I wrote a few days back about a sleep apnea study which found a twofold increase in workplace injuries for people with the sleeping disorder. Shortly after, I learned of another study that considered the effects of sleep apnea on workplace safety–in a far more dramatic environment.
Truckers who suffer from sleep apnea show a fivefold increase in the incidence of serious accidents on the road, according to a study recently published in the journal Sleep:
“If we look at 1,000 truck drivers each working for a year, the drivers with obstructive sleep apnea who refuse mandated treatment would have 70 preventable serious truck crashes, compared to 14 crashes experienced by both a control group and by drivers with sleep apnea who adhered to treatment,” said Stephen Burks, lead author of the study, and professor of economics and management at Morris.
This is a striking result, albeit one that’s hardly surprising. Truckers are known to fight exhaustion and ennui on their hours-long routes, sometimes through a variety of clever means. When that exhaustion takes over, however, even experienced drivers can make mistakes. Some of these are fatal.
Treating sleep apnea in LA requires a sleep study and a consultation with an experienced ENT. Call the Los Angeles Sinus Institute to discuss your options for defeating obstructive sleep apnea today.