Did you ever fall asleep while commuting?

[barry9999]

I know that it is dangerous to sleep without being connected but I was wondering if these are the same risks that occur if I fall asleep on the train to/from work. I sometimes doze off for half an hour or so which leads me to thinking that this might be dangerous.

What do you think?

Thanks.


- Barry

[Moogy]

If you are sleeping in a sitting position, you might have fewer episodes of apnea than you would lying down. I know of one patient who could never get accustomed to cpap therapy, so now she sleeps every night in a chair to minimize the risk.

However, I have been told that I snore (loudly) even when sleeping sitting up. That is a bit embarassing on an airplane....

The REALLY dangerous type of commuting/sleeping occurs when you are DRIVING. I used to take short naps at traffic lights...but that was pre-bipap.


Moogy

[kteague]

I used to sleep during my commute also, problem is, I was driving.

Having just recovered from pneumonia, I slept in my recliner (but not reclined) unmasked for over two weeks. Woke up a few times with what seemed to be apnea events.

Guess what I'm wondering is if any of the dental devices that may not be sufficient for severe apnea might be enough for when sitting upright? Or at least be of some help for those like you who sleep while traveling. Interested in hearing what those familiar with such devices have to say.

Kathy

[barry9999]

Luckilly I've never had the problem with falling asleep while driving. It must be terrifying knowing that this can happen.

[ces44]

Waking up to a loud WHAP and finding the right rearview mirror has been knocked off is not a good feeling.
ces44

[pidgeon92]

I've fallen alseep on the train, too. Ended up halfway back to my starting point when I woke up. Fallen asleep on planes, in movie theatres, in plays. It's the snore that usually wakes me up, this godawful sound from the top of my throat (very un-ladylike). Then I look around to see who noticed.

[SleepGuy]

Before my diagnosis I was starting to have a really hard time driving. I was so exhausted that I'd go into a trance/daydream state that sometimes was impossible to get through. Sometimes I'd pull over, put my head back, and have a short power nap (sound asleep for 20-30 minutes, like a rock). That always helped. It's very scary to be driving in that condition--glad my doc figured out why.