Last updated on July 7th, 2023 at 10:33 am
Sleep apnoea can ruin many careers, if left untreated. It can cause daytime fatigue and forgetfulness. Or worse, if your career is in the motor industry, you are nine times more likely to be involved in a road accident!
Research suggests that Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects about 10% of the driving population. With that being said, it is not surprising that it is more so common in those who drive for a living.
Shockingly, awareness of the condition remains minimal among many firms which rely on commercial drivers. It has been revealed that 8 out of 10 commercial driving businesses, that run vehicle fleets, say that they would benefit from greater awareness of OSA.
Research carried out by RAC Business and the OSA Partnership group in April 2016 found that over half of businesses (57%), said they had very minimal awareness of OSA.
They also had minimal awareness on the importance of detecting OSA symptoms and treating their drivers effectively.
For those who know very little about OSA, it is particularly common amongst middle-aged men, especially those overweight. However, it is important to state that almost anyone could have OSA. Find out here what symptoms of OSA you can look out for. Particularly those who drive for a living should be aware of OSA symptoms.
It is believed that people with untreated OSA are nine times more likely to be involved in a road accident.
In response to the concerns and issues raised, the OSA Partnership Group, with the support of RAC Business, launched a campaign in January 2016. The campaign goal was to ensure that those who professionally drive for a living, were diagnosed and fast tracked to OSA treatment. The target was for them to receive treatment within four weeks.
If however you as a driver had great awareness of OSA and believed you were at risk, you can order a confidential, at-home sleep study. An at-home sleep study is affordable and can provide you with treatment within a 14 day period.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s guidance to GP’s suggests that drivers who are concerned about losing their licence are fast tracked to treatment. In reality, many sufferers of OSA may have to wait weeks or months before they receive effective treatment, which ensures they are safe on the road.
Despite highly effective treatment options being widely available to sufferers on the NHS and privately, campaigners say a significant number of sufferers remain undiagnosed. Reasons for undiagnosed OSA were mainly from sufferers who were frightened about losing their driving license, especially those who drive for a living.
It is important for those who are concerned about the possibility of losing their driver’s license that they still take a sleep study, to prevent further implications on their health if left untreated, or worse, being involved in a fatal accident.
Did you know that you can take a confidential, at home sleep study that will determine the severity of your OSA and provide you with several treatment options, most commonly CPAP therapy to treat your condition.
A survey from RAC Businesses found that 80% of drivers are very unlikely to raise concerns to their GP, the DVLA, or their boss, due to the fear that they will lose their driver’s license.
The partnership group, made up of leading medical and motor industry figures, is now calling on the Government, and the Department of Health in particular, to make diagnosis and treatment of OSA a high priority. If diagnosis and treatment is made a priority, then this could prevent up to 20% of road accidents.
Jenny Powley, RAC Business Corporate Sales Director, said “What our research shows is that there is clearly a demand for more information and greater awareness among businesses about this condition, which can have devastating consequences if left undiagnosed, both for the driver and other road users.
When you consider the significant number of commercial drivers affected, and the wider consequences if a driver has an accident due to falling asleep at the wheel, it must surely be a public health priority for the Government, and they have a role to play in ensuring employers are aware.”
Professor John Stradling from the OSA Partnership Group said “The findings of the RAC research reinforce the need for the introduction of a mandatory four week wait standard across the UK. This will provide drivers and their employers with the reassurance that if those symptoms of OSA come forward, they will be fast-tracked for treatments so that they can get back on the road quickly.
We call on the transport industry to support our campaign to introduce rapid treatment for those who rely on driving for their livelihood. This will not only ensure that their drivers are not at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel and thus keep them on the road, but will also improve the overall health and well-being of these drivers.”
It is also important to remember that the DVLA only suspend a license if they believe you are at risk of harming you and other road users; normally if you are left untreated posing a large threat and danger to the road, but normally once you receive sufficient treatment for your OSA, then your driver’s license will be reassessed.
Once again, if you or one of your employees appear to be at risk of OSA, then you might want to consider a confidential, at home sleep-study. Taking a private sleep study will also mean that you or your employees are offered treatment much sooner than going through the NHS. Normally results are provided within 7-10 days which means that you can be receiving effective treatment for your OSA within a fortnight.
