I am hoping (eventually) to get night out work, but this has set me to thinking…
I am a sleep aponea sufferer and have to use a CPAP device at night when im sleeping (its a condition of my license to use the machine EVERY night) and I was wondering if anyone else on here used a similar device AND had it in the truck for nights out??
how do you power your device??
what device are you using??
does its use cause a problem sleeping in the cab??
My plan is to use a 24V inverter (300W) to power the machine, but im a little worried about killing the batteries??
In a nutshell the back of my throat collapses when im asleep or unconscious cutting my oxygen supply… this can happen 100s of times PER HOUR (in my case 57 times/hour) I have to use a machine that inflates my throat while i sleep to help me breathe, and prevent me waking up to restart breathing!
Its a DVLA notifiable syndrome as unless treated it can cause you to fall asleep at the wheel! this is why its a condition of my licence, also i have to be reviewed every 12 months to ensure my compliance and have a new licence issued to me.
hence me asking the questions about practicality of the device!
Silver_Surfer:
Yeah it’s a major bummer & can kill you and others if not managed properly.
it can kill others too, if you dont use your machine and fall asleep behind the wheel! it really is quite a serious syndrome, but thankfully mine is managed and the treatment works for me
Silver_Surfer:
I can’t advise in the power draw of such machine but I’d be surprised if it would flat the batteries on a 8/9 hour kip.
Best advice is have a dry run when a flat battery isn’t going to be a deal breaker.
the power draw isnt massive, the supplier of the machines actually sell a 12/24V power adaptor lead, but there £60 EACH! im buggered if im paying that when i can get an inverter for £40 AND be able to use it for my laptop and stuff!
according to the supplier of the machine a modified sinewave 150W inverter is enough to power the device, so the current draw isnt huge!
I have been on cpap for the best part of two years now. I use a phillips remstar a-flex. If you ask the hospital they will give you a ■■■ lighter adaptor. I drive a MAN which the firm adapated to have a permanant 12 volt live socket. I plug into that and never had any bother. I was waking 59 times an hourbefore i started using it. Now i wake twice a night when i get an air leak and need to adjust the mask.
From being diagnosed to losing my licence and then getting it back was only two weeks. But i have read of cases where its taken 18 months to get it back. The dvla put me on a one year licence then when iwent for my check up they wrote to the dvla who then returned my licence with no time restrictions at all.
If you want to know anything let me know. I also did a piece for commercial motor last year, so maybe do a search for the article.
Ask your consultant for a 12 v machine I’ve had 1 for the 4-5 years so I just use that when in the truck, it also works on 240v so i used it at home,but as my Nights out are not planned I asked for another for home not sure what model I’m using as its in my truck
My very good friend suffered from this. Built up over a couple of years and almost ended in disaster falling asleep at the wheel. it took a lot to get him to seek help.
Luckily he got the treatment eventually, CPAP machine etc and he’s happy as Larry now.
During the time it troubled him we did a great deal of research and I now include this as part of a DCPC course. it is surprising to find how many people show signs of mild sleep apnoea (or some other sleeping disorder) and just accept it as normal.
Google Epworth Sleepiness Scale - answer the questions and see what score you get. very interesting. I get 17 meaning I have a moderate risk of having a sleep disorder. i know i stop breathing in the night - she tells me! But it’s not very often.
Anyway - he just got an adaptor for his existing machine and it doesn’t flatten the battery as far as I know.
m licence was taken off me 7 yrs ago because of sleep apnea , I could not get on with using the cpap machine ,so my hgv 1 days finished , tbh wat with all the new rules and restrictions that have taken place since then I cant say im that upset …
sorry but are you some kind of [zb] why dont you get a new forum where you stop spouting verbal to others
seemed to be a valid comment to me, seeing as he could get a job working for a firm that operates that way.
I think you reply is more offensive than his.
In a nutshell the back of my throat collapses when im asleep or unconscious cutting my oxygen supply… this can happen 100s of times PER HOUR (in my case 57 times/hour) I have to use a machine that inflates my throat while i sleep to help me breathe, and prevent me waking up to restart breathing!
Its a DVLA notifiable syndrome as unless treated it can cause you to fall asleep at the wheel! this is why its a condition of my licence, also i have to be reviewed every 12 months to ensure my compliance and have a new licence issued to me.
hence me asking the questions about practicality of the device!
Can I just ask, how is it when you are woken through a lack of oxygen?
To answer your question Weeto. When you stop breathing your brain wakes up to get you breathing again. You dont know youre waking up because you only come out of a deep sleep but dont fully wake up. I was having roughly 58-59 episodes an hour so i was never get any proper sleep. I could go to bed for 12 hours and wake up then go back to sleep an hour later. I was eating nearly 6000 calories a day just to stay awake. Now i sleep 7 hours on cpap and then i’m bouncing around all day.
To answer Cheds question. Being overweight certainly doesnt help matters but when i have been to the sleep clinic maybe 20% of the people there are overweight, the rest are all normal frame and weight.
Being diagnosed and getting treatment was the best thing thats ever happened to me. I reckon i have suffered from it for at least the last 13 years as my missus said i have always snored. They say that 1 in 7 people suffer from it and going undiagnosed puts massive strain on your internal organs.
I regret not going and getting diagnosed earlier because then maybe i wouldnt be as big as i am. I am currently weighing in at 27 stone, luckily i am also nearly 7 feet tall so its not so bad, but i am now deperatley trying to undo all the damage i have done to myself from over eating to get enough energy just to stay awake.
Take this as a warning, if you snore, if you are overweight and if you still feel tired even after 8 hkurs sleep go and see a doctor and ask to have a sleep study done. Otherwise you could be risking not only.your.life but all those around you on the road.
