February 7th, 2012
According to the National Institutes of Health, 50 to 70 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders and intermittent sleep problems that can significantly impact workplace safety. More than 18 million of those have sleep apnea. It’s critical that if you think you have any type of sleep disorder that you obtain occupational sleep education on your condition.
Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both sexes, but there are a number of factors that increase risk, including having a small upper airway (or large tongue, tonsils or uvula), being overweight, small jaw or a large overbite, having a recessed chin, a large neck size (17 inches or greater in a man, or 16 inches or greater in a woman), smoking and alcohol use, being age 40 or older, and ethnicity (African-Americans, Pacific-Islanders and Hispanics). OSA seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis.
People doing second and third shift work may be at an increased risk of developing sleep apnea. It’s imperative they talk to their employer or HR department about obtaining occupational sleep education materials. When deemed necessary a sleep study can be performed at a local sleep clinic or hospital. Additional occupational sleep education can be found on our website as well as the National Sleep Foundation website. We offer a full range of supplies for those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Give us a call and talk to our sleep specialists to see how we can help you today.
Tags: Occupational Sleep Education
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February 3rd, 2012
If you are struggling with obstructive sleep apnea it’s necessary to diagnose the cause of your sleep apnea before a sleep apnea cure can be found. Sleep apnea is the condition during which a person stops breathing while sleeping. The pauses in breathing can happen from five to 30+ times each hour, hundreds of times every night. Each of these episodes can last a minute or more. During the apnea, the oxygen level of the blood drops to dangerous levels. It is estimated that nine percent of women and 24 percent of men have this disorder but have not been diagnosed.
The process for finding a sleep apnea cure consists of gathering data on the individual including sleep habits (ie. sleep positions), weight, neck measurements, whether or not they smoke, and ultimately having a sleep study done. The sleep study can be performed either in the comfort of your own home or in a sleep clinic or hospital where you will be required to spend the night.
It’s essential to learn the type and severity of your sleep apnea in order to determine the best sleep apnea cure from the options that are available. There are three types of sleep apnea — obstructive, central, and mixed. You could have any one of these and part of testing is finding out which one you have as well as the level of severity.
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January 30th, 2012
Regardless of the type of business you are in you want your employees to arrive at work refreshed and ready to put in a full day of work for you once they arrive. You want the best from them and expect them to be healthy and well rested. That’s really not asking for too much. Recently, there’s been a lot of publicity about sleep apnea and workplace productivity and the potential of one to adversely affect the other. Sleep apnea and workplace productivity are important enough that the U.S. Department of Labor is investigating and putting policies in place in some industries.
If someone is unable to get restful sleep at night they will not be able to perform well the next day. There are many people — some of them your employees — who are always tired but don’t know why. They blame the mattress, the spouse, or the kids. They blame stress, the job, or even you, the boss. The very fact that they’re not sleeping well is cause enough for concern. We can assure you that if they’re not getting restful sleep then you are not getting the level of workplace productivity from them that you could be getting.
There is no doubt that there’s a correlation between sleep apnea and workplace productivity and the negative impact sleep apnea has on production. This is why it’s imperative that the employees who appear lethargic and sluggish be seen by their medical physician at the earliest opportunity. Not only are they producing less for you than they could, they are also a hazard on the job, especially where equipment is in use. We urge you to give this the attention it deserves.
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January 26th, 2012
With an estimated over 12 million Americans suffering from easily treatable sleep apnea it’s more important than ever to have a sleep apnea test performed. Only with the proper testing can sleep apnea be properly diagnosed and treated. Testing is no longer something that must be done in a hospital or sleep clinic. With modernized methods a sleep apnea test can now be performed in the comfort of your own home.
There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. Despite the difference in the cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.
