i suffer from sleep apnea and my licence is due for renewal in november does anyone know the procedure for doing this, or do dvla contact you to renew it
The DVLA send you the…
Oi WAKE UP!!
…renewal and medical forms a few weeks before renewal
normally DVLA. Can that sleep thing be cured ? - if not ,keep schtum or you will probably lose your licence.The health test is designed primarily to test your eyesight & to see in the event of a crash can you extricate yourself from the wreck. Not a lotta people know that.
BTW I know what that sleep thing is ; its when you sleep & the wind pipe closes up & wakes you up resulting in feeling tired all day. Its a weight thing.
Coffeeholic:
The DVLA send you the…Oi WAKE UP!!
…renewal and medical forms a few weeks before renewal
lmao 
thanks for that
harry:
normally DVLA. Can that sleep thing be cured ? - if not ,keep schtum or you will probably lose your licence.The health test is designed primarily to test your eyesight & to see in the event of a crash can you extricate yourself from the wreck. Not a lotta people know that.
BTW I know what that sleep thing is ; its when you sleep & the wind pipe closes up & wakes you up resulting in feeling tired all day. Its a weight thing.
yes your almost spot on, your windpipe closes so your brain not your body wakes up to get you to breathe again, also your heart never rests as it is dealin with excess carbon dioxide due to lack of fresh air, i use a machine with a mask to combat this and as long as the usage recorded by the microchipped card is sufficient enough, i.e hours use per night and nights used per week then dvla are ok for me to keep licence as i am supposed to be a safer driver than before i was diagnosed with it. 
One or two drivers had it in the old days & used to sleep in the passenger seat because because lying down brought on the Apnea.
bazza1965:
harry:
normally DVLA. Can that sleep thing be cured ? - if not ,keep schtum or you will probably lose your licence.The health test is designed primarily to test your eyesight & to see in the event of a crash can you extricate yourself from the wreck. Not a lotta people know that.
BTW I know what that sleep thing is ; its when you sleep & the wind pipe closes up & wakes you up resulting in feeling tired all day. Its a weight thing.yes your almost spot on, your windpipe closes so your brain not your body wakes up to get you to breathe again, also your heart never rests as it is dealin with excess carbon dioxide due to lack of fresh air, i use a machine with a mask to combat this and as long as the usage recorded by the microchipped card is sufficient enough, i.e hours use per night and nights used per week then dvla are ok for me to keep licence as i am supposed to be a safer driver than before i was diagnosed with it.
I don’t get this sleep apnea thing, you have people that cannot lay down to sleep without a machine breathing for them and they’re allowed to drive a 44 tonne lorry 
You can have all the microchip recordings in the world, but the fact is that someone diagnosed with sleep apnea can fall asleep at any time without warning, no way should they be anywhere near a lorry until they no longer have the condition, now I’m no lightweight myself, so this isn’t an anti fat people rant, but there is an almost 100% link between sleep apnea and obesity, so you shed a few pounds and you no longer have the condition 
Now I’m sure there are fatties out there who have a genuine medical reason for such a degree of obesity, people with Prada Willy syndrome for example, but FFS if you need a machine to stop you dying in your sleep just because you have a pie fetish, well then you have no right to be behind the wheel of a lorry .
Yes your C-PAP machine may allow you to both sleep and wake up alive, but so would losing a bit of weight, that’s the crux of the matter, unfortunate as it may be, it’s quite easy to pile on the pounds, nobody sets out to get that overweight, of that I’m quite sure, but when you reach that point, well then it’s time to suspend your licence until you have the condition under control, surely that’s the best solution for everybody? The person concerned will be healthier and live longer and road users don’t have the risk of being flattened by a sleeping driver in his 44 tonne lorry
As far as I know, if you use the machine you sleep ok, so whats the problem with that? Two drivers that i know have them and they dont fall asleep at random during the day.
One just went to the doctors because he was a bad snorer and when the doc asked what he did for a living they had his licence straight off him until he had been diagnosed as safe, so beware.
newmercman:
bazza1965:
harry:
normally DVLA. Can that sleep thing be cured ? - if not ,keep schtum or you will probably lose your licence.The health test is designed primarily to test your eyesight & to see in the event of a crash can you extricate yourself from the wreck. Not a lotta people know that.
