By Tara Haelle


Drinking and driving don't mix. And driving while being very sleepy can be a big danger too — especially for patients with an untreated sleep disorder.


A recent study found that car accidents and "near misses" were more likely among those with untreated obstructive sleep apnea.




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Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which a person periodically stops breathing or breathes too shallowly while asleep.


Men in particular were more likely to get into a car accident or have a near miss if they reported feeling very sleepy during the day.



Obstructive sleep apnea is a treatable condition with a device that is usually covered by insurance.


The study, led by Kim L. Ward, BSc, of the Centre for Genetic Origins of Health and Disease at the University of Western Australia, looked at how common car crashes were among individuals with obstructive sleep apnea.


The researchers analyzed questionnaires from 2,673 participants who were suspected of having sleep breathing problems at a hospital-based sleep clinic.


The questions asked about the participants' age, sex, years driving, number of times involved in a motor vehicle crash, number of "near misses" for crashes, sleepiness during the day and amount of caffeine and alcohol they drank.


The participants all underwent a sleep study to determine if they had a sleep disorder and what the severity of it was.


The researchers found that the rate of car crashes among patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea was about 6 crashes per 100 people per year.


The average crash rate in the general community is 2 crashes per 100 people per year.


The researchers calculated that "very sleepy" men were about 4.7 times more likely to have a "near miss" while driving than men who had normal daytime alertness.


Very sleepy men were also 1.3 times more likely to be involved in a car crash than normal non-sleepy men.


Among women, there did appear to be a slightly higher risk of a car crash among sleepier women, but the data were less clear.


The researchers did not find a pattern among women showing that increasing amounts of sleepiness related to increasing risks of a car crash.


"Untreated obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of near misses in men and women and an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes in very sleepy men," the researchers wrote.


They noted that the risk of a near miss or a car crash was highest in patients who were very sleepy during the day, regardless of how severe their sleep apnea was or wasn't.


"This article provides additional information showing the deleterious effects of poor quality or poor quantity sleep," said William Kohler, MD, the medical director of the Florida Sleep Institute in Spring Hill, Florida.


"Anything that can increase daytime sleepiness, whether it be shortened sleep or bad quality sleep – in this case obstructive sleep apnea – would increase the risk for harmful things happening, such as car accidents," he said.


The standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP.


CPAP involves wearing a mask while sleeping. The CPAP machine and mask pump air into the person's air passageways.


CPAP machines require a prescription and can cost anywhere from $150 to over $5,500, though most insurance plans will cover some or all of the expense. CPAP masks range from $30 to $200.


This study was published October 15 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.


The research was funded by the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Research Foundation, the Hollywood Private Hospital Research Foundation and the ARK from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Enabling Facility.


One author has done sponsored research for RedMed and provided medical advice for Apnex Incorporated. The other authors had no conflicts of interest.



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  • Sleep Apnea May Increase Depression Risk


    The under diagnosed sleep condition takes a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/sleep-apnea-depression-risk_n_1391707.html">serious toll on the mood</a>, according to March research from the CDC. In fact, men with sleep apnea were more than twice as likely and women more than five times as likely to feel hopeless, lose interest in their regular activites and display other signs of clinical depression, Health.com reported. Snoring did not seem to be associated with depression. Luckily, the very same <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/15/sleep-apnea-treatment-depression-cpap_n_1597703.html">treatment for sleep apnea may also ease depression</a>, according to Cleveland Clinic research.




  • Sleep Apnea May Be A Risk Factor For Diabetes


    There is a growing body of research supporting a link between the presence of sleep apnea and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/sleep-apnea-diabetes-type-2-_n_1539933.html">metabolic disorders like diabetes</a>, HuffPost reported in May. Both moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea were found to be predictors of the disease. A previous study found that people with sleep apnea had more than <a href="http://news.yale.edu/2007/05/24/sleep-apnea-increases-risk-heart-attack-and-diabetes">double the risk of developing diabetes</a>.




  • Sleep Apnea May Increase Cancer Risk


    Not only do people with sleep apnea have a <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/sleep-apnea-tied-to-increased-cancer-risk/">higher risk of developing cancer</a>, but they also have a higher risk of dying from the disease, the <em>New York Times</em> reported. Two studies in May examined this link. One found people with sleep apnea had a 65 percent higher change of developing any kind of cancer. The second found that disordered breathing contributed to a five-times higher rate of dying from the disease.




  • Sleep Apnea May Sap Your Libido


    Excessive sleepiness is certainly enough to kill the mood, but research suggests that sleep apnea in particular has an effect on sexual function in both men and women. It may <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/really-the-claim-sleep-apnea-causes-sexual-problems/">drive down sex hormones</a> like testosterone in a way that can extinguish the flame for women and cause erectile dysfunction in men, according to the <em>New York Times</em>. And while the typical treatment -- a CPAP machine -- is not exactly an aphrodisiac, Dr. Michael J. Breus writes, it can help not only with sleep apnea, but <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/sleep-apnea_b_1661687.html">with the sexual side effects as well</a>.




  • Sleep Apnea May Increase Stroke Risk


    Researchers have long studied the link between the sleep disorder and the risk of stroke, but a small recent study found that 51 of 56 stroke patients evaluated -- or <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/sleep-apnea_b_1342311.html">91 percent of patients</a> -- had sleep apnea, Dr. Michael J. Breus wrote for HuffPost. More research is still needed to determine just what role disrupted breathing plays in this elevated risk.




  • Sleep Apnea Increases Accident Risk


    It's not rocket science -- excessive sleepiness during the day leads to sleepier drivers who are at a higher risk of crashing. But a 2008 study found that people with sleep apnea have double the risk of being in a car accident and are <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218214401.htm">three to five times more likely to be in a serious crash</a>. The study was the first to examine the severity of car crashes among people with sleep apnea, and found that even mild disordered breathing was linked to increased risk.




  • Sleep Apnea Is Linked To Pregnancy Complications


    Granted, Perry doesn't have to worry about this particular concern. While sleep apnea is often perceived as a problem predominately for men, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/sleep-apnea-in-women-may-_n_1779127.html">women are not immune</a>. And, in fact, sleep apnea presents unique complications for women. A recent study found that women with sleep apnea were more likely to develop high blood pressure during their pregnancies, to require a C-section birth and their babies were more <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/sleep-apnea-in-pregnancy-_n_1903534.html">likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit</a>.




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