AeroFlow Industrial Clinics provides a free Sleep Apnea Survey to get your sleep score. Sleep apnea is a very serious condition that needs to be diagnosed and treated. This free service is for people who are interested in having their answers reviewed by a physician. Some basic information from you will be required in case your questionnaire results are positive and you need to be contacted to have a sleep apnea test scheduled. Your results and information are considered private and are protected information under Federal and State laws.
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January 22nd, 2012
Based on research proving that a truck driver with Obstructive Sleep Apnea has twice the chance of having an accident than a driver who does not have OSA it’s become a requirement that drivers need access to better industrial sleep education. The Department of Transportation will be providing as much updated industrial sleep education materials to drivers as is available to them.
A panel of OSA experts presented guidelines for industrial sleep education to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that will be included when commercial drivers are examined for their medical certificate. DOT Medical Examiners are expected take all recommendations into account due of the increasing liability associated with public safety.
Because of the push for industrial sleep education, drivers are now learning about sleep disorders, pauses in breathing while asleep, daytime sleepiness, or loud snoring they might have and what it could mean for them. Based on body mass index (BMI) and a measurement of the neck circumference it is determined if the driver needs testing for OSA.
Any driver with a BMI >33%, a male with a neck measurement of at least 17” or a female with a neck measurement of at least 15.5” be given a provisional card and required to be evaluated by a physician who specializes in sleep studies. If Obstructive Sleep Apnea is diagnosed, the driver must undergo the recommended treatment.
Tags: Industrial Sleep Education
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December 31st, 2011
Large truck accidents are serious because of the size, weight and speed of these commercial vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Administration’s (FCMSA) Large Truck Crash Study revealed that 50% of accidents result in fatal or incapacitating injuries. The truck driver was judged to be at fault in 87% of these accidents, and in 7% the driver admitted to having fallen asleep while driving.
Truck accidents result in over 5,200 deaths annually and more than 125,000 injuries. Truck driver sleep apnea is a common disorder among drivers, with a prevalence believed to be between 17% to 28%. Given that there are roughly 14 million commercial drivers license holders in the U.S., somewhere between 2.4 and 3.9 million of these drivers are expected to be affected by truck driver sleep apnea.
Medical research demonstrates that drivers with undiagnosed OSA have an increased risk (2 to 7 times) for falling asleep at the wheel and increases the possibility of an individual developing important health issues such as hypertension, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and mood disorders. Studies suggest that commercial motor vehicle operators have a higher prevalence of OSA than even the general population.
The chance of having truck driver sleep apnea depended on two key elements — age and degree of obesity — with prevalence increasing with both. Population projections by FMCSA indicate the amount of older drivers will increase by 50% over the next 20 years.
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December 26th, 2011
Managing risk is one of the most important functions of fleet vehicle safety. Risk can be safety, security or efficiency related. Fleet managers must be vigilant about risks on a day-to-day basis. However, fleet vehicle safety concerns pose the greatest range of risks.
According to a new study on highway deaths, the number of drivers involved in fatal accidents from distracted driving rose 42 percent from 2005 to 2008. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that more than 5,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver. Driver distraction is increasing because drivers are multitasking while driving.
Fleet operators have traditionally accepted a 20% annual accident rate in their industry. Some experts though, such as Eric Strom, maintenance and safety product manager for GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services believe a manufacturing analogy is appropriate and say that any fleet-related accident should be viewed as a “defect.”
What other industry would view a 20% or more defect rate as acceptable? What’s even more concerning is that these “defects” — fleet accidents — are often preventable since they are almost always the result of driver negligence and inattention.
Many companies offer products that combat inattentive driving, working to modify driver behavior through various means. These products are generally GPS-based vehicle tracking and monitoring systems that allow managers to set speed limits and map out safety zones beyond which drivers should not venture. Technologies such as these can help decrease dangerous incidents, maintain fleet vehicle safety, limit company liability and even lower insurance costs.
