Sleep Problems of Truck Drivers Linked to Crashes

Drivers asleep at the wheel a common cause of commercial truck accidents

by Steven C. Laird

In the United States, approximately 5,600 people are killed annually in accidents involving commercial trucks. According to nationwide accident reports, falling asleep while driving is the most common contributing factor in these fatal crashes.

Now a study published in the August 2006 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that truck drivers who suffer from sleep-related breathing problems are more prone than the general population to sleepiness and impaired performance, potentially making them a hazard when on the road. This may put the truck driver and others on the road at risk because of a reduced attention span and lack of alertness.

In the new study, 406 commercial truck drivers spent one night at the sleep laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Tests of breathing patterns and other sleep tests were administered, and the truckers also completed a simulated driving test and tests measuring reaction times.

More than 35 percent of the study subjects were found to have some form of sleep apnea. This compares to an estimated 20 percent of the U.S. population with the condition. Sleep apnea is most common in people who smoke, drink alcohol or are overweight, and primarily affects men between the ages of 30 and 50.

In the study group, 118 truck drivers were found to have mild to moderate form of obstructive sleep apnea, while 28 were found to have a severe condition. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing is interrupted for a brief period during sleep, with interruptions which may last for 10 seconds or more. Sleep apnea occurring throughout the night often results in excessive daytime sleepiness and drowsiness.

Truck drivers sleeping for less than five hours at night were found to perform badly on tests of alertness and reaction as compared to those who had adequate sleep. They were also more liable to be sleepy and exhausted during the daytime. Surprisingly, several of the study subjects performed as poorly on some tests as drivers who have exceeded legal limits for alcohol consumption.

Based on these results, the researchers recommend that truck drivers should be regularly screened for sleep apnea and chronic sleep deprivation as a part of their regular medical checkups.

Apnea may occur repeatedly over the duration of sleep and is caused by the temporary collapse of tissues at the back of the throat, leading to a short gap in breathing. Due to this, the brain awakens the person who is sleeping, though the person might not be aware of this disturbance in sleep. Mild to moderate sleep apnea is when these brief sleep interruptions occur 5 to 30 times in an hour, while severe sleep apnea is when these sleep interruptions occur more than 30 times within an hour.

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This release was published on openPR.