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Snoring is often a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea that worsens daytime functioning. If it concerns the driver – the problem becomes more serious: as much as 40 percent the perpetrators of road collisions may suffer from apnea.
This is the data of the German organization ADAC. In turn, in Great Britain as much as 20 percent. road accidents are related to driver fatigue. Such data was presented at a press conference in April, during which the educational campaign “Health at the wheel” was launched.
Michał Michalik from the MML Medical Center said then that in the USA it is estimated that as many as 56 road accidents per year are caused by snoring drivers.
There are around 20 million people with a driving license in Poland. On the other hand, the problem of snoring concerns about 10 million Poles. Although we have a high number of road accidents, no research has been conducted in Poland on the percentage of accidents in which one of the factors was concentration disorder or even falling asleep at the wheel due to sleep apnea. Meanwhile, only 7 percent. of drivers declare that they never become distracted while driving.
How does sleep apnea affect my daytime functioning?
Sleep apnea can be divided into three categories, but the most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs in 94% to 96%. cases of this condition.
Apnea is the result of a narrowing or obstruction of the lumen of the airway at the level of the throat. During sleep, a person with this problem develops 30 to 300 apnea (pauses in breathing) lasting at least 10 seconds each.
As a result of snoring, sleep is of poor quality. Moreover, the supply of oxygen to the blood and, therefore, to the brain is impaired. It’s no wonder that people who suffer from sleep apnea and snoring suffer from impaired concentration during the day.
Sleep apnea should be treated because it leads to serious complications, including cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Special tips for snoring drivers
If you snore at night, before driving:
- Sleep for at least six hours
- Do not drink alcohol the day before the trip and generally avoid even the smallest dose of alcohol
- Plan your trip so as not to be behind the wheel between 14.00 – 16.00, when human concentration decreases in a natural, physiological way
- Do not drive the car for more than 1,5 hours – then a break is necessary
- If you have a longer distance to travel, plan overnight stays along the way; a trip to, for example, Croatia “in one sequence” is a very risky idea
- If you feel tired – stop! Eat a piece of dark chocolate, do a few exercises, take a nap. Better to arrive later than never.
How do you recognize obstructive sleep apnea?
Diagnosing sleep apnea requires a sleep test. The most accurate study of sleep is polysomnography. Less precise methods are also allowed, e.g. polygraphy. In the treatment of apnea, it is helpful to reduce or eliminate alcohol from the diet and lose weight if the patient is overweight or obese.