One analysis estimated the cost of automobile accidents attributed to sleepiness to be between $29.2 to $37.9 billion. (Leger, 1994)

(41%) admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel at some point.; one in ten drivers (10%) reporting they did so within the past year. (AAA, 2010)

More than one-quarter of drivers (27%) admitting they had driven while they were “so sleepy that [they] had a hard time keeping [their] eyes open” within the past month (AAA, 2010)

Researchers estimate that more than 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder. (Institute of Medicine, 2005) One of the most serious consequences of insufficient sleep is traffic accidents due to drowsy driving. A recent study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates that one out of every six (16.5%) deadly traffic accidents, and one out of eight (12.5%) crashes requiring hospitalization of car drivers or passengers is due to drowsy driving. (AAA, 2010) One analysis estimated the cost of automobile accidents attributed to sleepiness to be between $29.2 to $37.9 billion. (Leger, 1994) Experts suspect that even these disturbingly high figures underestimate the number of accidents or near-miss accidents due to drowsy driving because of drivers being unaware or not admitting they were drowsy at the time of the accident, or police not acquiring that information.

The prevalent hazard of drowsy driving is underlined by the number of drowsy drivers that surveys reveal are still on the road. A recent AAA survey found that two out of every five drivers (41%) admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel at some point, with one in ten drivers (10%) reporting they did so within the past year, and more than one-quarter of drivers (27%) admitting they had driven while they were “so sleepy that [they] had a hard time keeping[their] eyes open” within the past month.(AAA, 2010) In the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America 2009 poll, more than half of adults (54%) reported they have driven at least once while drowsy in the past year, with almost a third (28%) reporting that they do so at least once per month.

Commercial truck drivers are especially susceptible to drowsy driving. A congressionally mandated study of 80 long-haul truck drivers in the United States and Canada found that drivers averaged less than 5 hours of sleep per day. (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1996) It is no surprise then that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that drowsy driving was probably the cause of more than half of crashes leading to a truck driver’s death. (NTSB, 1990a,b) For each truck driver fatality, another three to four people are killed. (NHTSA, 1994)

Although certain segments of the population are more prone to drowsy driving, such as commercial truck drivers, shift workers, young men, people taking sedating medicines, or those with sleep disorders, drowsy driving is such a prevalent condition that “in many cases it is the average ‘driver next door’ who just happens to be putting in extra hours at work, adjusting to a new baby in the household, staying out late for a party, or trying to make it back home after an out-of-town trip,” noted one group of researchers. (Stutts, et al, 1999) The consensus among drowsy driving experts is that in order to prevent many deadly crashes, it is critical to educate all people about the importance of adequate sleep and the dangers of not driving drowsy, with some experts calling drowsy driving a “silent killer” that needs a major public health and education campaign to counter. (Drobnich, 2005) Fortunately, drowsy driving is both preventable and treatable with certain appropriate measures, which will be discussed in this paper.

Need for sleep and its effects on driving
All people need between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night to feel well rested and function at their fullest. (NHLBI, 2005) The body has built-in mechanisms to ensure we get that sleep, including a biochemical means of tracking how much time we spend sleeping or being awake. When a sleep debt builds up, this biochemical tally triggers excessive sleepiness and the urge to sleep. In addition, natural circadian rhythms make us more likely to feel drowsy in the dark early hours of the day. This critical time of sleepiness occurs even if we get adequate sleep. (NHLBI, 2005) This peak in sleepiness corresponds to the number of sleep-related automobile accidents that occur in the early morning hours. (Pack et al 1995)

The sleep-wake cycle is inevitable. Although we can deny or mask the physiologically based urge to sleep, our sleepiness will become apparent when we are conducting monotonous tasks, such as driving on a monotonous highway. The boring task often does not cause fatigue as much as reveal or unmask underlying sleepiness. (Roth et al, 1994; NTSB 1995)

