D.O.T. Medical, Sleep Apnea

I still fail to see how sleep apnea would affect someones ability to drive? Is it only the drowsiness due to poor sleep?

 

Drowsiness? How about falling asleep at the wheel at 70 mph, slamming into a line of 4-wheelers stopped for construction, demolishing 5 cars, killing 10. Miami OK on I44 a couple of years ago. Driver at end of full duty day, with diagnosed sleep apnea.

How about a veteran driver falling asleep at the wheel, running a stop light, crushing a car and killing 5 - including 4 children. Post-crash diagnosis of sleep apnea.

That's a couple of examples. Now I'm no great fan of testing everyone or the way they're going about it, but it does seem to be a problem - and most of the accidents its mentioned in don't appear to be fender-benders. The guys I know who have gone on CPAP machines generally are very positive about how it has improved the way they feel during the course of the day as well.

 

I found out the hard way there is a direct connection sleep apnea has with later developing hypothyroidism and diabetes if left untreated. Screw the company thing, if you have it, worry about your own health and get treated.

Yes there is a scam with all the referrals. Your doctor refers you to his buddy the RT who makes you go to some certain medical equipment company who bilks you for double the cost of the equipment, forcing you to rent to own the equipment. The same with trucking companies having tests done. There's a circle of money mongers.

I had problems using mine and even tried to take it back.
Oh you can't do that.
I'm renting it ain't I? Then convert it to a sale with my insurance company before it runs out.
Oh, we can't do that. They won't let us.
So I call the insurance company.
We can't do that, they won't let us.
Now one of you all are lying, lol.
So why do I have to rent it 13 months before I own it? Why not 12?
That's how they do it.
Yeah, so I can pay two yearly deductibles.

As you can see, I hate our medical system. Bunch of crooks.

But any driver that has never been treated doesn't have to volunteer any info. The OP already having an established medical history does have to comply.

Just a note, CPAP's cost less than half what you pay at a medical equipment company if you are paying cash online like cpap.com.

 

I believe it's called narcolism, daytime sleepiness. My last month before coming off the road I had episodes where I was awake, but my eyes would blank out on me for a few seconds. It wasn't like getting sleepy and drifting off. It was a weird feeling. My eyes would lose focus but could hear everything around me. I knew I had to get off the road and seek help before I did kill someone. Then I found my magnitude of problems all stemming from a lifetime of untreated sleep apnea.

Another give me is all the drivers in pickle parks taking nappy time everyday in the early afternoon. I guarantee you they all have sleep apnea. Then you find yourself playing with the logbook to get the job done sometimes. You can get your rest. You just have to do it in multiple sessions.

 

I am no sleep expert but that would be narcolepsy would it not? Sleep Apnea has always been explained to me a blockage of your airway while you are sleeping and that being drowsy or tired feeling is a symptom of it.....if you are falling asleep you should have noticed the signs of fatigue long before that happened.

I have been diagnosed with a mild form of sleep apnea myself...it has presented itself only while sleeping on my back....which I do not do and both sleep specialists I have seen did not feel I needed any type of treatment for it. I am my self not prone to fall asleep (actually almost impossible for me to with out medication) and have never been tired, sleepy, drowsy because of it. The only reason it was ever noticed is because the sleep specialist (the first one I went to) insisted I sleep on my back, which I hate doing because it hurts my back.

 

Ah no. It's the result of long hours at the wheel, stress, and a lack of restorative sleep. It has nothing to do with narcolepsy.

You're a newb, yes? Wait until you're running 11-hours at a stretch behind the wheel, in heavy high-speed traffic. Day after day. Then throw in your worst nightmare... a car full of kids that appears in front of you after you drop off for a moment - and the collision is unavoidable.

 

Fatigue due to sleep apnea I can believe....but someone that falls asleep due to it is sure to have had signs of being tired and should have stopped to rest, that is all my point is. I do see how they can go hand in hand. To me its like saying someone died of getting their leg cut off....when in all reality they lost half their blood due to the injury. The death could have been avoided had he stopped the bleeding.

Newb....depends on your definition I guess. To driving? No. (Have a few years in tractor trailer, a few years in tandem dumps and about 5 years of other various commercial driving jobs.) To this forum? Yes.

 

For the record we work 14-16 days during our work season....but if you feel tired or fatigued you can go home with zero flack from the company, it is encouraged. (Not just on paper but also in reality.) The hours are also legal due to an HOS exemption that pertains to our work. (M.S. § 221.031)

Sorry if I am coming off as defensive or rude...just trying to understand.

 

some ppl that have sleep apnea experience this~

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia, characterized by excessive sleepiness and sleep attacks at inappropriate times, such as while at work. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern, which often is confused with insomnia. Narcoleptics, when falling asleep, generally experience the REM stage of sleep within 5 minutes; whereas most people do not experience REM sleep until an hour or so later.[1]


i have a friend that has sleep apnea and they also determined he has narcolepsy and just diqualified him last month from driving.

 

OTR drivers work much more continuously, and many of what are termed bottom-feeder outfits push drivers to the maximum. Long stretches at the wheel take their toll, as does stress. Plus there's the profit motive. Low-wage drivers paid on a cents-per-mile basis tend to run as many hours as possible, as fast as possible to maximize their earning ability. Couple that with the 14-hour clock - once its started you have to get your driving done despite traffic, delays at shippers/receivers - all add to how tired a driver gets. Now, lump the problem of not getting enough sleep - whether that's too much time foolin' around in the truckstop, insomnia, the racket from diesel engines in the parking area - or sleep apnea, and you have a problem.

Part of understanding what's going on is that the recognition by medical professionals that there is something called sleep apnea is recent. There's a lot of drivers out there that think its all BS, and that its only a scam by corrupt doctors to loosen more dollars out of their pockets. Couple that with the lack of definitive regulation by the FMCSA, and the fact that many doctors treat their patients as "profit centers" these days. Very tired people make poor decisions, especially when they are goaded on by conflicting imperatives. Take a nap? I always think that's the best choice, especially when I'm not tired!

If you think you have sleep apnea, you're well advised to get a definitive diagnosis. My understanding is that that during sleep, you are not breathing properly leading to a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream. It leads to being tired, and degradation to your internal organs.