Studies show that obstructive sleep apnea is associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.

Have you ever been driving along and found yourself nodding off? It’s most likely to happen to people with obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. However, the risk is reduced when sleep apnea is treated effectively using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Effective identification and treatment of sleep apnea is essential to reduce avoidable, life-threatening accidents caused by drowsy driving.

The Risk

Those with sleep apnea are nearly 2.5 times more likely to be the driver in a motor vehicle accident. Further risk analysis found that severe excessive daytime sleepiness, short sleep duration of 5 hours or less, and use of sleeping pills were independent predictors of increased crash risk in people with sleep apnea. The incidence of motor vehicle accidents was reduced by 70 percent among sleep apnea patients who used CPAP therapy for an average of at least 4 hours per night.

Drowsy Driving

The AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) reports that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disease afflicting at least 25 million adults in the U.S. Sleep apnea warning signs include snoring and choking, gasping, or silent breathing pauses during sleep. 

A research team studied 1,478 sleep apnea patients with a mean age of 54 years. Seventy percent were men. Objective motor vehicle accident data were analyzed from the Swedish Traffic Accident Registry (STRADA). The control population of 635,786 driver’s license holders included 21,118 individuals with a record of at least one motor vehicle accident during the study period. Sleep apnea patients were involved in 82 motor vehicle accidents while driving during the study period, including 56 accidents in the 5 years prior to diagnosis and 26 accidents in the 5 years after diagnosis. Objective CPAP adherence data were obtained from the device at follow-up visits.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that drowsy driving may cause 328,000 motor vehicle accidents and 6,400 fatal crashes on U.S. roads each year.

Simulation Study

A simulation study presented in 2016 at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress reported that patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) may pose potential driving risks.  

This study used standard deviation of lane position (SDLP) in a driving simulator to create a model for future studies, as well as try to identify the actual risk.

When compared to the control group, the OSA patients had more episodes of nodding off and admitted to sleepiness during driving.  They were also less likely to get a passing score and more likely to fail than those in the control group.  About 53% of people in the control group passed, 47% intermediate, and none of them failed.  Only 31% of the patients in the OSA group passed, with 49% scoring at intermediate and 20% failing.  In those who failed, lane deviation was significantly worse.

Furthermore, the researchers note that OSA patients are on average 2-6 times more likely to have a traffic accident compared to those without the condition.  Nodding at the wheel and sleepiness are far more likely to be reported in patients with OSA than the patients in the control group.  

Getting Help

Are you concerned you or someone you know may have sleep apnea? Get tested in the comfort of your own bed with At Home Sleep Study.

By Leslie Radford

Let’s take a look at the numbers affecting your sleep.

Sleep Disorder Statistics

50-70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder

48.0% report snoring

37.9% reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day at least once in the preceding month

4.7% reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving at least once in the preceding month

Drowsy driving is responsible for 1,550 fatalities and 40,000 nonfatal injuries annually in the United States

Insomnia is the most common specific sleep disorder, with short term issues reported by about 30% of adults and chronic insomnia by 10%

25 million U.S. adults have obstructive sleep apnea

9-21% of women have obstructive sleep apnea

24-31% of men have obstructive sleep apnea

8% of children aged 2 to 8 have sleep apnea

3–5% of the overall proportion of obesity in adults could be attributable to short sleep

Percentage of CPAP users who are adherent to therapy: 66%

Percentage of adults using melatonin: 1.3%

Percentage of bacteria that CPAP cleaners claim to kill: 99%

Incidence of narcolepsy: 50 per 100,000 people

Percentage who reported that snoring improved in bed partner with a mandibular advancing snoring device: 70%

83% of people with type 2 diabetes have sleep apnea and may not know it

43% of people with mild obstructive sleep apnea and 69% of people with severe obstructive sleep apnea have hypertension

According to one 2004 study, treating all United States drivers suffering from sleep apnea would save $11.1 billion in collision costs and save 980 lives annually

37% of 20-39 year-olds report short sleep duration

40% of 40-59 year-olds report short sleep duration

35.3% of adults report <7 hours of sleep during a typical 24-hour period.

100,000 deaths occur each year in U.S. hospitals due to medical errors and sleep deprivation have been shown to make a significant contribution

The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research reports that more than 38,000 people die each year from cardiovascular issues related to sleep apnea

Sleep apnea quadruples your risk of stroke

It’s estimated that 1 in 15 adults in the United States has obstructive sleep apnea, which equals 18 million people. Approximately 80% of these people are undiagnosed.

What Do These Numbers Mean to You?

That’s a lot of scary data to take in. Knowing this information, don’t you think you owe it to yourself to see if you have sleep apnea? At Home Sleep Study provides a convenient, affordable way to test at home.

Compiled by Leslie Radford

Sleep Apnea Defined

Consequences of Sleep Apnea

How Sleep Apnea is Diagnosed

Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Scheduling a Sleep Study

Sleep disorders are a common problem for many people. In this article, we will take a look at sleep apnea, what it is, why it’s a problem, how it gets diagnosed, and treatment options.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is the failure to breathe while you sleep. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) where the airway collapses, cutting off airflow to the lungs. 

Snoring is often associated with poor sleep and is often overlooked by many. A partial airway obstruction causes the upper airway tissues to vibrate and produce the snoring sound.

Why Sleep Apnea is Harmful 

The longer OSA goes untreated, the greater the negative side effects and associated health risks. If sleep apnea remains untreated, other health conditions may emerge or current health problems may heighten, including:

• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Disease
• Heart Attack
• Heart Failure
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Reflux disease (GERD)
• Atherosclerosis
• Gestational Diabetes
• Sexual Dysfunction

Sleep apnea can cause a slew of issues including:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Difficulty concentrating on tasks such as driving and remaining focused at meetings.
• Morning and daytime headaches
• Generalized irritability
• Impaired emotional functioning
• Sleep-disordered breathing in childhood may be instrumental in delaying or damaging cognitive development.

Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea

At Home Sleep Study allows you to get tested for sleep apnea in the comfort of your own home. By wearing a small device while you sleep, we can determine if you have OSA.

This is an easy, affordable way to discover the severity of your sleep disorder and much more comfortable than going to a sleep lab where you are connected to several electrodes in an unfamiliar environment.

The device you wear will monitor your respiratory movement/airflow, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. This data is then read by our sleep professionals, usually within the same day, to determine if you have OSA and its severity. A treatment plan will be discussed with you.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

CPAP is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP is non-invasive (it does not enter the body). The CPAP machine is small and pulls in room air, compresses it, and blows it into a tube that is attached to a mask worn by the patient. The pressurized air from the CPAP keeps the airway open, allowing the patient to breathe normally during sleep.

Other Treatment Options

While CPAP is the common treatment option, other modalities of treatment do exist, including:

• Lifestyle changes
• Positional therapy
• Weight loss
• Oral sleep apnea appliances
• Surgical procedures
• Something like a Leesa mattress that spread your weight evenly while you sleep.

Benefits of Treatment

Patients who treat obstructive sleep apnea will return to a more normal sleep pattern allowing the body its much-needed rest. Patients will feel more awake and energetic allowing increased focus and activity throughout the day. Benefits also include reduced risk for heart failure, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and other ailments associated with OSA.

Schedule Your At Home Sleep Study

At Home Sleep Study is an easy, affordable option for anyone who thinks they may have sleep apnea. Scheduling your sleep study is easy. Click here to get started.

By Leslie Radford