Studies have linked sleepiness and fatigue to decreases in vigilance, reaction time, memory, psychomotor coordination, information processing, and decision making, all of which are needed for safe driving. (Lyznicki et al, 1998) Sleepiness can impair driving performance as much or more so than alcohol, studies show. The effects of sleepiness on driving performance are akin to that of a blood alcohol concentration close to that of the legal limit in most states in a well-rested person. (Dawson and Reid, 1997; Powell, 2001) In other words, driving sleepy is like driving drunk. Sleepiness not only causes people to fall asleep at the wheel, but also triggers repetitive head drops due to microsleeps of a few seconds in duration. (Powell and Chau, 2010)

Awareness of drowsy driving
Although people who fall asleep for more than a few minutes are often aware of those lapses in wakefulness, drivers may not be aware of shorter lapses and microsleeps, which can also have serious consequences when a quick reaction is needed to avoid high-speed crashes. (Powell and Chau, 2010) Most people also are not aware of how drowsiness affects their driving performance, even without falling asleep. Studies also suggest that people cannot reliably detect how sleepy they are, and when they are likely to fall asleep, presumably because they either lack or do not pay attention to signs that sleep onset is likely. (FHWA, 1998; Filliatrault et al, 1996; Itoi et al, 1993)

People frequently deny how sleepy they are, and whether their sleepiness interferes with their driving. In one study, a man who had a crash and reported sleeping only 5 hours a day claimed that because he did not remember what happened, he must have “blacked out” rather than fallen asleep. Another driver from a sleep-related crash said “I wasn’t drowsy, I just fell asleep.” This study found that only about half of drivers in sleep-related crashes reported feeling drowsy before their crashes, with nearly one-quarter reporting that they felt “not at all drowsy.”(Stutts, 1999) However, several telltale factors strongly suggest a sleep-related accident, including a vehicle leaving the roadway, and a lack of braking, skid marks, or other evidence that the driver made no attempt to avoid crashing. Police investigators often take that evidence into consideration when classifying an accident as sleep-related.(NHLBI, 1998a)

Research has revealed a few indicators of drowsiness and drowsy driving. (Papadelis et al, 2007; Mathis and Hess, 2009)These include:

• Frequent blinking, longer duration blinks and head nodding
• Having trouble keeping one’s eyes open and focused
• Memory lapses or daydreaming
• Drifting from one’s driving lane or off the road

Currently, there is no definitive physiologic test or detection system for drowsiness equivalent to the breath analyzers used to detect drunk driving.

Individual prevention of drowsy driving crashes
Experts agree that there is no substitute for sleep, and drivers should ensure they are well rested to prevent crashes. (Nguyen et al, 1998) Awareness of the signs of drowsiness might be helpful, but only if drivers attend to those signs by pulling off the road and getting sufficient sleep. If that is not possible, studies suggest two interventions that are helpful: taking a short, 20-minute nap, and/or drinking two cups of coffee or other equivalently caffeinated beverages. Caffeine will improve alertness only for a short period of time, and should not be relied upon to make up for a sleep deficit, studies show. As one researcher put it “Sleep debt can only be paid back with sleep.” (Nguyen et al, 1998)

There is no evidence that the alertness enhancing medicine modafinil can reduce drowsy driving. In one small study, in which sleep-deprived individuals were given the drug and then tested on a driving simulator, modafinil reduced lane deviation, but had less effect on speed deviation, off-road incidents and reaction time, while self-assessments indicated that the drug gave the sleep-deprived participants false confidence in their driving abilities. (Gurtman et al, 2008) There is also no evidence for anecdotal reports that opening car windows, stopping to stretch, or turning up the volume of a car radio can prevent drowsy driving crashes. (Nguyen et al, 1998)

Conclusion
Drowsy driving is a prevalent and serious public health issue that deserves more attention, education, and policy initiatives so a substantial amount of lives can be saved and disability averted due to drowsy driving accidents.

