Sleep Apnea Affects More Than 40 Percent Of Truck Drivers, Australian Study Shows

A startling new study reveals just how prevalent sleep apnea may be in the professional truck-driving world.

Australian researchers found that 41 percent of truck drivers in Australia have obstructive sleep apnea, which is a sleep disorder where a person may stop breathing on and off throughout the night, leading to daytime sleepiness because of the disturbed sleep.

The study, published in the journal SLEEP included 517 long-distance truck drivers in Australia. Just 4.4 percent said that they had been previously diagnosed with sleep apnea, though when the researchers tested them, 41 percent had the sleep disorder, according to the study.

In addition, the researchers found that 49 percent of the truck drivers smoke cigarettes, 50 percent are obese and 36 percent are overweight.

"Sleep apnea remains a significant and unrecognized problem in CMV drivers, who we found to have multiple health risks," the researchers wrote in the study. "Objective testing for this sleep disorder needs to be considered, as symptom reports and self-identification appear insufficient to accurately identify those at risk."

It's important to note that this finding was only in Australian truck drivers, and the numbers may not be the same in the United States. However, sleep apnea is known to be a pervasive health condition among truck drivers in America, too, with NPR reporting that up to one third of truck drivers may have sleep apnea.

Fatigue by transportation workers was the subject of a National Sleep Foundation poll released earlier this year. That poll showed that about one-fourth of train operators and pilots have experienced fatigue at least once a week that was strong enough to affect how they did their jobs.

The same poll showed that the fatigue led to a "near miss" at work for 11 percent of pilots, 14 percent of truck drivers and 18 percent of train operators, HuffPost earlier reported.

Recently, Truck News reported that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will likely start screening truck drivers for sleep apnea if they have a body mass index of 35 or over. (Someone with a BMI of 30 or above is considered obese).

For reference, Truckers News reported that a 6-foot-tall driver who weighs 258 pounds has a BMI of 35.

"Age, neck size, crash history, gender and hypertension will come into play, but alone, the 35 BMI driver will be recommended to go for an initial screening, Jack Vansteenburg, assistant administrator and chief safety officer of the FMCSA, said at a meeting, as reported by Truck News.

Also on HuffPost:

From our partners

• 400 Healthy Recipes (That Won't Break The Bank) - greatist.com
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• 6 Reasons To Sleep At Least 7 Hours - Everyday Health

Comments

[CpapMaskHQ]

01:11 PM on 04/09/2012

Truck driving as a profession tends to produce all of the key factors which lead to sleep apnea formation. 1. Sedentary job (Limited to no exercise) 2. Tendency to over eat (due in part to being stationed in a cab for most hours) 3. Work long hours - that is just to name a few.

Still, I agree with others that this is only one of the issues. How many of the car drivers who cause accidents on the roads have undiagnosed Sleep Apnea??? I would venture that the % would be very comparable if not higher.

[coevili]

08:06 PM on 04/06/2012

Just to set the record straight. Being tired or fatigued can come from many factors. Sleep apnea is but one cause. Seems like the Government is also trying to say if you are tired, you must have sleep apnea. Another one of their brillant statements.
One last fact, yes FACT. Many studies have shown that in accidents involving big rigs, more that half of them are caused by idiots in cars, pickups, SUV's, etc. Let's not condemn the trucking industry because of some poorly written articles. When the trucks stop rolling, we will all be naked, cold and hungary! I am proud of most CMV drivers.

[coevili]

07:54 PM on 04/06/2012

Need to publish more facts about what FMCSA is really trying to do. I am not a trucker, but I do know people in the industry. From what they are hearing, the Government is proposing regulations that anyone with a neck size of over 17" is considered to have sleep apnea, which of course is a bunch of BS. Apparently they are going to require all drivers with a neck over 17". body fat of over 35%, post menapausal women and several other somewhat stupid criteria to have to prove that they don't have sleep apnea in order to continue driving. This is going to be a huge cost to the trucking industry, as their health insurance carrier will most likely raise their health insurance cost. In addition, the trucking companies stand to lose an estimated 40-75% of their drivers until they can prove they do not have sleep apnea. Talk about being guilty until proven innocent! This will also increase the cost of getting goods to market, which of course the cost will be passed on to the consumer. Call your Congressman and let them know that FMSCA has lost their mind and that this is a very stupid plan with dire consequences for all consumers. So, how many guys out there have a neck bigger than 17"?

