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Many people who get sleepy while driving have undiagnosed nighttime
breathing disorders, new study findings show.
Researchers found that about 1 out of every 30 drivers regularly
felt sleepy while driving on the highway, corresponding to a
13-fold increase in the risk of a car accident.
Compared with more alert drivers, sleepy drivers tended to:
- Be overweight
- Snore
- Have high blood pressure
- Be sleepy in the morning
Sleepy drivers were also more likely to have sleep disorders such
as sleep apnea, in which breathing briefly stops during the night.
According to the results of another study, it is important to get
prompt diagnosis and treatment for sleep disorders.
Researchers found that people who were suspected of having a sleep
disorder ran a high risk of having a car accident while waiting
to see a sleep specialist, for which the wait time was over a month.
Researchers studied 124 people who were referred to a sleep center
for observation due to excessive sleepiness.
During the period while they were waiting for their appointment:
- 5.4% had a car crash
- 16.4% almost had a wreck
- 16.2% fell asleep behind the
wheel
- 30.6% fell asleep at work
In addition, some of the people were fired or demoted during the
waiting period.
The study authors maintain that "Many of these accidents
and other problems could have been avoided if the sleeping problems
had been diagnosed and treated sooner".
American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine October, 2000;162:1407-1412 and Meeting
of the American College of Chest Physicians San Francisco, California,
October, 2000
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