Chronic malaise in people with sleep apnea can have serious impacts on traffic safety

Up to half of the elderly may suffer from sleep apnea. This is a condition in which breathing and sleep are temporarily interrupted many times a night. A new study by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis’ School of Medicine shows that this chronic fatigue can have serious impacts on road safety.

People with sleep apnea will wake up tired in the morning, no matter how many hours they actually sleep. This condition causes them to temporarily stop and resume breathing tens or even hundreds of times a night. Such breathing interruptions often do not awaken apnea people, but they prevent them from sinking into a deep and refreshing sleep.

New studies show a lot about how dangerous such chronic fatigue is, at least with respect to driving. A study by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis increases the probability of dangerous driving, such as speed violations, sudden braking, and acceleration, by 27% for every eight additional breathing interruptions per hour.

Older people are more likely to develop sleep apnea. It also increases the likelihood of serious injury or death in a car accident. Findings available online in the journal Sleep may help older people stay safer for longer by screening them for sleep apnea and treatment as needed. Suggests.

The percentage of older people with mild sleep apnea is 30% to 50%, but if such adults have no evidence of daytime sleepiness or other disabilities, they may not be able to see a doctor. I have. However, these findings suggest that lower thresholds may be needed to assess older people for sleep apnea and track respiratory interruptions. If the condition worsens with eight interruptions per hour, it can have a serious negative impact on driving and can pose a risk of serious injury. “

Doctor of Medicine Brendan Lucy, co-author, associate professor of neurology, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine, University of Washington

People over the age of 65 are the most responsible drivers on the road. They obey speed limits. They drive defensively. They avoid driving at night, in bad weather, and in unfamiliar places. However, age-related changes such as poor eyesight, poor reflexes, and, of course, sleep disorders, can undermine even the safest habits.

Lucy collaborated with Dr. Ganesh M. Babel, an assistant professor of neurology and co-author of the paper, to investigate the relationship between sleep apnea and dangerous driving behavior. Participants were recruited from ongoing studies at Charles F. and the Joan Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (Night ADRC) at the University of Washington.

Babulal and Lucey monitored driving and sleeping habits in 96 older people under real-world conditions. They used a commercial takeaway test to identify people with sleep apnea and measure their severity. Less than 5 breathing interruptions per hour are considered normal, 5 to 15 times are mild sleep apnea, 15 to 30 times are moderate, and more than 30 times are severe.

To assess driving habits, researchers installed a chip developed by Babulal and colleagues on a participant’s personal vehicle, focusing on episodes of sudden braking, sudden acceleration, and speed violations to drive the participant. I monitored it for a year. In total, we have collected data on more than 100,000 trips. Participants were also evaluated by researchers at Night ADRC for the molecular signs of cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease.

All participants were cognitively normal, but about one-third had brain changes indicating early Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have found that the frequency of dangerous movements by drivers increases in parallel with the frequency of sleep interruptions at night, regardless of whether the brain has traces of early Alzheimer’s disease. bottom.

“We didn’t have a camera in the car, so we don’t know exactly what caused someone to suddenly brake suddenly,” Babral said. “But like a traffic light, you may not have noticed it was red until they had to approach and step on the brakes. The more tired you are, the less you need to pay attention to the task at hand. It’s novel and constantly changing. “

This study helps elucidate how age-related risk factors such as sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s disease put older people at risk while driving, helping to find ways to maximize safe driving for years. Researchers said it could.

“Driving is always at risk of a collision, and older people are at greater risk of being more seriously injured than young adults if they experience a collision,” says Babral. “But we can’t tell them to give up the key. When older people stop driving, they lose a lot of independence and mobility, which often has a negative impact on health and social outcomes. What we want to understand is what to put. Since they are at higher risk, we can intervene and help them hold the handle as safely as possible. “