CPAP Blog

We can probably share one of these sad stories every single day but let’s sum up a couple of weeks worth of news related to sleepy drivers who kill and injure themselves and others.

In previous post we highlighted how a lot of truck drivers are at risk from OSA,  the DVLA’s stance on sleep apnoea patients driving and general statistics mainly in the UK regarding driving deaths related to sleep. Now let’s look at the latest headlines on this topic.

In Canada, a truck driver was convicted after killing a police officer. He admitted being sleepy shortly before the accident. Whether he was suffering from sleep apnea or not, this quote sums up the situation for many drivers:

Dr. Charles Samuels said Smith may have had his eyes open but wasn’t processing what he was seeing. Samuels said truckers such as Smith often only get four or five hours of sleep a night, and live like that for decades.

In Springfield USA a driver slammed into a train after falling asleep,  whilst here in the UK a lorry driver killed two after falling asleep at the wheel, ploughing into a traffic hold-up. He was sentenced for four years and banned from driving for eight.

The court heard that after emergency services raced to the scene Walker climbed from his cab and told a fire officer: “It’s all my fault”.

Walker originally told police he had been sending a message on his lorry’s on-board computer, but he later confessed he had fallen asleep.

Walker, who pleaded guilty to two charges of causing death by dangerous driving, was also disqualified from the roads for eight years.

In India, another driver fell asleep on the highway and caused another car to crash into and kill four people. Further East, in Australia we find yet another truck driver not getting enough sleep and causing a fatal fireball after slamming into a line of cars.

“At the time of the crash Mr Hodge would have been severely sleep deprived with a disrupted circadian rhythm,” he said.

Dr Odell said the need to “recharge your physical and mental batteries” was physiological and people paid the price if they didn’t sleep.

This Reuters piece reveals how a young American girl got killed when she fell asleep at the wheel and they report in the US alone, more than 1,550 people die annually from drowsy driving. The include more fatal driving stories too. Yet another US based fatality was reported on goblueridge.net.

Another Briton was sentenced, seven years this time, after killing four people when driving under the influence and drowsy from lack of sleep. And a Hungarian bus driver injured 24 of his passengers when crashing his bus in Austria. Evidence suggests he too fell asleep.

And finally, out of the ones we found covering the last 3 weeks alone, in Sweden a bus driver fell asleep at the wheel and risked the lives of 18 young dancers and their guardians. Prosecutors called for the driver to be jailed for causing bodily harm.

That’s 11 accidents reported in the last 21 days or so. No wonder statistics show sleepy driving is as dangerous as drink-driving. But we don’t see any big campaigns for driver awareness!

If you drive regularly for long periods, make sure you are rested and get your health checked out. You may be suffering from a sleep related disorder which will keep you tired for the rest of your life unless you get treated.

CPAP is making sleep apnoea sufferers around the world sleep again. Within a 24 hours window, these three stories reached my inbox. In each, a sleep apnoea patient describes their CPAP fortune. If you suffer from sleep apnoea, read these success stories. It could be you getting your life back too!

In TampaBays10: Woman finally enjoys a good night of sleep

So now she and Victor can enjoy the day, after both get a great night’s sleep.

“Oh, I feel great!” says Maria. “Thank the Lord, yes.”

In the Sand Mountain Reporter: Pruett won’t run again

 After the second stroke, doctors believe they were brought on by a sleep disorder called sleep apnea.

“I now sleep with a CPAP machine and feel great.”

On Lower Hudson Online: A diagnosis that can keep our roads safer

 ”Once the patient is treated, they feel like they have a new life,” Bergstein said. “It transforms their sex life, their family life, their work life.”

While Mosa conceded going to bed hooked up to a machine with a mask on isn’t sexy and it takes some getting used to, she said she won’t travel anywhere without her CPAP machine.

“If I don’t have the CPAP, I can’t sleep,” she said. “It’s amazing, what a difference it’s made. I’m clearheaded, and I’m more ambitious to do things. At this point, it’s part of my life.”

If you find more links to similar stories, please post them in the comments.

As if just sleepiness, diatebes, heart problems and general brain-fog weren’t enough, a study now reports sleep apnoea syndrome sufferers are at an increased risk of loss of vision compared to the general public.

NAION is the abbreviation for Non-artheric Anteroir Ischemic Optic Neuropathy, which on its turn is a fancy way of saying loss of vision. Insufficient blood supply damages the optic nerve which may impair or cause loss of sight. Cardiovascular problems including diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol levels may contribute to the risk of NAION. Since these health issues are common amongst sleep apnoea syndrome patients, it’s easy to see the link.

A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology earlier this year confirms earlier reports of 70% of NAION patients having sleep apnoea.

Considering there is no accepted treatment to reverse the damage done by NAION, this is quite a scary thought for sleep apnoea patients. Preventing (further) damage can be done by making sure the blood flows as well and in as good a condition as possible. Successful sleep apnoea treatment will do much good to those who might be at risk. With CPAP, blood oxygen gets restored, the heart has less work to do and health improves overall. With proper nutrition, cholesterol can be controlled and blood sugar levels balanced.

So there you have it, yet another scary prospect for all those left untreated!