Sleep Testing Is Important for Truckers and Train Engineers

If you’re a truck driver or train engineer, there was probably a story in the news last week that caught your eye. U.S. officials recently announced that they are “abandoning plans to require sleep apnea screening for truck drivers and train engineers.” Needless to say, this has many people up in arms, and this includes many doctors who regularly treat sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a very serious disorder that affects about 20 million people each night, and for people in these professions, it can easily put them and others in serious danger every day. Today, we’re going to discuss what sleep apnea actually is, and how sleep testing could possibly save your life.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition where a person temporarily stops breathing for short periods of time throughout the night. Most of the time, this is caused by the soft tissues in the mouth and throat relaxing into and obstructing the airway, which is why it is often called obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. When the air is cut off, the body immediately panics and forces a person to wake up in order to restore normal breathing. A person with sleep apnea can go through this hundreds of times a night and not even know it.

What ends up happening is that a person never gets the deep, restful sleep they need to recover and be energized for the following day. Sleep deprivation is dangerous for a number of reasons, and it’s especially deadly while driving. People who are sleep deprived are twice as likely to get into a car accident, so you can imagine the danger it can create for a truck driver or engineer.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, OSA has been the “probable cause of 10 highway and rail accidents” over the past 17 years, so it’s no wonder that safety experts are concerned that the government is no longer requiring sleep testing.

What You Can Do

In the absence of government and corporate oversite, it’s now up to the individual drivers and engineers to take care of themselves. If you work in either one of these professions, it is extremely important for you to know if you have sleep apnea. Leaving it untreated puts both you and others’ lives in danger. Even if you aren’t showing any symptoms of it (you can find a complete list here) it’s paramount that you make absolutely sure.

To get a sleep test, simply tell your primary care physician that you would like to be screened for sleep apnea. They’ll recommend you to a sleep doctor who can perform the screening. If you do happen to have sleep apnea, they can then recommend treatment, which may consist of using a CPAP machine, surgery, or oral appliance therapy.

In the end, your sleep, health, and safety are extremely important, and getting screened for sleep apnea is in the best interest of both you and your family. Before you hit the road or the rails again, please contact your doctor and ask them to set up a screening. It could easily save your life.

About the Author

Dr. Kenneth Mogell is a well-known sleep dentist based in Jupiter, FL. He frequently treats people for OSA using custom-made oral appliances that are easy to take on the road and provide real relief from sleep issues. He currently practices at Florida Dental Sleep Disorders, and he can be contacted through his website or by phone at (561) 744-4478.