Sleep Apnea in Truckers
Posted on Jul 26, 2007 - 4:36pm by Wayne Weisser in Health
Add it to the list of health problems that truckers face on a daily basis. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is sometimes a side effect of being overweight.
New sleep program focuses on truckers
By Steve Stein
Of the Journal Star
HOPEDALE – Ron Wizieck heard laughter at the Mid-West Truckers Association convention last winter in Peoria when he told his audience that a study showed 23 percent of truck drivers had fallen asleep at the wheel during the past year.“People said that’s how many truckers actually admitted to falling asleep while driving. The real number is probably three times that amount,” said Wizieck, director of the Hopedale Medical Complex Sleep Disorders Center. Obstructive sleep apnea is a major cause of drowsy driving.
Great News!
Because of its proximity to Morton – home of several trucking companies that employ more than 2,000 drivers – and its desire to help truck drivers with sleep apnea, the Sleep Disorders Center is reaching out to the commercial trucking industry.
Its diagnosis and treatment program for truck drivers was announced Thursday at a news conference at Hopedale’s Wellness Center.
Any sleep center will test anyone for sleep apnea. But it’s nice that they are focusing on Truck Drivers. I wonder if the clinic has truck parking?
One of the problems I think, is that drivers are hesitant to be tested for fear of repercussions from their company or their DOT physicals. There shouldn’t be, this is the best way to fix being tired and it’s the worst thing in the world to try and hide. I would hate to find out I had a problem after a wreck.
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[...] able to sleep better too. Sleep Apnea is very common in overweight men, I’ve written about it before, but if you’re overweight and you’re tired during the day no matter how much you sleep, [...]
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