Tags: fleet vehicle safety
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December 20th, 2011
A typical person spends one-third of their lifetime sleeping. Various types of sleep-related health problems can sometimes lower the quality of sleep people get on any given night. Even though snoring is regarded as the most prevalent reason for insomnia, there are other types of sleep issues that are far more dangerous.
Either of two reasons can be responsible for snoring — obstructive sleep apnea and another condition scientists refer to as primary snoring.
Obstructive sleep apnea manifests itself in noisy, increased loud breathing, disrupted by air blockages along with repeated gasping for air. Additional signs and symptoms consist of extreme drowsiness during the day and difficulty concentrating.
Primary snoring, on the other hand, is extremely common and is not related to apnea. Primary snoring could be an early indicator for individuals that may ultimately have obstructive sleep apnea. This kind of development has been known to be more probable in individuals age 35-40 as well as those that put on excess weight.
While primary snoring can be an irritation for a spouse or significant other, there are no immediate health concerns for the sleeper. However, there are some significant medical consequences to be aware of with regard to both primary snoring as well as obstructive sleep apnea. During an episode, the apnea sufferer simply cannot get air into his lungs. In more severe cases, the airway is temporarily closed. Either situation repeatedly awakens the sufferer. Consequently, people that have sleep apnea experience excessive day time drowsiness.
A certified sleep specialist can fully diagnose whatever sleep abnormalities a person is experiencing. They can then prescribe a treatment plan. The benefit will be more restful sleep, better concentration during the day, and a more enjoyable life.
Tags: Obstructive Sleep Apnea
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December 11th, 2011
Sleep apnea is a big health problem among commercial truck drivers, but many have trouble scheduling the overnight sleep study in a FMCSA sleep clinic that is required for an accurate diagnosis. Sleep Pointe mobile sleep labs, equipped by Covidien, are now available to meet truckers anywhere on the road.
The Mobile Sleep Solution Centers — 53-foot trailers with private bedrooms and bathrooms and fully functional control rooms for sleep technicians, hauled by International trucks — were unveiled June 19 at the Boulder, Colo., campus of healthcare-products giant Covidien as part of the company’s Sleep Wellness program. This convenient type of FMCSA sleep clinic will make having a required overnight sleep study performed a whole lot easier for drivers always on the road.
Covidien is a maker of the continuous positive air pressure machines that are widely prescribed to control obstructive sleep apnea. By gently blowing air into the sleeper’s nose through a face mask, CPAP machines keep the airways open and permit uninterrupted sleep. Sleep Pointe is a sister company, aimed at the transportation industry, of Somnograph, a maker of diagnostic sleep labs for hospitals, doctors’ offices and employers.
Designed in part to promote Covidien’s equipment and Sleep Pointe’s services to trucking fleets, the mobile FMCSA sleep clinic is located on major trucking routes throughout the United States.
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December 8th, 2011
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Office of Research and Technology conducted a study whose primary goal was to ensure that commercial drivers are physically qualified, trained to perform safely, and mentally alert.
From 1996 to 1998, the University of Pennsylvania Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology collected data for a study on the prevalence and consequences of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among commercial vehicle drivers, and involved the FMCSA sleep apnea testing of 406 subjects.
The subjects were chosen after UPenn sent a multi-variable apnea prediction questionnaire to a random sample of 4,826 commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders residing in Pennsylvania. From the 1,391 responses that were returned, 406 drivers were selected to participate in the overnight FMCSA sleep apnea testing done in a laboratory. The overall findings from this study revealed that 28 (6.9 percent) of the 406 participants were diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, 32 (7.9 percent) had moderate sleep apnea, 86 (21.2 percent) had mild sleep apnea, and 260 (64 percent) had none.
The results of the FMCSA sleep apnea testing showed that the prevalence rates of sleep apnea among commercial truck drivers are similar to sleep apnea rates found in other general populations. The study also revealed that the prevalence of sleep apnea depends on the relationship between two major factors – age and degree of obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI) – with the prevalence of sleep apnea increasing with increasing age and BMI.
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