BTW I know what that sleep thing is ; its when you sleep & the wind pipe closes up & wakes you up resulting in feeling tired all day. Its a weight thing.yes your almost spot on, your windpipe closes so your brain not your body wakes up to get you to breathe again, also your heart never rests as it is dealin with excess carbon dioxide due to lack of fresh air, i use a machine with a mask to combat this and as long as the usage recorded by the microchipped card is sufficient enough, i.e hours use per night and nights used per week then dvla are ok for me to keep licence as i am supposed to be a safer driver than before i was diagnosed with it.
I don’t get this sleep apnea thing, you have people that cannot lay down to sleep without a machine breathing for them and they’re allowed to drive a 44 tonne lorry
You can have all the microchip recordings in the world, but the fact is that someone diagnosed with sleep apnea can fall asleep at any time without warning, no way should they be anywhere near a lorry until they no longer have the condition, now I’m no lightweight myself, so this isn’t an anti fat people rant, but there is an almost 100% link between sleep apnea and obesity, so you shed a few pounds and you no longer have the condition
Yes your C-PAP machine may allow you to both sleep and wake up alive, but so would losing a bit of weight, that’s the crux of the matter, unfortunate as it may be, it’s quite easy to pile on the pounds, nobody sets out to get that overweight, of that I’m quite sure, but when you reach that point, well then it’s time to suspend your licence until you have the condition under control, surely that’s the best solution for everybody? The person concerned will be healthier and live longer and road users don’t have the risk of being flattened by a sleeping driver in his 44 tonne lorry
That above me right there is the reason so many never bother going to the experts to have the condition controlled.
There are many reasons for the condition, being fat is not always the reason and it is usually a combination of reasons, nor does the condition once controlled, mean that you will fall asleep in an instant, infact that is another sleeping disorder altogether.
I truly believe it is because of the misinformation that is bandied about, that we have drivers on our roads in the UK who do not have this condition controlled and then go onto fall asleep at the wheel and cause accidents.
If sufferers knew that you can retain your license once you have the condition controlled, they could then go on to become safer and better drivers, but more importantly they have their life back again, it is a debilitating condition and affects every aspect of your life if you suffer from it.
And the really ironic bit in all this, is that of last week, you are under no obligation to inform your employer that you suffer from this condition New equality rules.
I think there is confusion here between two similar but different problems:
Sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder characterised by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. An individual with sleep apnoea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnoea is recognised as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body. Symptoms may be present for years (or even decades) without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance.
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnoea, characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in which a person experiences extreme fatigue and possibly falls asleep at inappropriate times, such as while at work or at school. Narcolepsy is a neurological sleep disorder. It is not caused by mental illness or psychological problems. It is most likely affected by a number of genetic abnormalities that affect specific biologic factors in the brain, combined with a set off from environment, such as a virus.
It is reasonable to assume that an individual with diagnosed Sleep apnoea would get a good nights sleep with treatment and therefore be able to function normally while Narcolepsy might be a bigger problem.
So let me get this right, it’s ok to avoid going to the doctor and getting diagnosed with a condition that could void your licence to drive lorries is it?
Let’s, for a moment, ignore the undisputed link between sleep apnea and obesisity and concentrate on the condition itself, a sufferer will be subject to increased levels of fatigue, through lack of brain sleep and increased levels of carbon monoxide in the blood, now we all have days when we’re a bit knackered, maybe after a hard couple of days work, maybe because we’re burning the candle at both ends, but whatever the case, when we’re fatigued we’re far more likely to make a mistake, a mistake when in charge of a 56mph 44 tonne lorry can have some serious consequences, but we can’t legislate for tired healthy people, we can however legislate for people that have medical conditions which make them prone to fatigue, namely sufferers of sleep apnea.
We have to have medicals to ensure our fitness to drive, if we have a dodgy heart, type 1 diabetes or epilepsy then we can’t hold an HGV, now why is that? It’s because we could lose conciousness at any time, well sleep apnea can have a similar effect, not as extreme as Narcolepsy, but an effect all the same and that’s why I have my opinion regarding it.
Now I’m dead against all this wrap everyone in cotton wool zero risk society that is being forced on us, but in this case I think it’s right, if you have type 1 diabetes, epilepsy, a bad heart, bad eyesight etc then you can’t drive a lorry, for any lorry driver getting diagnosed with any of them is a bad deal, you lose your living, that’s not good, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, it’s not always fair, but that’s life.
