Sleep Apnea and Trucker Careers: What You Should Know About Sleep

Did you know that the most common disorder that occurs in the truckers nowadays is sleep apnea? Sleep apnea has been found to be one of the most threatening forms of disorders as it may cause a trucker to be less alert even when they are on the road and this is because they didn't have a good sleep at night! In fact, there are so many reported cases of sleep-apnea related incidents where truckers feel sleepy as they drive and would meet an accident as a result of being excessively sleepy as they drive! For this reason, the drivers are required to take a sleep apnea test in order for them to be medically qualified to drive in order to lessen the possibilities of encountering accidents.

According to the study commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, about a third of the total population of the drivers suffer from sleep apnea and this sleep disorder has greatly contributed to the fact that they already feel tired and have a disabled alertness as they drive. Since the truckers spend more time on the roads, it can only be assumed that they are exposed to greater risks of meeting accidents along the road and the chances may even increase if they have sleep disorders! The problem with individuals who are dealing with sleep apnea is that they will have a different mood as they go through the day and they may even suffer headaches and vomiting because of not being able to sleep well.

Also, since they will be feeling severely sleepy as they drive, they will have an impaired judgment which can cause accidents. What makes a situation like this even more terrifying is that road accidents involving trucks often lead to fatalities and this is why the FMCSA has required for drivers to take a specific sleep apnea test in order to determine if the truckers are healthy enough to drive for long hours on the road. It is very sad to note that truckers are more prone to have sleep apnea because of the lifestyle and the fact that they can easily go overweight because they spend hours driving and they don't make a lot of movements. The problem is, sleep apnea can be very hard to detect as it happens during the night time when one sleeps which is why it will always be a good idea to take a sleep apnea test in order to detect sleep apnea and have it treated early on. There is an available free truckers sleep study that provides education on what sleep apnea is and what signs to look out for like the ones you will find on the DOT Sleep Regulations website! And this website even lets you have a chance to take a sleep apnea test for free and all you have to do is to visit their website.

If you want helpful information about sleep apnea and how you can detect it early on, then here it is! Check it out on the DOT Sleep Regulations website and have yourself treated as soon as possible!

Jane Young    Contact the author of the petition