Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Causes and Risks
According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 12 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Those who suffer from the condition start and stop breathing several times a night when their throat muscles relax and block the airway. OSA is the most frequently occurring form of sleep apnea compared to the far less common central sleep apnea, a condition in which the brain actually fails to signal muscles to breathe as a result of instability in the respiratory control center.
According to a research study recently co-authored by Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute, drivers with sleep apnea have a five times greater risk of a severe crash when they do not adhere to a mandated treatment program. Researchers found that in a group of 1,000 truck drivers working for a year, the drivers with OSA who refused treatment had 70 preventable serious truck crashes, compared with 14 experienced by an equal-sized group that adhered to treatment or did not have the condition at all.
Symptoms of OSA
- Excessive sleepiness during the daytime (known as hypersomnia)
- Loud snoring
- Observed episodes of stopped breathing during sleep
- Abrupt awakenings while sleeping accompanied by a shortness of breath
- Waking with a sore throat and/or dry mouth
- Morning headaches
- Trouble staying asleep (known as insomnia)
Causes
OSA occurs when the muscles that support soft tissue in the throat relax. This causes the airway to narrow and close, and breathing is then momentarily restricted for approximately 10 to 20 seconds. This can lower the level of oxygen in the blood.
When the brain senses an inability to breathe, it briefly rouses you from your sleep so your airway can reopen. Often, this episode is not memorable because it only lasts for a brief moment.
Risks for Developing OSA
OSA can affect anyone, but certain people may be at a higher risk, such as:
- Overweight individuals - Fat deposits around the upper airway can obstruct breathing.
- Those with a thick neck circumference - a neck greater than 17 inches may narrow the airway in the throat.
- Those with high blood pressure
- Those with narrow airways or enlarged tonsils or adenoids
- Sufferers of chronic nasal congestion
- Diabetics
- Males
- African Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders
- Those older than 65
- Women who are menopausal or postmenopausal
- Those with a family history of sleep apnea
- Those using alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers
- Smokers
Contact a Doctor
If you experience any of the following symptoms or your partner notices any of the following behaviors, consult your physician.
- Snoring that is disturbing and loud
- Shortness of breath that disturbs your sleep
- Intermittent pauses in breathing during sleep
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Through a partnership with Atlas Injury Prevention Solutions, Health Solutions, and Dr. Michael Levine, TrueNorth is proud to announce the launch of Sleep Solution: a program and resource designed to manage sleep apnea programs and assist the transportation industry in reducing the costs and risks associated with chronic sleep disorders among their staff.
Learn more about Sleep Solution
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Truckers Service Association is a non-profit organization we work with to deliver specialized benefits and insurance products to owner-operators to optimally protect their businesses and families. Find out more about TSA by visiting their website, www.tsatruck.com. TSA offers a number of value-added benefits to drivers with membership.
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