Could any body tell me the consequences of being diagnosed with sleep apnopea.
Do you lose your licence?
If you do how easy/hard is it to get back.
Whats the treatment?
etc, etc.
Thanks: B M
A guy down at my old place was diagnosed with it. He was seriously overweight which they reckoned triggered it off. He was suspended from driving until he dropped nearly six stone and could prove he no longer suffered.
I left before he completed his diet so dont know if he got his job back, you certainly have to declare that you suffer from it.
Apparently, a lot of people go undiagnosed and just feel tired during the day.
hi just taken this from DVLA
SLEEP DISORDERS
Including Obstructive Sleep Apnoea syndrome causing excessive daytime / awake time sleepiness
Further information can be found on leaflet “INF159” dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/inf159.pdf
Driving must cease until satisfactory control of symptoms has been attained, confirmed by medical opinion.
Driving must cease until satisfactory control of symptoms has been attained, with ongoing compliance with treatment, confirmed by consultant / specialist opinion. Regular, normally annual, licensing review required.
it may help
del
i sure you don"t loose your licence,the reason i say this is because,i know two drivers who have it,and they havent lost theirs.
i know one who has oxy bottles in his cab,cos he has to have pure oxygen when he goes to sleep.hope this helps.
depends on how serious the condition is, I was doagnosed earlier this year but consultant said at my levels there was no need for him to inform DVLA.
Measurement of condition was by wearing a device that measures the oxygen in your blood overnight.
Just got told to lose some weight, stop smoking etc.
Over here in germany as long as the use of the
Darth vader mask and air unit is used daily
and the results are okay then you can still drive
the maschine works off the mains and also in a truck via a power transfer unit,many of those who suffer from
illness have been tested for alertness and have passed
this with no problems, so not all those who suffer
are a danger when diagnoised with this illness
I think a lot of people under-estimate this condition.
It is a killer.My father died from it.
When you sleep you stop breathing but when you stop it is on your “out” breath.
So when you breathe again you take another “in” breath this means the carbon dioxide levels build up in your system.Eventually (as in my fathers case) your organs collapse due to lack of oxygen.We were told he had multiple organ failure.
The problem is it is a condition that is treated so easily but unfortunately there is also a postcode lottery.I know of an ex-collegue who was operated on within a couple of weeks of seeing his consultant (in a neighbouring health authority) and took a C-PAP machine home from the hospital but my father was on a 9 month waiting list just to get the C-PAP machine.
The most common type of person to get Sleep Apnea are the overweight but particular anybody with a “bull neck” is at risk male or female.
If you are worried then see your G.P who can arrange a “sleep test” normally in your local hospital as there are different degrees of this condition and this will determine how serious your Apnea is or if you have it at all.
Most people just need a C-PAP machine and a diet but some may need an operation.I haven spoken to numerous people who’ve had the C-PAP machine and they say even after the first night the difference is amazing.
the problem with sleep apnoea is the same as diabetis drivers are to scared to come forward in case they do lose their license.
i get very tired during the day at various times even after having a good sleep. im a bit worried about but it’s better if i have a sugar with my coffee in the morning but i am losing quite a bit of weight at the moment as well. another remerdy is i put my old school dance music full on and rock… that soon wakes me up.
i put my old school dance music full on and rock… that soon wakes me up.
Bay City Rollers 
neil46:
i put my old school dance music full on and rock… that soon wakes me up.
Bay City Rollers
so neil more my type is dj sy and dj vertigo.
My wife suffers from this, but the doctors in our area just keep saying there is no funding to treat it.
So if you suffer from this come to Stockport , SK keep your licence:roll:
I am at the moment when at home composing a video diary of the symptoms in an effort to get treatment, but have the problem of San saying you cannot show that:
falling asleep with TV remote, or ■■■ in hand:
Serious snoring with breaks in breathing:
Asleep within mins of getting up:
I now have at least 20 mins of good footage, but San refuses point blanc to make an appointment for us both to see the quack and show this on the lap top because of previous refusals to treat this condition.
She also suffers from Hypertension, type 2 diabetees, and is overwieght, all symptoms of sleep apneoa.
My Quandry is do I make an appointment to see the Doc,as an appointment for myself, show the evidence and see what happens, or keep trying to get San to see the doctor herself.
something will have to give soon as the nights I am at home, like now I cannot sleep with her.
hence the time of this post.
