According to the CDC lots of people are asleep at the wheel – literally. One in 24 US adults admitted that they recently fell asleep while driving.

Health officials think that the number is actually higher because some people don’t realize that they nod off for a second or two – especially at stoplights or stopsigns. The data was gathered using a telephone survey of almost 150,000 people in 19 states during 2009 and 2010.

Researchers discovered that men were more likely to drive drowsy. People who were aged 25 to 34 were more likely to admit to falling asleep and, no surprise, those who averaged less than 6 hours of sleep per night. For some unknown reason people from Texas were also more likely to fall asleep – researchers speculate that maybe the Texas sample included more people who were overweight and sleep apnea prone, or more people between the ages of 25 to 34.

Sleep related crashes on our roads are reported every day. They make the news when they involve a tour bus (like last year’s New York crash) or another form of mass transit.

While some people are simply staying up to watch late night TV or work night shifts that affect their sleep, many people who suffer from daytime sleepiness have an undiagnosed sleep breathing disorder. Obstructive sleep apnea causes pauses in breathing during sleep which lead to oxygen levels in the body dropping. Once these levels drop, the sleeper briefly wakens to begin breathing again but their sleep is fragmented, disrupted and does not allow them to awake feeling rested. Signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring, gasping during sleep, pauses in breathing during sleep and extreme daytime sleepiness.

Please contact Columbus, OH sleep apnea dentist Dr. Mark Levy today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your sleep apnea consultation.