Warning Over Little Known Driving Condition That Can Kill

Thursday, 12. May 2011

Image via Wikipedia

Warnings have again been issued about a potential killer whilst driving. This isn’t the first time I’ve reported this hidden danger but it seems that the problem continues to grow whilst drivers are unaware of the condition they have that could endanger them and other road users. The condition is called sleep apnoea and is suffered by 800,000 people in the UK. The condition causes interrupted breathing whilst asleep. The muscles and soft tissue in the throat relax and collapse sufficiently to cause a blockage of the airway for 10 seconds or more.

The lack of oxygen causes a person to come out of a deep sleep and into a lighter sleep, or brief period of wakefulness, in order to restore normal breathing. The repeated interruptions to sleep can make the person feel very tired during the day and can of course cause drivers suffering this condition to fall asleep whilst driving.

Sufferers will have no memory of their breathlessness and therefore not know that they have not had proper sleep. The frightening fact is that only one in four sufferers of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea are diagnosed with the condition.

Symptoms of the condition are daytime drowsiness, poor concentration, morning headaches and depression. There is another problem when diagnosing the condition and that is that GP’s often believe it to be iron problems, diabetes or thyroid problem.

It is only after the patient has been referred to a sleep clinic that it is properly diagnosed. There are treatments available once it has been properly diagnosed but if you are suffering the symptoms mentioned you should get to the doctors as soon as possible.

If you don’t you could end up falling asleep at the wheel and killing someone. By Graham Hill