Could sleep apnea be the cause?

preemiern · Post by **preemiern** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:07 pm

http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.a ... yid=243186

This happened very near to where I live--one truck crossed the median and collided with another semi...very tragic.

You may have to copy and paste the link--don't know if it will let you click on it.

Make sure to watch the second video--The fire is unreal!! I am going to contact the news station and talk to them about sleep apnea...

Maybe this accident wasn't caused from a trucker falling asleep--but that seems the most logical reason for crossing the median.

Cindy

pedroski · Post by **pedroski** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:35 pm

Hi Cindy,

The link works fine. You've got to wonder don't you? That's real scary stuff. I guess the thing is that that could have been a number of guys who contribute to this forum. I don't drive trucks but I'm on the road a bit and used to have microsleeps. Post cpap, not even one!

Good for you in being proactive Cindy.

Peter

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preemiern · Post by **preemiern** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:02 pm

I just think of all the drivers on that road and nobody else was hurt Thank God!!, and it is scary--I have been behind trucks that I know the drivers had to be falling asleep at the wheel!!
and if they are diagnosed with sleep apnea, they can lose their license, so many don't even look into it, or let their company know if they have it--very scary!!

SleepTech · Post by **SleepTech** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:54 am

Its not just truckers......its everyone. Sleep apnea costs this country millions and millions of dollars a year, if you don't believe me...think about it. It absolutely amazes me how many people believe they can survive just fine on only a few hours of sleep. Did you know that a person's reflexes and judgement after staying awake for 18 hours straight is very similar to the reflexes and judgment of a person close to the legal blood alcohol limit. Scary??

It's not just the truckers diving 60 MPH down the road dozin off. Its the pilots on every flight you take, how good did they sleep? The doctors and nurses in surgery....are they on their top game because they got restful sleep last night....or even worse, How long have they been on their shift??? Its the factory worker workin on heavy machinery....are they aware of all their surroundings?

Even little things you might not even think about....the office worker that makes a slight error in numbers costing the company several hundred or even thousands of dollar because s/he was too sleepy to catch the mistake. Now take that several thousand dollars and multiply it by a few thousand people that might make the same mistake in any given day. It's not only the companies that are paying out for mistakes caused by sleep deprived employees....its us! Increased prices on merchindise because companies plan on mistakes like this and they need to compensate that, or even worse our Health Care System, because think of how many accidents (not just automobile) occur that could have been prevented and all the money paid out by insurance companies. Who pays?? We do!!

Sleep apnea is a serious issue in our world, and if we don't start realizing that as a society, we're gonna dig a hole that our children and grand-children will not be able to get out of.

You brought up truckers, and it's very good to see alot of the reputible trucking companies have started to make PSG's and MSLT's a common practice for their drivers. We are getting more and more truckers coming in for studies in our lab. But please don't think it needs to stop there!!

Just my 2 cents,
Chris

pedroski · Post by **pedroski** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 2:48 am

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum. You'll come in real handy mate!

Cheers

Peter

drbandage · Post by **drbandage** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:02 am

Did you know that a person's reflexes and judgement after staying awake for 18 hours straight is very similar to the reflexes and judgment of a person close to the legal blood alcohol limit. Scary??

. . . the doctors and nurses in surgery....are they on their top game because they got restful sleep last night....or even worse, How long have they been on their shift???

Reminds me of my responsibilities in medical school and residency, seeing patients in the emergency room as I approached the end of a 36 hour sleepless shift. It is an unacceptable risk for all involved.

Just my 2 cents

Chris, you're being far too modest. The wisdom in your words is worth far more than that!

Sleepy-eyes · Post by **Sleepy-eyes** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:12 am

Before I understood sleep apnea (well, understood it as much as any of us can, I guess), I used to "point my finger" of disdain at crashed truckers. I assumed it was because they were so high on drugs taken to stay awake that when the drugs wore off they crashed........both physically and literally. Now, I find myself wondering if many of those crashes weren't caused by sleep apnea.

I have a friend who is a trucker and I occassionally meet him for a meal at the local truck stop as he rolls through my area. I can't help but notice that 90% of the truckers and their wives, if accompanied, are extremely overweight. The food they serve in those truck stops certainly doesn't rate as healthy. We all know that excess weight is one of the factors which promotes sleep apnea.

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