I know there have been a number of discussions / polls on here regarding Sleep Apnoea and the BBC program Real Lives, but I just wanted to bring to your attention that all drivers should know and recognise the symptoms of sleep apnoea.
I say this because my husband was diagnosed with this earlier this year - and had been putting his life and that of others at risk, without realising it. He just thought he was tired due to working long hours without realising he was worse than he thought. He was stopping regularly for nap when he felt tired and eventually came off the road when he realised he was getting too tired. After going to his doctor wondering why he was so tired all the time, he was refereed for a sleep study and diagnosed with Sleep Apnoea. He was told he would have to lose three stone and wear a CPAP machine. To cut a long story short - he started showing signs of improvement after losing just half a stone and losing just over a stone has cured it completely ( Thanks to having to use his bike to get around!!!).
I have now dedicated a page on my website to this to try to help highlight how serious this is and how it can be controlled. www.ownerdrivers.org.uk
If you suspect you may have it have a look at the sleep matters website for more details - www.sleepmatters.org . This shows a video clip of what sleep apnoea is like - stopping breathing and then gasing for air.
Can you actually cure yourself of this sleep apnoea thing? For example if its weight related, and you lost quite a lot of weight, would that actually sort it out or is it always there lurking in the background but just to a lesser extent?
Earlier this year I was terrible with sleep apnoea I didn’t realise at the time that it is a symptom of severe hypothyroid and I have since found out that my thyroid has been distroyed by my immune system. I would doze for a few minutes and wake up gasping, I realised how bad I had got when I was sharing a room with my kids and when I woke the eldest had gone down stairs to sleep and my youngest was crying because I had frightened him. I am off the road because the apnoea is one of quite a few issues, chronic fatigue and poor concerntration being other symptoms that still aren’t under control but apparently I am no longer snoring and the apnoea has been allieviated with medication and quitting smoking but if you are struggling a full blood count and having your TSH levels checked is a good idea An underactive thyroid causes central obesity and fatigue ect and with medication the improvement to your quality of life is amazing. Members of trucknet have been amazed at the improvement in me and there is still a long way to go so it can only get better but an illness like this creeps up on you, it is easy to blame long hours ect so if you think you may have a problem please get checked out you don’t know how ill you were till you start feeling better.
I havent got a clue what this thing is all i know is i never gasp for air and i NEVER fall asleep when i drive, i have wanted to drive lorries since i was 12 years old and still to this day get excited when i get in the cab.
I was talking to my specialist about this during a consultation about my sinus polyps. He did a screening test and I was pleased to be told my risk was low.
On the test I scored 8 out of 24 with the threshold for referall to the OSA treatment centre in Oxon being 14.
robinhood_1984:
Can you actually cure yourself of this sleep apnoea thing? For example if its weight related, and you lost quite a lot of weight, would that actually sort it out or is it always there lurking in the background but just to a lesser extent?
My husband had a follow up sleep study and his oxygen levels were back to “near normal”. They advised that this was suffucient to not be classed as having sleep apnoea.
He is still dieting to make sure that if he puts on a bit of weight it won’t come back again.
One of the causes of sleep apnoea is the fat in the neck. If you have a large collar size, the weight of your neck when you are asleep can help to close over your throat. Losing weight stops this.
Owner Drivers:
My husband had a follow up sleep study and his oxygen levels were back to “near normal”. They advised that this was suffucient to not be classed as having sleep apnoea.
He is still dieting to make sure that if he puts on a bit of weight it won’t come back again.
One of the causes of sleep apnoea is the fat in the neck. If you have a large collar size, the weight of your neck when you are asleep can help to close over your throat. Losing weight stops this.
Did your husband lose his HGV licence on medical grounds for sleep apnoea or did he just stop driving out of his own choice? I’d be interested to know if he or anyone else who did lose their licence due to this illness, has actually gained it again once they are cured. I know a few people who have over the years had something wrong with them, gone to the doctors and as a result lost their licence and once they recovered, they were refused their licence again, hence why a lot of people won’t go to the doctors in the first place now.
