Sleep apnea is a troubling condition and it has been responsible for a range of problems, especially in 2016. If we're being honest, it has been causing problems since long before 2016 and 2017, but much of it was undocumented as sleep apnea was not entirely understood. Let's take the 2016 California bus crash as a great example. This was a deadly crash, and much of it was blamed on the Trump administration as they dropped a proposal that requires commercial drivers to undergo sleep apnea screening in order to be qualified to drive. This simply solidifies the need for a sleep apnea test at home and it does shed some light on to how serious the problem is.
A Multi-Layered Problem
In October of 016, a tour bus collided with a tractor-trailer in Southern California just before dawn, which killed 13 people and injured 30 others. This was considered to be one of the most deadly crashes in years, and the National Transportation Safety Board commented that they're tired of commercial drivers being tired. They went on to say that this is preventable, and the lives taken were simply unnecessary.
During the course of the event, traffic had been rerouted as a result of utility work and the truck driver had fallen asleep. Later evidence showed almost definitively that the driver had suffered from undiagnosed sleep apnea, which was definitely a factor in this deadly crash. Sleep apnea is often undiagnosed but there are some symptoms that can be observed. For example, those who suffer from the condition could experience interrupted breathing during the course of sleep, fatigue, snoring, and much more. Previously, the Obama Administration had been considering legislation that would required both truck drivers and railroad engineers to be screened for the condition, but the Trump administration threw out that suggestion.
The truck driver himself, has been charged with 13 counts of vehicular manslaughter and it is actually assumed that he did not sleep at all in the twenty-four hours prior to the crash. This shines a spotlight a problem that has existed for many years in the United States as well as the rest of the world, but it has gone largely unreported.
An Easy Solution
Sleep apnea is definitely a serious problem that needs to be addressed properly, but it is much easier to do so today than it has been in the past. How exactly? Through the use of a sleep apnea home test, an individual will have the ability to diagnose their problem and seek out an appropriate solution. Those who do have sleep apnea will be able to obtain a CPAP or APAP machine that helps to keep their airway from collapsing during sleep. Thanks to recent advances in technology the available CPAP machines have sophisticated hardware and software that can provide both the user and their medical practitioner with adequate information on their condition and most importantly how it is being addressed by the sleep apnea machine.
In fact, this information can help providers to recommend a course of treatment and will most definitely help to save lives. With any luck, and with constant application of this advanced technology, we will see fewer accidents like the one in California and we will also see many lives improve significantly as a result. If you feel that you might be suffering from sleep apnea, then now would be a great time for you to have a discussion with your doctor to determine whether or not you need an at home sleep study and most importantly, whether you're going to need a sleep apnea machine.
VirtuOx is the leader in home sleep tests and pulse oximetry.
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