Road Hazard – That truck driver barreling at you may be Asleep at the Wheel.

Oct. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Yakima, WA - Truck drivers who routinely get too little sleep or show signs of excessive fatigue may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea pose a dangerous hazard to themselves and other motorists.
According to a major new study by Penn Sleep Centers, entitled “Impaired Performance in Commercial Drivers: Role of Sleep Apnea and Short Sleep Duration”, Penn researchers examined 405 commercial truck drivers and found that commercial drivers who routinely slept less than five hours a night due to OSA had impaired performance similar to that of drivers who are legally drunk. Allan Pack, MB, ChB, PhD, who headed the study, said “we identified some very impaired people.”

InlandEmpireSleepSolutions.com conveniently connects patients with a select group of health professionals who are highly trained in treating OSA and a wide variety of sleep disorders.

“Forty million people in the US suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders each year,” notes nationally recognized sleep medicine expert, Dr. Ira Shapira, director of Inland Empire Sleep Solutions.  “Obstructive Sleep Apnea can lead to hypertension, heart attack, stroke, depression, muscle pain, fibromyalgia, morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness.”

OSA happens when the tissue in the upper-airway blocks the entire airway, causing a pause in a person’s breathing. This blockage keeps air from getting into the lungs, lowering a person’s blood-oxygen levels. For OSA sufferers, this pause in breath can happen for 10 to 30 seconds, sometimes for one minute or more, hundreds of times a night.

Dr. Shapira notes that OSA is often treated with the CPAP machine, but only half the people prescribed CPAP use it regularly.  “That decision could kill,” Dr. Shapira said.

"Oral appliances may help people who have tried other OSA treatments and been unsuccessful or who have not complied with their treatment," commented Lawrence Epstein, M.D., president, American Academy of Sleep Medicine in a 2006 study. Today, dentists are working closely with physicians and other healthcare professionals to ensure the best patient solutions.

Oral appliance therapy is much better tolerated by patients and treatment compliance is estimated at 90-95%, according to the AADSM.   “Oral appliances for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea offer patients a treatment option that is safe, effective and easy to use,” according to the National Sleep Foundation.  Oral appliances are also approved by the FDA.

Inland Empire Sleep Solutions can help save lives by providing a network of doctors in cities throughout the Inland Empire.  With a simple click, patients can connect directly with a sleep medicine professional in their city.  Currently, treatment is available in 18 cities throughout the Inland Empire, including:

Eastern Washington:  Clarkston, Colfax, Ellensburg, Ephrata, Kennewick, Moses Lake, Pasco, Pullman, Richland, Ritzville, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Walla Walla, Washougal, Wenatchee and Yakima.

Western Idaho:  Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston, Moscow and Priest Lake.

“Our website provides patients with a solution to get tested, get treated and get the freedom to sleep better,” said Dr. Shapira.

If you have disruptive snoring and think you may suffer sleep apnea or can not tolerate CPAP, contact Inland Empire Sleep Solution’s.  Toll free at (877) 566-3545 or visit us at: http://www.InlandEmpireSleepSolutions.com.

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Inland Empire Sleep Solutions is your connection to experienced sleep medicine professionals in Washington State and Idaho .