[dcar65]

07:53 PM on 04/06/2012

INTERESTING I THOUGHT IT WAS ILLEGALS TAKING THEIR JOBS AND DESTROYING THEIR WAGE ....GO FIGURE

[Bob Pante]

08:00 PM on 04/06/2012

Only in the United States, any other country will arrest ILLEGALS.

[blueghost]

06:19 PM on 04/06/2012

CPAP machines are great for getting a good nights sleep....may save your life from heart failure or falling asleep at the wheel.

[kosmotis69]

05:45 PM on 04/06/2012

All these trucking rules are meant to get rid of senior drivers that have the most vacation and get paid the highest rates.........a bigger issue is TIA's (mini-strokes) caused by cumulative damage to vertebral neck arteries caused by years of constant head movement checking mirrors and such.........and if it happens you are done driving.......they will sit you out for a year and then make sure you flunk the 2 year DOT physical , usually on high blood pressure , so they don't have to rehire you. Thank you GOVT-MNGT-UNION

[bmitche]

03:07 PM on 04/06/2012

This is a very important issue because a drowsy driver makes it dangerous for everyone driving the freeway. Testing would be the only way to cut down on the safety risks.

[Adam Hose]

04:27 PM on 04/06/2012

I would be ok with it, if the levels of sleep apnea are broken down. The reason I say that is because a lot of people suffer from some form of sleep apnea and therefore I think you need to be able to seperate people who suffer from severe or chronic symptoms from those who only experience mild or non-frequent symptoms. Having said all that, there are plenty of other ways in which they could prevent drivers from falling asleep at the wheel. They need to revise the log book so we are not penalized by taking breaks and they need to allow team drivers to go back to driving 5on/5off because many drivers can't sleep for more then a few hours at a time in a moving vehicle. Also many states have banned us from sleeping on the on-ramps. I can understand the off ramps, but not the on-ramps. That's the one good thing about trucking in the Southwest areas like Texas, NM, Az...they have numerous areas in which you can get off and take a quick nap. Sadly part of the reason they have banned us is from trashy drivers that litter the area around the ramps.

[bmitche]

05:08 PM on 04/06/2012

The sleep apnea that I am speaking of (I really didn't know there are degrees of the ailment) is the one that will prevent a person from getting a good night's sleep, causing drowsiness during the day.

[NordicChicMN]

12:42 PM on 04/06/2012

We used to move freight by rail until they built the interstate freeway system. I think they should go back to moving it by rail for the long distances & have the truckers pick it up along the way at stops to drive it shorter distances to it's final destination at store loading docks. Then, truckers would only have to drive around their own state, not all the way cross country. They would have MUCH better quality of life both healthwise & for their family life.

[Adam Hose]

01:33 PM on 04/06/2012

That would be great, but you need both in today's world. Trains are extremely efficient (when loaded) for hauling heavy bulk commodities but lack the flexibility and speed of the trucks. It's very labor and time consuming to break down and assemble carts for transport. Most trucks (depending on it's use) stay loaded 90% of the time, where as trains often carry empty carts back to it's origin. Another example where trucks will always be needed, is produce or other food products.

[felshamldy]

11:46 AM on 04/06/2012

Sleep apnea is a real problem and is one of the leading, yet under-reported causes, of heart attacks. It is so easily stopped too--sleep on your side, never on your back. It makes tragic sense that truck drivers would be more affected; if they take quick cat naps at truck stops, it may be in their cab, sitting, hence basically on their back. I've awakened in the midst of a dead sleep several times, caught myself in "mid-breath"--it's an uneasy, creepy feeling. Problem is, in normal tossing & turning while sleeping, it's tough to self-regulate how you end up sleeping.

