Work and sleep apnea

Ok I need some opinions please. So I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. Would it be unreasonable to ask work not to schedule me overtime for a month or two?
We are currently understaffed but I have been working overtime and 6 day weeks for at least 6 months now and like I have said before I'm exhausted.

I just don't know if I should ask for 40 hr weeks because everyone else is exhausted too. However I have called out once in 2.5 years which is a lot less then most.

Needless to say I'm conflicted and would like opinions.

That wouldn't be an unreasonable request even if you didn't have sleep apnea. Hell, you may be one of the lucky ones that will take to treatment right away and see results immediately like I did, but might still be exhausted from overtime and six day weeks for months on end. Six months is enough for any employer to get its act together.

Our training program is roughly 1 month ( I am trainer) but still takes time to master everything obviously. We are 24/7 operation so when we lose people or people call in sick those hours need to be covered. Also one week a month or so I am on call meaning I have to answer calls 24/7 if needed and as a last resort I would need to cover hours if people call out.

Honestly I don't know if it's the Marine in me or the good work ethic but I honestly would feel bad if I don't pull my weight. It seems lately I have been pulling more than my share and my sp02 dropping below 90% for 1/3 of night doesn't help.

Just ask.
Under-scheduling is a common practice, that abuses employees needlessly.
Your request may need to be in writing, for best results.

Seems reasonable to me. Though this is from someone who won't allow overtime on an adhoc basis, there needs to be a business reason, and for me, I'm fast enough and productive enough that there is rarely a business reason. However I understand not all jobs are like that (my father was a fire dispatcher, people had to be there). Than again, I think all the OT he did caused Diabetes/apnea etc for him.

Seems reasonable, but it depends on the environment of the company.

Some companies are understanding and some aren't. Even companies that are understanding will only go so far if they perceive you creating an undue burden on them. If they are truly understaffed, they need trainers, or they can't get more people - it's a vicious cycle. I work in a similar 24x7 environment and staffing is an issue - they have high turnover and are VERY busy.

Legally, I think you have the right to say enough is enough because of your medical condition, but we all know that doesn't always carry the weight it should.

In the end, it comes down to what you need to do for yourself and your family.

Best of luck to you in getting them to cooperate.

I understand the must do attitude of the retired military personnel. We hate to say we can't do something, and sometimes let ourselves get run down to the point we do not function at a peak performance. I think it would be reasonable to ask for some relief from the ongoing overtime schedule. Studies have shown that extended overtime periods actually slow down production, not speed it up. The speed up works for a short period, but not for an extended period.

Excessive OT is detrimental to health, and too many workers die without collecting retirement benefits.
Some of my husband's co-workers died before plant closing; others within a year after.
It is impossible to prove intent, but one could see a pattern . . .

Working at a Ford Dealership, we struck them to close the shop 1/2 a day on Sat mornings. 1 1/2 months later, I went to the Coal mines, 6 days a week was mandatory, they couldn't force Sunday, but they tried. They even wanted you to do 12 hours. I kind of went from the frying pan to the fire.

After my first long lay off, I never took any overtime, breaking your back, so they could get far enough on supply so they can lay your off doesn't make sense. Jim

They cut the personnel to the bear bones, most of us gave 125% while at work, mainly we helped the other person if we had our work under control and had time. Some Bosses that wasn't enough, or way of dealing with that, we did the work just like he wanted, to the letter, a good boss tells you what he needs and lets you sort out how it's done. I work better looking over my own shoulder.

Had one young pup assigned my partner and I different repair jobs 40 days in a row, He came back to us in a hour, and asked us if we had ever done that repair before, we told him the truth, NO Never, he went back and didn't bother us. We always got the job repaired correctly and safely by the end of the shift. If it was something we needed his help on we would have looked him up.

I cuts both ways, the bad boss put me to finishing putting a steering cylinder on a haul truck, I looked it over, the other shift had put it on incorrectly, he came over bugging me on why I wasn't finishing it fast enough. I got two witnesses, and told him I wasn't going to do it unless, I took it off and did it right. He exploded, and thru his hard hat across the shop. I told him I was going to write it us as unsafe and turn it in to his boss and the union, he said to do it right. He was a class A, A.H. and a drunk. Safety First! Jim

USMCVet wrote: I need some opinions please.

Plenty of those here.

USMCVet wrote:Would it be unreasonable to ask work not to schedule me overtime for a month or two?

You will have to judge that.

Try to avoid backsleeping until you get your CPAP. OSA is often more severe on the back because gravity is pulling the soft palate and tongue directly into the airway. On you sides or stomach, the effect of gravity is reduced, and OSA may not be as severe.

chunkyfrog wrote:Excessive OT is detrimental to health, and too many workers die without collecting retirement benefits.
Some of my husband's co-workers died before plant closing; others within a year after.
It is impossible to prove intent, but one could see a pattern . . .

Yeah, That's one reason I quit firefighting when I was 23... Too many times I'd be on shift and we'd get the call of a downed fire fighter and have a moment of silence... It was almost always for a retired fire fighter, Usually a heart attack or stroke, and they had always been retired between 1-10 years after having worked to the ripe old age of 40 something. Meaning the stress can kill you.

nicholasjh1 wrote: It was almost always for a retired fire fighter, Usually a heart attack or stroke, and they had always been retired between 1-10 years after having worked to the ripe old age of 40 something. Meaning the stress can kill you.

The results show very little difference at age 60 in the life expectancy of police and fire as compared with other public employees. The average life expectancy at age 60 for police and firefighters was 24 years for men and 26 years for women. For non-police and fire, the comparable figures were 25 years for men and 27 years for women – just one year longer! And the pattern was quite consistent across states and localities.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/encore/201 ... die-young/