SLEEP APNEA CAUSES CRASHES
WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
SLEEP APNEA CAUSES CRASHES
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Harlow Z. sleeps fitfully night-after-night, frequently waking up snoring and struggling for breath. Besides being out-of-sorts almost every day, his sleep deficit causes Harlow to dose at inconvenient moments, even when driving. He is a crash waiting to happen. In fact two physicians have published studies which claim that sleep apnea is the root cause of a large number of motor vehicle collisions.
Dr. Paul Suratt’s conclusion is that drivers who have nighttime sleep apnea are 6.3 times more likely to have crashes than drivers who get sufficient sleep. He states that more than 23 % of men and 10% of women in the US suffer from sleep apnea. Some 80 % are not even aware that they have the problem. That means that millions of drivers are at high risk, he writes.
Suratt and his co-author Dr. Larry Findley advise that all state legislatures should pass laws which address this problem. Also they want the Federal Government to issue regulations for control of truck drivers with apnea. Further they want fellow physicians to report sleep apnea suffers to their motor vehicle departments.
Sleep apnea can lead to fatal diseases in addition to highway problems. Resulting drowsiness may be the reasons for many injuries throughout our daily routines. It is correctable. Persons who awake frequently nightly should seek medical observation, more especially if they have daytime drowsiness. Many regional medical centers have sleep disorder centers where apnea and other sleep problems can be diagnosed and treated. Drs. Suratt and Findley staff such centers in Virginia and Colorado, respectively.
When driving, at the very first sign of being drowsy protect yourself and everyone else by immediately getting of the road until the spell is over. Better still, let a wide awake driver take over the responsibility for WRECK-LESS DRIVING.
GHD178 all rights reserved
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
SLEEP APNEA CAUSES CRASHES
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Harlow Z. sleeps fitfully night-after-night, frequently waking up snoring and struggling for breath. Besides being out-of-sorts almost every day, his sleep deficit causes Harlow to dose at inconvenient moments, even when driving. He is a crash waiting to happen. In fact two physicians have published studies which claim that sleep apnea is the root cause of a large number of motor vehicle collisions.
Dr. Paul Suratt’s conclusion is that drivers who have nighttime sleep apnea are 6.3 times more likely to have crashes than drivers who get sufficient sleep. He states that more than 23 % of men and 10% of women in the US suffer from sleep apnea. Some 80 % are not even aware that they have the problem. That means that millions of drivers are at high risk, he writes.
Suratt and his co-author Dr. Larry Findley advise that all state legislatures should pass laws which address this problem. Also they want the Federal Government to issue regulations for control of truck drivers with apnea. Further they want fellow physicians to report sleep apnea suffers to their motor vehicle departments.
Sleep apnea can lead to fatal diseases in addition to highway problems. Resulting drowsiness may be the reasons for many injuries throughout our daily routines. It is correctable. Persons who awake frequently nightly should seek medical observation, more especially if they have daytime drowsiness. Many regional medical centers have sleep disorder centers where apnea and other sleep problems can be diagnosed and treated. Drs. Suratt and Findley staff such centers in Virginia and Colorado, respectively.
When driving, at the very first sign of being drowsy protect yourself and everyone else by immediately getting of the road until the spell is over. Better still, let a wide awake driver take over the responsibility for WRECK-LESS DRIVING.
GHD178 all rights reserved
posted by WRECK-LESS at Sunday, August 19, 2007
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