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Sleep apnea can affect your driving performance

Written by: David Castillo on October 13th, 2009

Sleep apnea can affect your driving performance | read this item

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients are more affected by alcohol consumption and sleep restriction in their driving performance compared to other individuals, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Andrew Vakulin (from the University of Adelaide in Australia) and his colleagues tested 38 subjects with untreated OSA of varying severity and 20 healthy participants.

The two groups performed three driving tests under different conditions—an unrestricted night’s sleep, four hours of sleep, and one with a low dosage of vodka. Each subject’s performance was evaluated in terms of crashes, steering deviation, and brake reaction time.

The researchers found that OSA patients had more chances of crashing compared to healthy individuals. The OSA subjects also had a 40 percent increased chance of steering deviation after sleep restriction and alcohol consumption. In terms of brake reaction time, both groups had similar results.

“In conclusion, we have shown that compared with healthy individuals, patients with OSA are more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of low-dose alcohol and one night of moderate sleep restriction on driving performance variables,” wrote the authors. “Thus, it may be advisable for untreated patients with diagnosed OSA or persons showing symptoms of OSA to avoid even legal doses of alcohol or sleep restriction before driving or performing other tasks in which safety is a factor.”

Source: Modern Medicine

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