Driving habits gave away people with untreated apnea
Sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are often unaware of their problem. In order to overcome sleepiness that occurs against the background of night apnea, people with this untreated disease may resort to certain techniques. Researchers from the UK have described the alarming signs that indirectly indicate the presence of a dangerous disorder.
COAS is also referred to as "sleep apnea breathing arrest disease". It is the most common type of sleep apnea. We know from the scientific literature that it occurs in one in five people, but only 3.5% have it treated.
People with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome tend to be raspy snorers. Throughout the night, their breathing is repeatedly interrupted and resumes after a pause of a few seconds to a minute, usually with a loud snort. In severe cases, the number of such respiratory stops reaches several hundred per night.
Sleep disordered breathing markedly impairs the quality of sleep, can lead to serious complications and the development of other diseases, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease. In addition, due to sleepiness, people with COAS who drive cars are at greater risk of being involved in an accident.
Dr. Akshay Dwarakanath (Akshay Dwarakanath) and colleagues from St. James's University Hospital (UK) developed a special questionnaire focusing on techniques to overcome sleepiness and fatigue. According to the authors, it will help identify patients with undiagnosed apnea. The work was published by the journal ERJ Open Research.
The study involved 119 people with untreated COAS. The control group was 105 people without obstructive apnea syndrome. All participants answered questions about their sleepiness in general, drowsiness while driving, ways they use to stay alert while driving, and traffic incidents such as collisions.
It turned out that compared to participants in the control group, people with COAS were more likely to use different tricks to stay alert while driving. Almost a third of respondents with apnea admitted to using more than three such tricks.
The most popular were opening a window in the car, drinking tea or coffee and turning on the radio. People also sang and talked to themselves, changed seat position, chewed gum or ate. Another technique was to stop to walk or otherwise stretch, take a nap or wash their face with cold water.
The researchers found that participants with COAS who used more than three of these techniques were more drowsy in general and while driving than people with apnea who practiced them less often. In addition, the former were more likely to be involved in accidents than the latter (22.8% vs. 2.4%).
According to the authors, the presence of a set of such habits may serve as a marker for doctors in the diagnosis of COAS.