Can You Drive With Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea poses not just health problems, but a few potential safety risks as well, especially when you’re on the road.

Can you drive with sleep apnea? In the US, federal law states that people with any condition that could hinder them from driving safely could be disqualified from driving. This is why sleep apnea patients are advised to get clearance from their doctor first to prove that they are able to drive safely.

As you read further, you’ll understand why sleep apnea can be seen as a safety risk. You will also understand better how sleep apnea works, and what other potential risks come with it.

Why is It Unsafe to Drive If You Have Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea has a range of different health risks, but a lot of people fail to think about the safety hazards that come with it as well.

People with sleep apnea often have restless nights and are unable to sleep well. This is why most of the time, they are drowsy during the day, potentially risking their safety while driving. There have been a number of instances where drivers with sleep apnea doze off while driving, causing accidents on the road.

It is also difficult for sleep apnea patients to focus. This could cause them to have weak reflexes when caught in a difficult situation. They may not see cars, pedestrians and obstructions in the road as well, knowing that they would find it hard to concentrate on what’s happening on the road.

Irritability and mood swings is also one of the symptoms of sleep apnea. This can be a risk factor as well, mostly because it could cause you to be easily triggered by other drivers on the road. This increases the risk of road rage. And even if it does not get to that, being easily angered on the road may cause you to make decisions triggered by emotion, and not by logic. This is a definite no-no while driving.

Remember that when you’re driving, a single second of you not being completely focused on the road can lead to an accident. You don’t even have to fall asleep. All it takes is a single second of losing your focus and that’s it.

The problem is, an estimated 80% of cases of possible sleep apnea are left undiagnosed. This makes these people even more at risk, as they would not be doing the extra precautions that should go with driving with sleep apnea.

Driving Laws Affecting People with Sleep Apnea

Knowing how big the risks are, there are different laws in place ensuring that your medical condition does not affect you and other people on the road.

In the US

In the US, there are drowsy driving laws in place, with different states also treating the matter in different ways.

In Florida, for example, the first week of September is dubbed as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. The entire week is then used to educate the public and the law enforcement community about the dangers of driving when lacking sleep or over-fatigued. It aims to stress the fact that driving without decent sleep or rest is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol.

In Arkansas, on the other hand, “fatigued driving” is considered as negligent homicide if it turns out that a fatal accident happened because the driver has not had restful sleep for 24 hours.

Although these laws do not specify that people with sleep apnea are not allowed to drive, they are most likely to be fatigued, distracted, or drowsy while driving because of their condition.

In the UK

In the UK, people who drive cars and/or motorcycles that have sleep apnea but do not experience excessive sleepiness during the day can continue to drive as usual. Having excessive sleepiness as a result of sleep apnea, however, is a different story.

Those who have mild obstructive sleep apnea and experience excessive sleepiness as a result would have to refrain from driving until the symptom is under control. If the excessive sleepiness is still there after 3 months, the person concerned would have to notify the DVLA to discuss possible next steps.

For those who have been diagnosed with moderate or severe sleep apnea and show excessive sleepiness as a result, they will not be allowed to drive until a sleep clinic confirms that their condition is under control and that they are undergoing CPAP treatment to keep it that way.

What are the Other Risks of Sleep Apnea?

Aside from the safety hazard, sleep apnea can also put you at risk for a number of different health conditions. This is why it is important for sleep apnea to be diagnosed in a timely manner so that you can also get the right kind of treatment as early as possible.

Here are some of the other risks that are associated with sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea and high blood pressure

When you have sleep apnea, your breathing may stop a few times while you sleep. Don’t worry, you won’t suffocate because of it. But it’s this fact that makes sleep apnea dangerous for your blood pressure.

When you stop breathing, your blood oxygen levels become very low. When this happens, your brain sends a burst of hormones into your system. This prompts your heart to work double time, increasing the pressure on your blood vessels. This wakes you up briefly, usually gasping for air.

Normally, high blood pressure can be addressed through a number of lifestyle changes. But in the case of high blood pressure caused by sleep apnea, the solution would always be to address the root of the sleep apnea so that your blood pressure can go back to normal.

Sleep apnea and heart failure

You’ve read about what happens when your blood oxygen levels drop during sleep apnea episodes. Now, imagine this happening over and over again every night. Some sleep apnea patients stop breathing over a hundred times during the entire duration of one night’s sleep! This means that the brain tells the heart to work faster that many times, too.

The amount of stress that the heart goes through when you have sleep apnea makes the risks of heart failure higher. In fact, those with sleep apnea are twice as likely to have both nonfatal heart disease, as well a fatal heart failure.

Sleep apnea and stroke

Sleep apnea can either cause a stroke, or can be the effect of a stroke.

If you have obstructive sleep apnea, this means that you are unable to breathe properly while sleeping due to any form of obstruction or congestion around your airways. This results to a decrease in blood oxygen levels and high blood pressure. When these two conditions are combined, your risk of suffering from a stroke is heightened.

In some cases, patients would develop sleep apnea after suffering from a stroke.

Central sleep apnea happens when your brain is unable to communicate properly with the muscles responsible for your breathing. This could be due to damage to the brainstem caused by another illness (like a stroke), or due to an undeveloped or under-developed brainstem (as with pre-term babies).

Sleep apnea and mental health issues

People with sleep apnea lack quality sleep, and the lack of quality sleep does not just affect one’s ability to function efficiently from a physical standpoint. It affects one’s mental health as well.

This is why people who suffer from sleep apnea are often irritable or have mood swings at daytime, which can affect their relationships with the people around them.

The lack of quality sleep also causes forgetfulness and a lack of focus. This affects one’s productivity, which will, in turn, affect one’s self-esteem. This often leads to severe frustration.

When all these conditions are combined, it could eventually lead to anxiety and depression.