Safe Driving When You Have Sleep Apnoea

Sleep apnoea is a medical condition which is manifested by a pause in breathing while sleeping. This is normally due to an obstruction of the airways. Sleep apnoea also increases the risk of other deadly conditions such as hypertension, heart disease and stroke.

However, recent studies have shown that it is not only through its resulting comorbid illnesses that sleep apnoea becomes deadly. The latest guidelines from the American Thoracic Society say that people with sleep apnoea may also have a higher risk for road traffic related accidents.

So, what makes people with sleep apnoea more prone to road accidents? When a person has sleep apnoea, his or her breathing becomes disturbed during nighttime sleep. This interrupted breathing pattern during sleep can bring about a lack of good quality sleep and increased daytime sleepiness. Daytime sleepiness is what makes driving risky. The report claims that the risk for of a car accident is two or three times higher for individuals with obstructive sleep apnoea compared to those without sleep apnoea.

This is why sleep apnoea should be treated as soon as possible. If a person has signs and symptoms of sleep apnoea such as loud snoring and breathing pauses during sleep, he or she needs to undergo diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible so that the risk for road accidents can be minimized. Patients with suspected sleep apnoea can be initially screened using a questionnaire and later on by a sleep study.

You can read more here:

http://www.dailyrx.com/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-and-driving-risks-discussed-new-official-guidelines