References

• American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2010. Asleep at the wheel: the prevalence and impact of drowsy driving, http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/2010DrowsyDrivingReport.pdf, accessed 1/5/11.
• Dawson, D. and K. Reid, 1997. Fatigue, alcohol and performance impairment. Nature, 338:235.
• Drobnich, D., 2005. A national Sleep Foundation’s conference summary: the national summit to prevent drowsy driving and a new call to action, Industrial Health, 43:197-200.
• Federal Highway Administration, 1998. The Driver Fatigue and Alertness Study. U.S.Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Motor Carriers, Washington, D.C.
• Filliatrault, D.D., Cooper, P.J., King, D.J. et al, 1996. Efficiency of vehicle-based data to predict lane departure arising from loss of alertness due to fatigue. In 40^th Annual Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia, October 1996.
• Gurtman, C.G., Broadbear, J.H., and J.R. Redman, 2008. Effects of modafinil on simulator driving and self-assessment of driving following sleep deprivation, Human Psychopharmacology, 23(8):681-92.
• Itoi, A., R. Cilveta, R., Voth, M. et al, 1993. Can drivers avoid falling asleep at the wheel? Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
• Institute of Medicine, 2005. Sleep disorders and sleep prevention: an unmet public health problem, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
• Leger, D., 1994. The cost of sleep-related accidents: a report for the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, Sleep 17(1):84-93.
• Lyznicki, J.M., Doege, T.C., Davis, R.M., and W.A. Williams, 1998. Sleepiness, driving, and motor vehicle crashes. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279(23):1908-1913.
• Mathis, J. and Hess, C., 2009, Sleepiness and vigilance tests, Swiss Medical Weekly, 139(15-16):214-219.
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2005. Your guide to healthy sleep, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf,, accessed on 1/5/11.
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1998a. Drowsy driving and automobile crashes, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/drsy_drv.pdf, accessed on 1/5/11.
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1998b. Educating youth about sleep and drowsy driving, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/dwydrv_y.pdf, accessed on 1/5/11.
• NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). 1994. Crashes and Fatalities Related to Driver Drowsiness/Fatigue. Washington, DC: United States Department of Transportation.
• National Sleep Foundation, 2001. 2001 Sleep in America poll, National Sleep Foundation.
• National Sleep Foundation, 2007. State of the states report on drowsy driving, http://drowsydriving.org/docs/2007%20State%20of%20the%20States%20Report.pdf, accessed on 1/5/11.
• National Transportation Safety Board, 1995. Factors that affect fatigue in heavy truck accidents. Wasington, D.C. PB95-917001,NTSB/SS-95/01;1995.
• Nguyen, L.T., Jauregui, B., Dinges, D.F., 1998. Changing behaviors to prevent drowsy driving and promote traffic safety: Review of proven, promising, and unproven techniques, http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/drowsydriving.pdf, accessed on 1/5/11.
• NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board). 1990a. Safety Study: Fatigue, Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Medical Factors in Fatal-to-the-Driver Heavy Truck Crashes (Volume I). Washington, DC: National Transportation Safety Board.
• NTSB. 1990b. Safety Study: Fatigue, Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Medical Factors in Fatal-to-the-Driver Heavy Truck Crashes (Volume II). Washington, DC: National Transportation Safety Board.
• Pack AI, Pack AM, Rodgman E, Cucchiara A, Dinges DF, Schwab CW., 1995. Characteristics of crashes attributed to the driver having fallen asleep. Accident Analysis and Prevention 27(6):769–775.
• Papadelis, C.L., Chen, Z., Kourtidou-Papadeli C., et al, 2007. Monitoring sleepiness with on-board electrophysiological recordings for preventing sleep-deprived traffic accidents. Clinical Neurophysiology 2007, 118(9):1906-22.
• Powell, N.B., Schechtman, K.B., Riley, R.W>, et al, 2001. The road to danger: the comparative risks of driving while sleepy, The Laryngoscope, 111:887-893.
• Powell, N.B., and J.K.M. Chau, 2010. Sleepy driving, Medical Clinics of North America, 94:531-540.
• Roth, T. Roehrs, T.a., Carsdadon, M.A. and W.C. Dement, 1994. Daytime sleepiness and alertness. In Kryger M.H., Roth, T., and W.C. Dement, Principles and practice of Sleep Medicine, Second Edition. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company.
• Stutts, J.C., Wilkins, J.W., and B. V. Vaughn, Why do people have drowsy driving crashes? Input from drivers who just did, http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/sleep.pdf, accessed on 1/5/11.

