A two+ hour drive would really take it out of me. I would often have to stop and have a 10 minute nap.
I’ve found meds have really helped, I still feel tired, but I don’t have to sleep afterwards or take naps.
Same with riding motorbike, but double. I think it’s the intense concentration for long periods of time.
No, driving was always something I could hyperfocus on and I find it relaxing.
I do need a break after 2h at the most, but that may also be cause driving in Southern Germany is pretty demanding. Traffic is dense, and on the Autobahn you have semis going 80 km/h in the right lane and BMWs going 200+ in the left lane. So if you’re somewhere between those speeds you’re forced to constantly switch lanes while watching your rear view mirror like a hawk for cars coming at you fast, and riding your bumper if you don’t get out of their way quickly enough.
I love driving in France, Netherlands, Switzerland or Scandinavia in general. Just set cruise control to 100 and put some Dub or an audiobook on. It feels like meditating to me.