From the tragic bus accident in the Bronx that killed 15 people to the continued reports of air traffic controllers falling asleep on duty, the dangers of going without proper sleep have been making news. Last year AAA polled drivers and found that one third of them admitted to falling asleep or nodding off while driving in the past year. Almost 26% reported that it happened int he middle of the day, between noon and 5pm.

Drowsy driving reportedly results in over 1500 deaths, 71,000 injuries and more than 100,000 accidents each year according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Sleep loss slows a drivers reaction time. It also causes memory problems, an inability to perform important tasks and poor reasoning or decision making. Long term it can lead to depression and health problems such as heart attack, strokes and obesity.

One of the main causes daytime drowsiness is snoring at night. For the bed partner of the snorer, rest is almost impossible. For the sleeper who snores loudly throughout the night, sleep is disrupted by many awakenings. Excessive daytime fatigue and loud snoring are both associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). For patients with OSA, the airway becomes blocked during sleep causing breathing to cease. The sleeper will then gasp and abruptly awaken to breath and will be unaware that this has occurred.

There is help for excessive daytime drowsiness. If you or your partner are loud snorers and feel fatigued during waking hours you may have a sleep disorder such as OSA. Please contact StoneRidge Dental Care today at 614-476-6696 to schedule a consultation.