WASHINGTON, DC, November 9, 2012 – In recognition of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®, (November 12-18), the National Sleep Foundation is joining with the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to educate drivers about sleep safety. A recent survey conducted by the AAA Foundation found that young people are more likely to drive drowsy.  Specifically, one in seven licensed drivers ages 16-24 admitted to having nodded off at least once while driving in the past year as compared to one in ten of all licensed drivers who confessed to falling asleep during the same period.

A recent National Sleep Foundation poll found that teens and adults in their twenties reported less sleep satisfaction and roughly one in five rated as “sleepy” on a standard clinical assessment tool that determines whether sleepiness impairs daily activities.

“Young Americans are sleepy, and this affects their health and safety,” says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “It’s important to get the word out that it’s dangerous to drive drowsy. This could save thousands of lives.”

Using an analysis of previous data, the AAA Foundation estimates that about one in six deadly crashes involves a drowsy driver. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 Sleep in America poll found that among those who drove, about one-half (52%) indicated that they have driven drowsy, with more than one-third (37%) doing so in the past month.

Sleepiness can impair drivers by causing slower reaction times, vision impairment, lapses in judgment and delays in processing information. In fact, studies show that being awake for more than 20 hours results in an impairment equal to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%, the legal limit in all states. It is also possible to fall into a 3-4 second microsleep without realizing it.

Feeling sleepy? Stop driving if you exhibit these warning signs.

The following warning signs indicate that it’s time to stop driving and find a safe place to pull over and address your condition:

• Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking and/or heavy eyelids
• Difficulty keeping reveries or daydreams at bay
• Trouble keeping your head up
• Drifting from your lane, swerving, tailgating and/or hitting rumble strips
• Inability to clearly remember the last few miles driven
• Missing exits or traffic signs
• Yawning repeatedly
• Feeling restless, irritable, or aggressive.

Here’s what you can do to prevent a fall-asleep crash:

• Get a good night’s sleep before you hit the road. You’ll want to be alert for the drive, so be sure to get adequate sleep (seven to nine hours) the night before you go.
• Don’t be too rushed to arrive at your destination. Many drivers try to maximize the holiday weekend by driving at night or without stopping for breaks. It’s better to allow the time to drive alert and arrive alive.
• Use the buddy system. Just as you should not swim alone, avoid driving alone for long distances. A buddy who remains awake for the journey can take a turn behind the wheel and help identify the warning signs of fatigue.
• Take a break every 100 miles or 2 hours. Do something to refresh yourself like getting a snack, switching drivers, or going for a run.
• Take a nap—find a safe place to take a 15 to 20-minute nap, if you think you might fall asleep. Be cautious about excessive drowsiness after waking up.
• Avoid alcohol and medications that cause drowsiness as a side-effect.
• Avoid driving at times when you would normally be asleep.
• Consume caffeine. The equivalent of two cups of coffee can increase alertness for several hours.

For more information about drowsy driving, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s drowsy driving website at www.DrowsyDriving.org.

Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®

In an effort to reduce the number of fatigue-related crashes and to save lives, the National Sleep Foundation is declaring November 12-18, 2012 to be Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®. This annual campaign provides public education about the under-reported risks of driving while drowsy and countermeasures to improve safety on the road.