Any comments appriciated as it is also putting a strain on our marraige of 32 years
As a sufferer of sleep apnoea,which was diagnosed in 2006,i have found that using the c-pap machine overnight has completely changed my life.
I was getting up in the morning,sitting in the chair and falling asleep straight away.Since using the machine i no longer fall asleep during the day.It was explained to me that it was caused by,when you stop breathing and then start again,it wakes you up,although you don’t realise it,conseqentially you get very little sleep overnight.You can buy your own c-pap machine,but they ain’t cheap.
duracell:
.
something will have to give soon as the nights I am at home, like now I cannot sleep with her.
hence the time of this post.
Any comments appriciated as it is also putting a strain on our marraige of 32 years
My fiancee uses wax ear plugs that are available from Boots.
You rub the wax in your hand and as it heats up it becomes more and more pliable, eventually it is soft enough to mould into the the shape of your ear opening thus blocking out the sound of snoring.
That’s not much help to your missus but may be of help to the marriage 
Jonah 1:
I think a lot of people under-estimate this condition.
The most common type of person to get Sleep Apnea are the overweight but particular anybody with a “bull neck” is at risk male or female.
.
I certainly wouldn’t underestimate this condition though I do wonder sometimes over statements you hear such as,“If you snore,you must suffer with Sleep Apnoea”,or “If you have a 17” neck you must suffer with Sleep Apnoea".
I snore,I have a 16 and a half inch neck,I drive at night on a trunk run that is usually over 4 hours each way,and I don’t feel drowsy during my work time,do I suffer with Sleep Apnoea?
My wife and my cat both snore,do they aso suffer with Sleep Apnoea?
I think this condition is like quite a few others,there are degrees of it,it’s not just a case of either you’ve got it or you haven’t.
If i thought for one minute that I suffered with drowsiness whilst driving,I would get checked out,I think as much of my life as anyone else I’m likely to meet during the course of my work.
bestbooties:
I certainly wouldn’t underestimate this condition though I do wonder sometimes over statements you hear such as,“If you snore,you must suffer with Sleep Apnoea”,or “If you have a 17” neck you must suffer with Sleep Apnoea".I snore,I have a 16 and a half inch neck,I drive at night on a trunk run that is usually over 4 hours each way,and I don’t feel drowsy during my work time,do I suffer with Sleep Apnoea?
My wife and my cat both snore,do they aso suffer with Sleep Apnoea?
I think this condition is like quite a few others,there are degrees of it,it’s not just a case of either you’ve got it or you haven’t.
If i thought for one minute that I suffered with drowsiness whilst driving,I would get checked out,I think as much of my life as anyone else I’m likely to meet during the course of my work.
Agree that as well.
I worked with 2 guys who had this, one had a machine and had his truck wired to plug it in, he had various bits and bobs in his bag to allow him to use the machine on ferries or in hotels.
The other guy, just used to fall asleep while you were talking to him or he was eating. I was on the train one day and we were in conversation with another driver, my mate just kept nodding off so we ignored him.
i was diagnosed with sleep aponea in April 07 and had both my car and hgv licences revoked,car licence i got back in june 07 and hgv back in oct 07 but only get this on a yearly basis even tho i can still drive whilst the dvla have it?had my tonsills removed as these were restricting my airwaves at night and use a c pap machine at home and ive got a 12v for the truck and the difference is amazing even tho im not 1 of these that falls asleep at the drop of a hat,i just tend to feel tired but i thought this was normal due to the early starts and long hours??theres about 80% of people that have it that dont realise that they do!i only got diagnosed as my wife told the doctor that i hold my breath while asleep.so he referred me for a sleep study.
and yes i do snore and i`m slighly overweight but not obese lol
[quote="bestbootiesIf i thought for one minute that I suffered with drowsiness whilst driving,I would get checked out,I think as much of my life as anyone else I’m likely to meet during the course of my work.[/quote]
Why dont you just get checked out anyway?
