Sleepiness is one among many reasons for traffic accidents. Sleep apnea can create daytime sleepiness or sleepiness in unusual situations. You might have seen people falling asleep without any signs of drowsiness. In some instances They can also fall asleep in the middle of doing something and wake up after 10 minutes to even two hours later!
The Cause?
Individuals suffering from sleep apnea experience short cessations of breathing. The natural response of brain will be to stir him/her to wake up. After waking up, the person falls asleep once again repeating the cycle. All these cessations happen without the knowledge of the individual.
Though the person doesn't know whether he/she has woken up, the rhythm of sleep is affected and most importantly disturbed.. We all need to go through all the five stages of sleep (viz. Stage 1 through 4 and REM sleep) to give complete rest to the brain. When someone is suffering from Sleep Apnea the brain gets exhausted without the knowledge of the affected person. The brain will find ways to make up for the loss of rest and by forcing the person to go to sleep irrespective of the situation that he or she might find themselves in.
The Driving Risks ...............
This explains the very real & deadly risk of Sleep Apnea and driving. There are more than enough chances on our ever more congested roads for anyone to fall asleep any time during driving, but when you bear in mind a Sleep Apnea sufferer simply cannot help themselves, in laymans terms - the brain simply shuts down (or certainly tries to).
There is only one reason for feeling sleepy. It is sleeplessness. The person suffering from sleep apnea is literally restless during his/her regular sleeping hours. The break in sleeping rhythm is the villain here.
Possibly as dangerous as Drink Driving ?
In different simulated driving experiments, the results have indicated that individuals suffering from sleep apnea performed very poorly, even as badly as a drunken driver.
People driving after taking alcohol can be identified through a blood test and most drink drivers know that their driving will be affected by alcohol. However, For sleep apnea sufferers, in most cases, they would not even realize that their driving was risky. It is estimated that Sleep Apnea sufferers have three to seven times higher risk rate for having an accident than non sufferers.
The Tell-Tale Signs...............
Waking up drowsy in the morning gives the first indication about the lack of proper sleep or presence of sleep disorders. This drowsiness may be because of taking alcohol during the previous night. Daytime drowsiness is another indication. It is estimated that about 20% of drivers on the roads have some kind of sleep disorder.
Many People deprive themselves of the rest required for their body. Our society and culture have a tendency to promote the 24/7 culture terming it as something positive, without taking into account the health risks associated with burning the candle at both ends.
Different state governments have formulated rules to keep drivers with sleep disorders off the road.
Proper Diagnoses & treatment is vital
The best thing a sleep apnea patient can do is to properly identify whether he has sleep deprivation or other sleep problems. Good sleep that gives complete rest to body and mind is essential to ensure safe driving.
The subject "sleep apnea and driving" should not be viewed with skepticism and fear - patients should understand the risks, see the tell tale warning signs of sleep apnea when driving and seek proper medical advice & the necessary treatment.
Toby Russell & his website: http://www.sleepapneainfoguide.com aims to give useful information, news and advice for sufferers.