About the National Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving sleep health and safety through education, public awareness and advocacy. It is well-known for its annual Sleep in America poll. The Foundation is a charitable, educational and scientific not-for-profit organization located in Washington, DC. Its membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine, professionals in the health, medical and science fields, individuals, patients, families affected by drowsy driving and more than 900 healthcare facilities throughout North America. Please visit www.sleepfoundation.org for more information.

Contact: Jennifer Cowher Williams
National Sleep Foundation
Phone: (703) 243-1697 ext. 211
Email: jwilliams@sleepfoundation.org

ALMOST ALL SAY DROWSY DRIVING IS UNACCEPTABLE, BUT A THIRD OF US DO IT

National Sleep Foundation’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® Provides Tips to Prevent One in Six Traffic Fatalities

WASHINGTON, DC, November 4, 2011 – In recognition of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®, (November 6-12), the National Sleep Foundation is joining with the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to educate drivers about sleep safety. The AAA Foundation released new data showing that 96% of Americans feel that it is unacceptable for someone to drive when they are so sleepy they have trouble keeping their eyes open; yet, about one-third of Americans admitted doing so in the past 30 days.

“People know that they shouldn’t text or drink when they drive, and that’s great,” says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “However, many don’t realize that driving while drowsy is also very dangerous. If you’re so tired that you can hardly keep your eyes open, you could fall asleep for just a few seconds and not realize it. If that happens at 65 miles an hour, you could drive the length of a football field in an unconscious state.”

The AAA Foundation estimates that about one in six deadly crashes involves a drowsy driver. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 Sleep in America poll found that about one in ten 16-45 year old drivers report driving drowsy once or twice a week.

“We know that many people are tired, say they aren’t sleeping well, and in this economy more people are working longer hours and multiple jobs,” says Cloud. “It’s vital for people to be able to assess when they’re too sleepy to drive safely. The National Sleep Foundation wants to make sure that everyone knows what they can do to prevent a drowsy driving related crash. Knowing what to do could save your life.”

Sleepiness can impair drivers by causing slower reaction times, vision impairment, lapses in judgment and delays in processing information. In fact, studies show that being awake for more than 20 hours results in an impairment equal to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%, the legal limit in all states. It is also possible to fall into a 3-4 second microsleep without realizing it.

“Drowsy driving is a major traffic safety problem that, unfortunately, is largely unrecognized,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger. “We need to change the culture so that drivers recognize the dangers, appreciate the consequences and most importantly, stop driving while sleepy.”

Feeling sleepy? Stop driving if you exhibit these warning signs.

The following warning signs indicate that it’s time to stop driving and find a safe place to pull over and address your condition:

• Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking and/or heavy eyelids
• Difficulty keeping reveries or daydreams at bay
• Trouble keeping your head up
• Drifting from your lane, swerving, tailgating and/or hitting rumble strips
• Inability to clearly remember the last few miles driven
• Missing exits or traffic signs
• Yawning repeatedly
• Feeling restless, irritable, or aggressive.

Here’s what you can do to prevent a fall-asleep crash:

• Get a good night’s sleep before you hit the road. You’ll want to be alert for the drive, so be sure to get adequate sleep (seven to nine hours) the night before you go.
• Don’t be too rushed to arrive at your destination. Many drivers try to maximize the holiday weekend by driving at night or without stopping for breaks. It’s better to allow the time to drive alert and arrive alive.

• Use the buddy system. Just as you should not swim alone, avoid driving alone for long distances. A buddy who remains awake for the journey can take a turn behind the wheel and help identify the warning signs of fatigue.
• Take a break every 100 miles or 2 hours. Do something to refresh yourself like getting a snack, switching drivers, or going for a run.

