A study finds that frequently using more than three strategies to stay alert while driving could be a sign of excessive sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnea.
- Three out of 10 people over 65 suffer from sleep apnea syndrome. This disorder, which causes great fatigue and loss of alertness, can increase the risk of road accidents.
- Asking people if they use strategies, such as opening the window, drinking tea and coffee or turning on the radio, to stay alert on the road could help spot people with sleep apnea.
- For researchers, examining strategies used to combat impaired driving may help doctors identify patients at risk of driving accidents and counsel them appropriately.
Three out of 10 people over 65 suffer from sleep apnea syndrome (also called obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome, or SAHOS). The disease, which causes repeated and uncontrolled interruptions of breathing during sleep, can cause excessive sleepiness during the day. But many people are unaware that they have this disorder.
For researchers at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, asking people if they use strategies – such as opening the window, drinking tea and coffee or turning on the radio – to stay alert on the road could help spot people suffering from the disease.
Open window, radio, coffee…: struggling to stay awake while driving reveals sleep apnea
The study, published in the journal ERJ Open Research on January 18, 2023, included 119 people with sleep apnea not taking treatment and 105 healthy individuals. Participants answered questions about their level of general and driving sleepiness as well as the strategies they used to stay awake while driving. They also specified their background of road accidents.
The results showed that people suffering from SAHOS were more likely to use strategies to stay awake while driving than those without this condition. Furthermore, nearly a third of these patients recognized frequently resort to more than three stratagems to remain vigilant on the road. The most commonly used ones were opening the window, drinking tea or coffee and turning on the radio. Other “tricks” mentioned included singing or talking to each other, changing positions in the seat, chewing gum or eating. Some volunteers preferred to stop for a walk, a nap, or wash their faces with cold water.
“Our research suggests that patients with SAHOS Untreated patients often use coping strategies that could be surrogate markers of sleepiness. Asking about these strategies in the clinic can help doctors identify patients at risk of driving accidents and counsel them appropriately.”explains the head of the study, Dr. Akshay Dwarakanath.
Sleep apnea: increased risk of road accidents
The team also noticed that people with sleep apnea who used more than three tips to stay alert while driving felt more sleepy in general and while driving compared to those in good health. Additionally, they were more likely to have problems on the road. 22.8% of them had suffered a traffic accident, the rate was only 2.4% among patients using fewer coping strategies in the car.
“Up to one fifth of Road collisions can be caused by fatigue or drowsiness. Many patients with SAHOS drive either for personal or work reasons and there is good evidence to suggest that some patients are at increased risk of road collisions.”explains the author in a communicated.