[hfpoo]

10:54 AM on 04/06/2012

Drove a truck for a lot of years. All the sitting and lack of exercise didn't help my weight. Got over apnea when I realized what was causing it and made hourly stops to walk, stretch, and exercise. My days were longer, but when I crapped out at home I was able to sleep. Not so much on the road, because too much outside (thieves and other stuff) to be aware of and alert to.

[Bob Pante]

08:04 PM on 04/06/2012

People think being a professional driver is an easy job. Considering a plane is flown by a computer. I tend to believe operating an 18 wheeler, especially in a congested ares is alot harder.

[dnlddy]

10:47 AM on 04/06/2012

Huh ? what?? go way ! - - - ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[smp276dp]

10:44 AM on 04/06/2012

What happenes in their country affects us how?

[bmitche]

03:09 PM on 04/06/2012

Sleep Apnea does !

[smp276dp]

03:35 PM on 04/06/2012

In Aussy land really.

[mo524]

07:15 PM on 04/06/2012

After working in a truck stop im not worried about apnea im worried about how many of them are on meth.

[smp276dp]

11:12 PM on 04/06/2012

Only God knows

[adv08840]

10:41 AM on 04/06/2012

This, also, will be a money maker for someone down the line. A truck driver has to pay more for his license, get a physical every two years, among other things. But you can let every 80 year old with enough money, drive a bus from campground to campground all across the country, and no one checks anything

[nhfireman]

04:46 PM on 04/06/2012

True and they can drive a big U-Haul truck too. It's all about the money Even though I do not drive over the road it is required that I have a CDL in my Fire Dept. and that goes for any member in our Dept. that wants to drive an engine . Even though the GOVT. says emergency personnel are exempt. our town and Dept. policy says differantly.My ,license cost me $110.00 every 4 years. what do you pay?

[Bob Pante]

08:06 PM on 04/06/2012

You don't have to be be behind the wheel for days on end in order to feed your family.

[FRDFURBGR]

08:34 AM on 04/06/2012

Pour me another cup of coffee for it is the best in the land
I'll put another quarter in the jukebox and play the Truck Drivin' Man

[realist63]

09:58 AM on 04/06/2012

Close But the line in the song is:
" I'll put a nickel in the Jukebox, and play That Truck Drivin' Man"
Dave Dudley sang it back when a nickel was worth at least a song

[FRDFURBGR]

10:17 AM on 04/06/2012

Considering that's a " cut n pasted this from http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/dudley-dave/truck-driving-man-12237.html, You might want to either check with them, call Dave, or reconsider .

[ArkLunatic]

07:52 AM on 04/06/2012

Even without sleep apnea a driver has problems with sleep. Try sleeping in a truckstop with all the other trucks comming in and out, or sitting there idleing and you get to breath truck fumes. If you are lucky, you have a APU to provide A/C without running the motor. But it too is running off and on all night. Then you also have the sleep times. You may get to sleep in the evening, or maybe it is necessary during the middle of the day, depending on your "delivery schedule". Smoking and obesity are also problems. How much exercise can one get from behind the wheel for 10+ hrs. a day? But taking all that into consideration, I imagine most accidents are cause by the 4 wheeler traffic and not the truck. WIth all the texting, cell phone usage, drinking, distractions, and just down right stupidity, it's the 4 wheelers that cause most the problems. But they aren't "regulated" as much as CDL drivers are. I am just glad I got out of driving. It done got scarey out there.

[rattlesnake 3rd]

11:44 AM on 04/06/2012

U are right ||| drove for 40 yrs use to love my job laws and lawyers not worth it if you can turn hambergers get a job at micky dees at least you can eat BB

[bob40wil]

11:44 AM on 04/06/2012

Not to mention having a cow hauler or pig hauler pulling up next to just when you doze off.

[ArkLunatic]

12:08 PM on 04/06/2012

I also did not mention the panhandlers or the lot lizards awaking you at all hours of the day or night.