WAUKEHSA, Wis. (Sept. 3, 2008) — In the last few years sleep apnea, a common and treatable sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep, and driver fatigue have become hot topics in the transportation industry as they can lead to dangerous situations.

The American Sleep Apnea Association says factors that can lead to sleep apnea include being male, overweight and over the age of forty, but it can strike people of all ages, even children. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes.

Wisconsin-based transportation company Riteway Bus Service, Inc., recently sponsored a voluntary sleep apnea treatment program for its motorcoach drivers with plans to look into offering it to both its limousine and school bus divisions. After completing an initial assessment with representatives from Sleep Apnea Solutions, Inc., a company that provides on-site and in-home screening and treatment for sleep apnea, drivers can take home a device called a ApneaLink that measures snoring, flow limitation, oxygen in the blood, and pulse.

While medical research indicates somewhere around 4 percent of the overall population is afflicted with sleep apnea, the company cited research that shows approximately 28 percent of commercial driver’s license holders are at risk for the disorder.

"It’s something that has been around for some time, but there has recently been much more public education being performed," said Christine A. Emmerich, a spokesperson for Sleep Apnea Solutions. "As of April 2008, the FMCSA’s Medical Review Board highly recommended all CDL holders be tested and treated for it."

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently considering a rule that would give doctors the authority to override a patient’s response to the sleep question on the medical long form if they feel they are at risk of having sleep apnea, a disqualifying medical condition.