We’ve got a guy on for us who’s diagnosed and uses a CPAP machine at night. The only thing now is that he can’t do nights out because of needing a 240v power supply for the machine.
Owner Drivers:
My husband had a follow up sleep study and his oxygen levels were back to “near normal”. They advised that this was suffucient to not be classed as having sleep apnoea.
He is still dieting to make sure that if he puts on a bit of weight it won’t come back again.
One of the causes of sleep apnoea is the fat in the neck. If you have a large collar size, the weight of your neck when you are asleep can help to close over your throat. Losing weight stops this.
Did your husband lose his HGV licence on medical grounds for sleep apnoea or did he just stop driving out of his own choice? I’d be interested to know if he or anyone else who did lose their licence due to this illness, has actually gained it again once they are cured. I know a few people who have over the years had something wrong with them, gone to the doctors and as a result lost their licence and once they recovered, they were refused their licence again, hence why a lot of people won’t go to the doctors in the first place now.
once your doctor is happy that the problem is under control he will allow you to drive again,dvlc will take on what the doctor says,proof of it working is down to the test’s if given the all clear you are ok to drive again…
robinhood_1984:
Did your husband lose his HGV licence on medical grounds for sleep apnoea or did he just stop driving out of his own choice? I’d be interested to know if he or anyone else who did lose their licence due to this illness, has actually gained it again once they are cured. I know a few people who have over the years had something wrong with them, gone to the doctors and as a result lost their licence and once they recovered, they were refused their licence again, hence why a lot of people won’t go to the doctors in the first place now.
My husband gave his licence up voluntarily and then had to advise dvla when he was diagnosed - his doctor also wrote to dvla. When he got the all clear he cntact dvla who said he could start to drive his car again straight away, but had to wait for a letter from his doctor before they said he was OK to drive a hgv again. The ongest wait was fr a letter from the doctor and from dvla for the insurance - once they got this they were happy for him to go back on the road.
Well…well fancy that …someone else with a sleep problem…and me thinking i was the only one.
May i say that sleep apnoea is not only caused by being fat or over weight. I am neither of those…but i had problems sleeping…and went to the doctors, who in turn sent me to the sleep clinic. They ghave me a box to take home and plug myself into…the result was (doctor quote) i had skin at the back of my throat which was loose…due to age…(and maybe for talking to much over the years )…anyway …last monday i had an operation to remove the excess skin, and they also removed my tonsils whilst they were about it…got released on tuesday (29th)…last sunday i got re-admitted to hospital as my throat had almost closed up…and i had not eaten or drank for a week…all is now well…but i wouldnt want to go through that pain again…the consultant even said prior to the operation that a female patient of his had said she would rather have had a baby, than go through that pain again…so would i missus…so would i…
Its only a problem for the dvla…if you tell them…and i didnt…and wouldnt …unless i thought i was a danger…i didnt fall asleep during the day…it was only my night time sleep that was a problem…
By the way…went to bed at 9pm last night …woke up at 11am this morning…so the op was a success…
Its only a problem for the dvla…if you tell them…and i didnt…and wouldnt …unless i thought i was a danger…i didnt fall asleep during the day…it was only my night time sleep that was a problem…
Isn’t the whole point that you don’t know whether you’re having microsleep problems or not? Do you really think it’s a good idea to risk it and potentially kill someone if you are wrong? Even after diagnosis it’s ok to carry on whilst you’re waiting for treatment?
We wonder why the press give truckers a raw deal over stuff like this…I guess the answer lies in comments like that made above.
truckyboy:
Its only a problem for the dvla…if you tell them…and i didnt…and wouldnt …unless i thought i was a danger…i didnt fall asleep during the day…it was only my night time sleep that was a problem…
By the way…went to bed at 9pm last night …woke up at 11am this morning…so the op was a success…
That’s right. Only a problem for the DVLA. Oh, and the person you kill when you fall asleep at the wheel.
The ‘it’ll be alright’ attitude that pervades this industry sickens me to the core.
