoying the pure happiness that comes along with a cold A/C in the Florida summer. I’d sleep for thirty minutes with the A/C on, then wake up to an alarm I’d set to turn the car back off; I would do that about four times throughout the night. I didn’t want to sleep with a running vehicle for eight hours straight, but those thirty minute bursts of A/C were really all I needed to stay nice and cozy.

I think comfort must be the biggest factor when it comes to people wanting to sleep with their vehicle running. On the other side of wanting to sleep with the car running for the A/C, some of us might want their car running in order to use their heater. Both ends of the spectrum are pretty bad, whether you’re living out of your car in Antarctica or the Florida wastelands, it’s going to suck, especially when you’re trying to sleep. At least in cold environments, you can bundle up with layers upon layers of blankets and clothing, so I personally prefer extreme cold over heat.

There could be certain emergency situations where your car poops out and the only way to make sure your car will stay running is to leave the engine running. In addition to that, you might need to leave the vehicle running in this situation in order to keep your heater or A/C working due to the weather. It might have to stay running in this manner until you can get help or find a way to fix the problem. During all of this time, you could get tired and want to sleep like a normal human being, but you wonder if it is safe to do so with the car still running.

Some people might want to sleep with their engine running in order to keep certain electronics powered on or in a charging state while they sleep. There are times when I need to charge my phone, power bank, or laptop when I sleep for certain different reasons, so keeping my car’s engine running is often my personal solution. It definitely helps to invest in a portable power station that has more than one outlet for charging all of your devices; not to mention it helps you not having to run your vehicle which burns extra gas. Any chance I get to not run my vehicle, I take it, you’ll burn through gas more quickly than you expect when idling your vehicle.

The Dangers of Sleeping in Your Car with the Engine Running

Despite there being multiple different reasons as to why someone might want to sleep in their car with the engine running, the risks of doing so will pretty much outweigh the benefits; depending on whether or not you have an aversion to living. Let’s talk about the first danger of sleeping in your car with it running; that is carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, which is the most significant danger for you in this scenario.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

One of the worst things about carbon monoxide is that you cannot smell it, see it, or taste it, so identifying that it’s there without using tools is pretty much impossible. There is the possibility of carbon monoxide buildup in the cabin of your vehicle if you don’t have enough ventilation or your vehicle has a leak in the exhaust system; and if that happens, you can become fatally poisoned. One way that an accumulation of carbon monoxide in your vehicle’s cabin can occur is from a clogged tail pipe, such as being clogged by snow or other debris.

Don’t just brush away the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning, especially because it’s very difficult to notice when you’re being affected. It happens quickly and very much under the radar where it’s difficult to notice, that’s why you should really have a carbon monoxide detector in your vehicle, even more so because your vehicle is your current home. There are many symptoms that you can look out for when it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning, including headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling weak, nausea, and loss of consciousness. If you lose consciousness because of it, that’s very bad and the last thing you want because that might be it for you; death from carbon monoxide poisoning can and does happen in your sleep.

Fire And Mechanical Malfunctions

Another reason that it can be unsafe to sleep in your running vehicle is that you run the risk of it catching on fire, possibly from a fuel leak or the engine overheating. There are certain malfunctions that can happen with vehicle engines that can cause a fire to start, and you definitely don’t want to be sleeping in there when it’s ablaze.

Excess Fuel Consumption

This goes without saying, that you will burn much more fuel than you normally would if you choose to sleep with your vehicle running. You’ll probably burn a few gallons of gas if you go for a full night’s sleep (7-8 hours) without turning the car off at all. When I’m sitting in my car idling in the parking lot, I usually burn about one third of a gallon of gas every hour, so it definitely adds up over time with gas being almost five bucks per gallon.

Unwanted Attention

One of the last things that we want to do as people who live out of their car is to attract unwanted attention, whether that be from criminals or law enforcement (to which some of you they may be one in the same). I’m of the opinion that not all cops are bad, in fact, I think that the majority of them aren’t compete pieces of crap, but there are definitely ones out there who will try to ruin your life for little to no reason at all.

Anyways, sleeping with your vehicle running will attract more attention than usual, and I think this applies more at night. Sometimes our windows fog up when we sleep, and a running vehicle with foggy windows in certain areas may come off as suspicious to some people.

If you’re sleeping at night with the vehicle running, it makes people think that there’s someone in there, which is not usually a good thing. You’ve got nosy people, bitter people, desperate people, all kinds of different people who may want to mess with someone in their vehicle. It’s better to stay as stealthy as possible if you can really help it. There are situations where it may be worth it to you to run your vehicle while you sleep, you just have to weigh the costs and benefits.

Best Practices When Sleeping in Running Vehicle

It’s definitely not advised to sleep in your running vehicle, as you may have been able to gather from all of the downsides and hazards of doing so. But for those of you who still insist sleeping in your car while it’s running (I know I’m still guilty of doing it), let’s talk about some of the best practices that you should keep in mind.

Have the windows cracked open to ventilate the vehicle. This is something that you should really do if you’re going to sleep in your vehicle with it running. Don’t open them enough to where someone could stick their whole arm inside, but just a couple fingers worth of crackage.

Limit the amount of time that you sleep with the engine running, that’s another good practice. Like I was saying earlier, to keep my car interior cool in the sweltering Florida heat, I’d sleep for thirty minute intervals with the A/C running and not let it go for longer than that because I was a little worried about something bad happening. You can also install carbon monoxide detectors in your vehicle for some extra protection against that specific hazard.

Another important thing when it comes to this subject is the location that you choose to sleep at. Picking bad sleeping spots is probably the biggest cause of problems to be had for car dwellers. Worries and trouble arises when other humans become involved in your car dwelling affairs, and limiting the interference of other people is the main goal when choosing a good place to sleep in your vehicle. I have another post that talks about how to find good places to sleep in your car if you want to read more about that.

Beware of running your vehicle in garages or underground parking. There are many underground parking garages that already contain alarming amounts of carbon monoxide, and it is simply not recommended to sleep in your car in one of them unless you have a method to detect carbon monoxide levels.

Final Verdict

So, can you sleep in your vehicle with the engine running? Yes. Is it recommended and a safe thing to do? Nah, not really. There are certain measures that you can take like we discussed above, to make things more safe, such as ventilation and carbon monoxide detectors.

Overall, it doesn’t seem worth it, at least in my opinion, to take the risk and sleep with your vehicle running. Waking up to your car being on fire doesn’t sound all that pleasant, or cops pulling up with their guns ready. There are other measures you can take if you truly think you need to run your vehicle as you sleep. If it’s a matter of heating or cooling, there are safer methods such as portable fans, ventilation, changing locations, etc.