The thing with sleep apnea is that, in 99% of cases it can be cured, simply by losing weight, as I said before, I’m a fat barsteward myself, so i’m not adopting a holier than thou attitude to this, I’m trying to lose a bit of weight at the moment, I’m not too pleased with what looks back at me in the mirror anymore and I’m quite a tart in that respect, but hey, I’m getting older, it happens, no, the thing that worries me most is sleep apnea and that’s purely from a selfish perspective, I’m not worried about falling asleep and hitting a school bus, I’m worried that I may end up waking up dead 
if you have already told DVLA about this and they have revoked your licence then given it you back on a yearly basis you have to send it off to them before the expiry date and they contact your sleep clinic to see if youve kept your appointments and all is fine,then will send it you back,i sent mine back in Oct 09 and even tho all was fine i didnt get a new licence till Mar 10 :confused: and yes to some of the posts that most overweight people suffer with it is true but there is people that arnt overweight that suffer with it,i had enlarged tonsills that dinna help with my condition and yes i`m slightly overweight 
also my surgeon that took my tonsills out said there is around 80% of people that suffer with sleep aponea that just think they are over worked 
Just to put in my experience-
I had sleep apnea,or to be more precise,what I thought was sleep apnea.
Every now and again I used to wake up in the middle of the night fighting for breath-Id jump out of bed and couldnt breath for several minutes.It always felt like my windpipe was closed,not allowing any air in. After a couple of minutes,the feeling would subside but I was terrified about going back to sleep incase it happened again. I never felt drowsy whilst driving but if I ever did have a quick kip on my break,it was always sitting fairly upright as it always seemed to happen when i was horizontal. I did a bit of research and realised it probably was sleep apnea but I knew what the consequences could be and never went to the doctors. I used to snore really loudly and always had terrible heartburn-I used to eat rennies like sweeties! 
I knew I had to do something so I lost 4 stone,go to a gym 4 times a week and cycle to work(when its not raining cause Im a big Jessie! 
) and I haven`t felt better since I was a teenager!
I no longer snore,haven`t had a rennie in 3 years and have never had another sleep apnea attack since.
I still remember the panic when they used to happen-jumping out of bed,standing at the window gasping for breath thinking I was about to die!
I have to say,never once did I feel drowsy whilst driving. As was said earlier this can be consistent with Narcolepsy. I used to work with someone with Narcolepsy and he could fall asleep whilst in the middle of a conversation.
But then again,maybe that was just me being a boring git…
I’m with Newmercman on this. I don’t think you should be able to keep your licence. I’ve worked with several people with this on coaches double manning and it’s bloody scary. Many of them don’t even realise they have these micro sleeps. One even criticised my driving, not getting irony that he falls asleep 10 mins after sitting in the seat. It was so bad one time I near enough drove from Austria to Bristol on my own because the passengers we’re too scared to be on the coach with him driving. It’s a serious condition and if I had it I’d be reluctant to drive a truck.
newmercman:
bazza1965:
harry:
normally DVLA. Can that sleep thing be cured ? - if not ,keep schtum or you will probably lose your licence.The health test is designed primarily to test your eyesight & to see in the event of a crash can you extricate yourself from the wreck. Not a lotta people know that.
BTW I know what that sleep thing is ; its when you sleep & the wind pipe closes up & wakes you up resulting in feeling tired all day. Its a weight thing.yes your almost spot on, your windpipe closes so your brain not your body wakes up to get you to breathe again, also your heart never rests as it is dealin with excess carbon dioxide due to lack of fresh air, i use a machine with a mask to combat this and as long as the usage recorded by the microchipped card is sufficient enough, i.e hours use per night and nights used per week then dvla are ok for me to keep licence as i am supposed to be a safer driver than before i was diagnosed with it.
I don’t get this sleep apnea thing, you have people that cannot lay down to sleep without a machine breathing for them and they’re allowed to drive a 44 tonne lorry
You can have all the microchip recordings in the world, but the fact is that someone diagnosed with sleep apnea can fall asleep at any time without warning, no way should they be anywhere near a lorry until they no longer have the condition, now I’m no lightweight myself, so this isn’t an anti fat people rant, but there is an almost 100% link between sleep apnea and obesity, so you shed a few pounds and you no longer have the condition
Yes your C-PAP machine may allow you to both sleep and wake up alive, but so would losing a bit of weight, that’s the crux of the matter, unfortunate as it may be, it’s quite easy to pile on the pounds, nobody sets out to get that overweight, of that I’m quite sure, but when you reach that point, well then it’s time to suspend your licence until you have the condition under control, surely that’s the best solution for everybody? The person concerned will be healthier and live longer and road users don’t have the risk of being flattened by a sleeping driver in his 44 tonne lorry
Aye and no doubt you’d think the same if it was your lively hood on the line [zb]
pete904ni:
newmercman:
bazza1965:
harry:
normally DVLA. Can that sleep thing be cured ? - if not ,keep schtum or you will probably lose your licence.The health test is designed primarily to test your eyesight & to see in the event of a crash can you extricate yourself from the wreck. Not a lotta people know that.