• Take a nap—find a safe place to take a 15 to 20-minute nap, if you think you might fall asleep. Be cautious about excessive drowsiness after waking up.
• Avoid alcohol and medications that cause drowsiness as a side-effect.
• Avoid driving at times when you would normally be asleep.
• Consume caffeine. The equivalent of two cups of coffee can increase alertness for several hours.

For more information about drowsy driving, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s drowsy driving website at www.DrowsyDriving.org.

Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®

In an effort to reduce the number of fatigue-related crashes and to save lives, the National Sleep Foundation is declaring November 6-12, 2011 to be Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®. This annual campaign provides public education about the under-reported risks of driving while drowsy and countermeasures to improve safety on the road.

About the National Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving sleep health and safety through education, public awareness and advocacy. It is well-known for its annual Sleep in America poll. The Foundation is a charitable, educational and scientific not-for-profit organization located in Washington, DC. Its membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine, professionals in the health, medical and science fields, individuals, patients, families affected by drowsy driving and more than 900 healthcare facilities throughout North America. Please visit www.sleepfoundation.org for more information.

Nap before driving

Is there a perfect time to take a nap? It depends. Your personal situation will determine the best time for you to take a nap. There are three types of naps you can take; planned, emergency and habitual napping. Planned napping (also called preparatory napping) involves taking a nap to delay getting tired early or to help stay alert later than you normally would. Emergency napping occurs when you suddenly feel tired or fatigued and need to rest before completing a task which requires alertness. Habitual napping is when you take a nap the same time every day, for example, most children take habitual naps.

Respondents to our recent Web survey about napping found that up to 35% of respondents are too busy for either planned, emergency or habitual napping. 49% did admit to napping whenever they felt tired, while 8% take habitual naps and over 6% claim be more strategic and plan their napping.

It’s true that napping can help restore alertness, enhance performance, and reduce mistakes and accidents. In spite of these benefits, napping isn’t always the best option for everyone. For example, people having trouble sleeping through the night should avoid napping too close to bedtime because this could further cause sleeplessness. Learn more about naps and how they could benefit you.

Advertisement: The National Sleep Foundation neither control nor endorse the advertisements, items or Websites featured in the advertisers links below.

Even though you are on vacation and excited to see and do new things, the rules for getting good quality sleep are still the same as if you were home – use beds only for sleeping and avoid reading, working or eating in bed as those actions will make it more difficult to relax in preparation for a good night’s sleep. Digestion interferes with proper sleep, so travelers should avoid large meals before retiring.

To help guests fall asleep and sleep through the night, a sleeper-friendly hotel should have blackout shades installed and provide bedside white noise machines upon request that electronically drown out any stray background or other noise. If you don’t find them in your room, ask for them. You can also requests rooms away from elevators to reduce sleep disturbance.

If you experience neck and back pain when traveling, ask what types of pillows the hotel provides to ensure that you can avoid extra stress in those areas. It’s best to know in advance if the pillow option you need isn’t available because it may be best to bring your own. Learn more about what travelers should expect from a hotel when it’s time to sleep and be sure to pass the info along!

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“People think they can judge the precise time they are too tired and don’t realize that ‘drowsy driving’ is a serious danger,” says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “They don’t know that it’s possible to fall into a 3-4 second microsleep without realizing it. Traveling at 65 MPH, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field basically unconscious.”

Even if you manage to stay awake, sleepiness causes slower reaction times, vision impairment, lapses in judgment and delays in processing information, which are all critical elements for safe driving practices. “Getting enough sleep can literally save your life,” adds Cloud.

Prevent a fall-asleep crash by getting enough sleep the night before and by knowing the warning signs of sleepiness and using appropriate countermeasures.

Warning Signs: Feeling Sleepy? Stop Driving!

If you start to do the following, it’s time to get off the road. Find a safe place to pull over:

• Have problems focusing, blink frequently and/or have heavy eyelids;
• Drift from your lane, swerve, tailgate and/or hit rumble strips;
• Have trouble remembering the last few miles driven;
• Miss exits or traffic signs;
• Have trouble keeping your head up;
• Yawn repeatedly;
• Or finding yourself rolling down the windows or turning up the radio.

