The dangers of sleep apnea

[James Marusek 5,244]

Prior to my RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago, I had sleep apnea. At night I would keep my wife awake all night long with my snoring. After surgery this condition went into remission and stayed there. I would wake up in the middle of the night and find my wife hovering over me. I asked her what she was doing. She said I was sleeping so quietly she was trying to find out if I was still alive.

I came across an article today called Engineer in NJ Transit crash had undiagnosed sleep apnea, officials say that points to one of the dangers of sleep apnea. The article says that the 29 September 2016 commuter train crash that killed 1 and injured 108 people in Hoboken, New Jersey and also the 1 December 2013 commuter train crash that killed 4 and injured 63 people in New York may have been due to the conductors suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea.

I guess I always put sleep apnea in the box of snoring but I wonder how many lives are lost when drivers temporarily fall asleep at the wheel, or train conductors at the controls of the engine, or ship pilots at the helm.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/16/engineer-in-nj-transit-crash-had-undiagnosed-sleep-apnea-officials-say.html

[Redmaxx 740]

I have sleep apnea and I hope that one day I won't have to use my CPAP machine. I think the pressure is set too high since I have lost weight (37 lbs since my consult on 31 Aug 2016). I have an appointment with the sleep center at the VA hospital today and will be discussing the pressure with my doctor. My RNY surgery was on 20 Oct 2016 and today marks my one month post op.

[gowalking 10,790]

I take New Jersey Transit daily and know exactly how horrible this accident was...and could have been because I know the Hoboken Station so well. When I read this, all I could think of was that he really was asleep at the switch. And yes...as the article notes, it's not the first time this has happened on the commuter trains here in the NYC area. That other accident was on the MetroNorth line that services Grand Central Terminal.

What I can't help but wonder...is why his wife (and yes, he's married..it was in the papers) didn't recognize the sleep apnea. Your wife did. I know my mom did as my dad did that same snort and snore and dead silence thing. I know my mom was constantly prodding him so he would breathe again...and this was before anyone really knew what sleep apnea was.

I'm a bit skeptical....his lawyer says he has undiagnosed sleep apnea...not a doctor. Oh, and yes...accidents with drivers falling asleep at the wheel is well documented. I'm sure many of them also suffer from sleep apnea.

Here's the other thing though...I'd bet the house that right now, lots of people reading this story in the New York papers are thinking this is yet another reason to hate fat people.

[James Marusek 5,244]

When I wrote this I said these accidents "may have been due" to sleep apnea. Blaming sleep apnea may be a "deflect the blame" tactic. There are many components of sleep apnea. Snoring is one and dozing off is another. My family noticed that I was sometimes dozing off when I was with my family. In part, there was a voluntary component to this. If the conversation was not interesting, I might allow myself to relax and doze off. But when I was driving, this never happened because I was very focused on driving and stimulating my senses to prevent this from happening. Sometimes when it was cold I would even open the window to allow fresh cold biting wind to energize me, or I might tap my foot, or listen to the beat of music. I would fight the impulse. So I think that it is too simplistic to blame sleep apnea on these accidents without laying some of the blame on the train conductor. If he needed help to stay alert, it was his responsibility to seek that help and resolve the issue prior to the accident.

[Djmohr 6,965]

Reggie White from the Green Bay Packers died from sleep apnea.

My mother had severe sleep apnea and was told that if she did not use a cpap machine she would likely die. She could never get used to using one. I will never forget the day that her doctor told my Dad and I that he literally gave her 48 to 72 hours to live if she would not start using it. She was actually so deprived while sleeping that it affected brain function and she began to have dimentia from lack of oxygen. She passed away, 2 weeks after she was given 72 hours to live.

Granted she had other issues like she was diabetic but the primary cause of death was asphyxiation.

It is a very very scary disease that if goes untreated can injure yourself and as James said.....many others.

[shedo82773 1,236]

I think like was said above, anyone that has been driving and gets sleepy they find a way to stay awake. Now I'm not saying that sleep Apnea isn't or wasn't a reason for the accidents but I also know that my husband was a long haul truck driver for years and anyone that has done that kind of work knows those poor men are running on sleep-deprived most of the time!! He never would fall asleep and cause an accident. He took other measures to stay awake. But time was money and they have their boss and their dispatch telling them that they need to run BA**S TO THE WALL and get their load down there like yesterday!! Maybe they had a different undiagnosed problem like NARCOLEPSY? Maybe that is what is wrong with my daughter's hubby, he falls asleep everytime he sits down. LOL Or maybe he is just LAZY!! All joking aside it defintly is a very dangerous disease!! Djmhor I am so sorry for your mom.

[Hammer_Down 631]

sleep apnea has been a very hot topic in the trucking industry for about 10 years.

A combination of extremely poor diet, constantly rotating sleep schedules, high stress and very long hours of sedentary work put truckers in a particularly high risk group to become obese and develop sleep apnea.

Many obese drivers will be subjected to a sleep study when renewing their medical card.

Truck stops are starting to sell components for CPAP machines on their shelves, which indicates the sheer demand among the driver population.

[agirlhasnofluff 57]

My daughter is 13 and sleeps in my bed, typically. She is completely oblivious to my snoring and sleep apnea. My sleep apnea slowly got worse as I got fatter, but she sleeps like a rock, so when I asked her if I was gasping in my sleep, she had no idea. I happen to sleep very hard, too, so when people's spouses don't notice, it's probably because it's a gradual onset, they aren't educated about sleep apnea, or they sleep like rocks and don't notice anything while asleep! The CPAP changed my life for the better though! I highly recommend people who are always tired or needing naps get a sleep study done.

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