Sleep Apnea
Posted on : 17-08-2009 | By : PaulCox | In : Healthy Truck Driver, Thoughts from a trucker
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What is Sleep Apnea? Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects the breaths that you take, while you are asleep. Just a few years ago, there was not much known about this disorder. I was diagnosed with “sleep apnea” back in 1997. I had to travel almost two hours from the house just to take the test. Now seems like there is a “sleep lab” on just about every street corner.
How do you know if you have Sleep Apnea? Well, most people have it, or at least some form of it anyway. Snoring is about the best way to start looking for symptoms, or I should say when your snoring stops. The sign that is most suggestive of sleep apnea’s occurs if snoring stops. If it does, along with breath, while the person’s chest and body tries to breathe – that is literally a description of an event in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. When breathing starts again, there is typically a deep gasp, and then the resumption of snoring.
Most usually the best way to tell if you are a candidate for “sleep apnea” is to answer some simple questions. Do you get sleepy in the middle of the day? Have you ever been sitting in traffic at a stop light and fell asleep? Have you ever traveled down the road, and suddenly get to where you were going, but can’t remember the trip there? Another way to tell if you are a candidate is, if you have ever been talking to somebody face-to-face and just fell asleep?
Truck drivers beware, this is going to show up on your DOT physical shortly. If the DOT certified doctor thinks you are a candidate, then guess what? You will be doing a sleep study, before they will give you you’re medical card. No medical card, no driving a truck anymore.
I will tell you this much. If you have slept and slept and slept for years even, and feel like you are NOT rested everyday, then I would guess “sleep apnea” is the culprit. I will also tell you this, if you do go do a study on you, and you qualify for the machine. Once you get used to it, there is not a BETTER night sleep.
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