National Sleep Foundation’s Countermeasures to Prevent Fall-Asleep Crashes

• Get a good night’s sleep before you hit the road. You’ll want to be alert for the drive, so be sure to get adequate sleep (seven to nine hours) the night before you go.
• Don’t be too rushed to arrive at your destination. Many drivers try to maximize the holiday weekend by driving at night or without stopping for breaks. It’s better to allow the time to drive alert and arrive alive.
• Use the buddy system. Just as you should not swim alone, avoid driving alone for long distances. A buddy who remains awake for the journey can take a turn behind the wheel and help identify the warning signs of fatigue.
• Take a break every 100 miles or 2 hours. Do something to refresh yourself like getting a snack, switching drivers, or going for a run.
• Take a nap—find a safe place to take a 15 to 20-minute nap, if you think you might fall asleep. Be cautious about excessive drowsiness after waking up.
• Avoid alcohol and medications that cause drowsiness as a side-effect.
• Avoid driving at times when you would normally be asleep.
  Consume caffeine. The equivalent of two cups of coffee can increase alertness for several hours.

For more information about sleep and safety, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s Web site at sleepfoundation.org.

Advertisement: The National Sleep Foundation neither control nor endorse the advertisements, items or Websites featured in the advertisers links below.

The study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that the drivers who were not treated for sleep apnea missed more days and racked up more short-term disability costs than those that were treated. While sleep apnea affects work productivity, it also affects health. Addressing OSA in the workplace offers the possibility of early identification and intervention for a chronic disease that is associated with increased health benefit utilization,” explained the research team.

Lifestyle changes are effective ways of mitigating symptoms of sleep apnea. Here are some tips that may help reduce apnea severity:

• Lose weight. If you are overweight, this is the most important action you can take to cure your sleep apnea (CPAP only treats it; weight loss can cure it in the overweight person).
• Avoid alcohol; it causes frequent nighttime awakenings, and makes the upper airway breathing muscles relax.
• Quit smoking. Cigarette smoking worsens swelling in the upper airway, making apnea (and snoring) worse.
• Some patients with mild sleep apnea or heavy snoring have fewer breathing problems when they are lying on their sides instead of their backs.

Learn more about the study and about sleep apnea, and feel free to pass the information along.

Image photographer: graur razvan ionut

“The best methods that we know to help people operate at peak performance are first to ensure that they get adequate sleep, and second that their work schedules are designed to be aligned with the natural body clock,” said project leader Dr. Elizabeth Klerman, associate team leader for National Space Biomedical Research Institute’s (NSBRI) Human Factors and Performance Team.

An individual’s performance and alertness are generally regulated by several factors related to circadian rhythms and the sleep/wake cycle – length of time awake; the timing, intensity and wavelength of light; the amount of sleep the night before; and the body clock’s perception of time. As a result, most people are not able to operate at peak job performance in the late night or early morning hours.

The software will help astronauts maintain sleep health while on their missions but researchers are now working to individualize the model to determine what personal data are needed in order to provide recommendations for individuals. Klerman said the information needed could be as simple as age, or it could require more complicated data.

The software can easily be adapted for use in many occupations. “This program may be helpful for anyone who has to work the night shift, rotating shifts or extended shifts,” Klerman said. “It could also help international travelers effectively deal with jet lag.”

Workers outside the space industry that could benefit directly are medical personnel, security or police officers, firefighters, those working in transportation such as long-haul truckers, and power plant operators. Klerman suggested that everyone could benefit indirectly from the modeling. “Our lives, including our safety, are impacted by those people who have jobs requiring shift work or extremely long hours and who may be at increased risk of accidents and errors affecting themselves or others,” she said.

Learn more about this interesting software – and about shift work.