Serious Apnea is a ■■■■■■■■■■ condition which means it gets worse the longer you have it.Who know you may have a mild version and be able to nip it in the bud now rather than waiting for it to become serious.It’s a very simple test and should be easy enough to arrange via your G.P (postcode lottery allowing)
If you come up clear then you have one less thing to worry about in life
Lads,
I was a hard livin continental driver. Many a night of el vino collapso, smokin weed, wild women and plenty of K’s under the belt. 1999 Heart Attack, heart twice it’s normal size and massive blood pressure.
Over the next 10 years I went through another marriage a more than a few women who couldn’t handle my snoring. Constant tiredness, always blamed on the BP pills, made my life a misery. A drive to London would involve two nap breaks. Lunchtime at work meant “popping out” in the car but actually driving somewhere quiet for a nap.
Adding 5 stone in weight and gradually sinking lower thinking "why am I such a fat lazy ■■■■■■■■
This year I told my latest boss to “stick his job” and decided to get some medical treatment. The Hospital concluded my heart was OK but had “early onset Diabetes”. Lose weight, change your lifestyle they say. I saw something on TV and when visiting my Doctor I asked to be referred to a Sleep Clinic for Apnoea testing.
10 YEARS I’VE SUFFERED THIS CURSE ANY UNNECESSARILY!
I was sent home to wear a wrist machine that had a probe that fits over your finger. This measures the Oxygen levels in your blood. I google your SpO2 level and it said that healthy people have between 91 -95%. High Altitude can reduce this to 85%. 40 “events” every hour showed my O2 levels dropping below 50%. That doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that is serously bad and it is!
Sleeping with that level of oxygen starvation has been a major effect in weight gain, high blood pressure and now Diabetes.
CURE? To wear a CPAP face mask every night forever more resulting in a return to full health and a good nights sleep. No more tiredness, no more dysfunction, no more grumpiness.
If they tell you that you stop breathing while your sleeping go and get it sorted before you screw up your life!
I have just been to the hospital for a scan and a lung function test, during the compulsory wait reading 18 month old Home and Gardens I found a new fact sheet in the rack.
The NHS reports that in the UK alone, there are over 160,000 undiagnosed sufferers of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Many don’t even know there is something (potentially deadly) wrong with their sleep!
This scared me and wonder if it goes to explain why so many lorries fall over on the motorway. 
pcrs-uk.org/opinions/sleep_os32_final.pdf
dft.gov.uk/dvla/~/media/pdf/ … NF159.ashx
A bit of bedtime reading about OSA if you can stay awake long enough
I am suddenly very interested in this condition as my Neurologist wants me to have a night in the hospital ‘Sleep-Labo’ to see if I am suffering from sleep apnoea.
It is very worrying as most of you have said,to lose your licence along with your livelihood is not something I relish.
This all came about after the CT scan on my lower back was inconclusive as the cause of the aching and tingling sensation in my legs.
I have now been back for an EEG scan and CT scan of my brain,of which I am awaiting the results.However,my wife was with me and she mentioned that I snore (I’ve never heard it as I’m usually asleep) and the neurologist suggested sleep aponea may be the cause.
I consider myself to be a very safe and alert driver,more than most on the road anyway,and she has never noticed that I stop breathing when I’m asleep but I am worried about losing my licence,even only for six months or whatever.
I am overweight,but I am by no means obese.
I know I will have to go to the ‘Sleep Labo’ and be tested,as much for my wife’s peace of mind than anything.
I worked with a guy ten years ago or so,who was obese,snored for England and fell asleep at the drop of a hat.
It was very frightening to be in the passenger seat whilst he was at the wheel.I came back to the UK with him for some reason or another as a passenger and as he was driving up the M1 towards Northampton he kept nodding off.We were in the middle lane,overtaking another truck,and he just closed his eyes,I had to shout at him to wake him up,and I asked him if he wanted me to drive.
“No,I’m alright” he said.
Another time he told us that on the way back to Belgium he ‘lost’ two hours at the IDS in Brussels.He’d filled up with fuel,got back in the cab and just fell asleep at the wheel! Another driver,who had come in to fill up,had to wake him to move!
On more than one occasion we used to meet up at De Panne on the old border and quite often I’d arrive to find him just sitting at the wheel,asleep.He’d ben playing with his game-boy console and just nodded off.
As I said,he snored for England.One time we were on the Sunday day boat from Harwich to the Hook,and I could hear him snoring three cabins away on the other side of the corridor.Nobody would ever share a cabin with him!