BTW I know what that sleep thing is ; its when you sleep & the wind pipe closes up & wakes you up resulting in feeling tired all day. Its a weight thing.yes your almost spot on, your windpipe closes so your brain not your body wakes up to get you to breathe again, also your heart never rests as it is dealin with excess carbon dioxide due to lack of fresh air, i use a machine with a mask to combat this and as long as the usage recorded by the microchipped card is sufficient enough, i.e hours use per night and nights used per week then dvla are ok for me to keep licence as i am supposed to be a safer driver than before i was diagnosed with it.
I don’t get this sleep apnea thing, you have people that cannot lay down to sleep without a machine breathing for them and they’re allowed to drive a 44 tonne lorry
You can have all the microchip recordings in the world, but the fact is that someone diagnosed with sleep apnea can fall asleep at any time without warning, no way should they be anywhere near a lorry until they no longer have the condition, now I’m no lightweight myself, so this isn’t an anti fat people rant, but there is an almost 100% link between sleep apnea and obesity, so you shed a few pounds and you no longer have the condition
Yes your C-PAP machine may allow you to both sleep and wake up alive, but so would losing a bit of weight, that’s the crux of the matter, unfortunate as it may be, it’s quite easy to pile on the pounds, nobody sets out to get that overweight, of that I’m quite sure, but when you reach that point, well then it’s time to suspend your licence until you have the condition under control, surely that’s the best solution for everybody? The person concerned will be healthier and live longer and road users don’t have the risk of being flattened by a sleeping driver in his 44 tonne lorryAye and no doubt you’d think the same if it was your lively hood on the line [zb]
Yes I would, just the same as if I was diagnosed with epilepsy or anything else that stopped me from driving, I’d be absolutely gutted about it, but it is what it is, if you’re medically unfit, that’s your lot, however as Joemaxi says, many cases of sleep apnea can be cured by avoiding the pies and getting some exercise, not rocket science is it mate?
posted twice, sorry
I was diagnosed with having epilepsy in June 2009, i had a seizure when i was asleep in the truck and managed to fracture my collarbone in my sleep. I had all the tests and was told it was epilepsy, so had to give up my class one as well as my car licence, I was told that if I managed to stay seizure free for a year then I would be able to apply for my car licence back, then in December 09 I had another seizure, so fingers crossed it will be this December.
I have a lot of people saying that it would have finished them not being able to drive, and to be fair it sent me bloody close, the only good thing out of this entire episode is that it happened when I was asleep and not when I was driving, if that had happened and I had wiped out a car with a family in then I would be looking at a long time inside.
Just spoken to the DVLA today and they informed me its 10 years seizure free and 10 years off the tablets before I can even consider applying for my HGV licence back.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if something feels wrong then don’t risk it, its not just your life on the line.
Potter:
I was diagnosed with having epilepsy in June 2009, i had a seizure when i was asleep in the truck and managed to fracture my collarbone in my sleep. I had all the tests and was told it was epilepsy, so had to give up my class one as well as my car licence, I was told that if I managed to stay seizure free for a year then I would be able to apply for my car licence back, then in December 09 I had another seizure, so fingers crossed it will be this December.I have a lot of people saying that it would have finished them not being able to drive, and to be fair it sent me bloody close, the only good thing out of this entire episode is that it happened when I was asleep and not when I was driving, if that had happened and I had wiped out a car with a family in then I would be looking at a long time inside.
Just spoken to the DVLA today and they informed me its 10 years seizure free and 10 years off the tablets before I can even consider applying for my HGV licence back.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if something feels wrong then don’t risk it, its not just your life on the line.
Exactly
Sorry to hear your story, but as you say, you were lucky you were asleep at the time rather than behind the wheel, I hope things work out for you 