sleep aponea

Phil_aka_Pip

anyone got it? apparently you can lose your driving licence for it very easily ...

Jimbro66

Yes, it is a condition that has to be notified to the DVLA. There is a form V1 that has to be used to do that (see DVLA website). Failing to report it can mean a £1,000 fine (gulp). It can be a fairly serious condition because firstly it stops sufferers from sleeping soundly at night so they run the risk of falling asleep at the wheel -  hence the DVLA interest. Secondly, In its most extreme form, it can lead to breathing stopping at night.

I don't have it but a friend of mine does. He has to sleep at night with a mask on his face connected by a tube to a bubbling contraption on the bedside cabinet. The good news is that he has not had to give up driving since notifying DVLA, which was some years ago. I think the DVLA just makes further enquiries of the driver's doctor to be sure he doesn't represent a risk to others.

It's not just the risk of a DVLA fine if not notified but the driver can also possibly find themselves uninsured if they have an accident as a result of falling asleep at the wheel.

PC_Dave

I would strongly suggest not sleeping while driving. That’s a sure fire way of having an accident. 

Jimbro66

Sorry, the form is SL1, not V1. Here is the link:

https://www.gov.uk/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-and-driving

Phil_aka_Pip

Jimbro66 said:

Yes, it is a condition that has to be notified to the DVLA.

Presumably if the condition is a confirmed diagnosis of something that is a risk.

Jimbro66

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Jimbro66 said:

Yes, it is a condition that has to be notified to the DVLA.

Presumably if the condition is a confirmed diagnosis of something that is a risk.

That's right. First port of call is the GP to get his/her diagnosis. He/she will then advise whether any treatment is required and whether in their opinion the condition is such that it warrants notifying the DVLA.

Phil_aka_Pip

@Jimbro66 ;Thank you

Dominic

My best friend has it .......no issues with driving although he suffers badly.He was not diagnosed by a GP but had to be sent to a sleep clinic for very extensive tests.He was found to stop breathing 240 times in one night .The breath reflex does not re-trigger. He sleeps in a mask.Failure to use mask runs high risk of cardiac arrest in your sleep. A GP needs to refer to specialists and would have no specialised knowledge at all .........it's a very serious condition.

the_jaffa

I thought I was about to be diagnosed with it a few years back but I ne..........

zzzzzzzzz

BGG

Yip, had it for over 15 years now, got a few friends who have it too it's more common than you think.
Not be taken lightly as you are starving your body and heart of oxygen

Guitar_Slinger

I'd like to go peacefully in my sleep.  Not screaming like my passengers*.

* Coach driver joke.  Srsly though, I remember the question as part of the medical for large vehicles.  IIRC, there was a crash video on BBC news this week, where a lorry driver nodded off on the motorway.

Jimbro66

Phil_aka_Pip said:

@Jimbro66 ;Thank you

From the thread title I assumed the condition had already been confirmed, in which case the GP and/or consultant should already have advised whether the DVLA needed to be notified.

I was really only responding to the concern about losing a driving licence. Neither @Dominic nor @BGG commented on that but certainly my friend has retained his licence and driven cars since he was diagnosed more than 12 years ago. He passed his driving test long before the 1997 cut-off date so would have also had Categories C1 and D1 on his licence allowing him to drive slightly larger vehicles . As far as I know he didn't lose those categories either. 3 or 4 years ago he did some voluntary minibus (Cat D1) driving for the Salvation Army and I would expect /hope they checked his licence. I don't know if Sleep Aponea affects the licences of HGV and PSV drivers as they are subject to more stringent medical standards.

Anyone who suspects they might have the symptoms should get themselves to the docs PDQ for the essential tests to be arranged.

axisus

I don't know if I have it. I'm asleep at the time.

Jimbro66

axisus said:

I don't know if I have it. I'm asleep all the time.

That's called retirement

57Deluxe

I see your Sleep Aponea and raise you Insomnia

Jimbro66

57Deluxe said:

I see your Sleep Aponea and raise you Insomnia

As someone who spent more than four hours unable to sleep last night that's particularly apt.

Kalimna

Just a quick point, sleep apnoea is very much a spectrum of breathing disorder, and is primarily (though not entirely) due to the patient being overweight.

By it's very definition (apnoea, 'a' meaning 'without' and 'pnoea' meaning breathing, roughly speaking), you will stop your regular breating pattern whilst asleep. Almost anyone who snores will have a degree of sleep apnoea, but that is obviously quite different to those patients requiring assistance with their overnight breathing.

Symptoms would range from excessive headaches to daytime sleepiness to irritability to general tiredness.

I have no knowledge of the requirements of the DVLA, but sleep apnoea can certainly cause problems, though doesn't always.

Adam

Phil_aka_Pip

http://www.sleep-apnoea-trust.org/driving-and-sleep-apnoea/

joeyowen

I know someone who was recently diagnosed with it.

The doctor wrote a note saying that she was fine during the day, and displayed no signs of tiredness.  It will not affect her driving

Phil_aka_Pip

I avoided waking up choking last night by sleeping on my side. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid waking up in the small hours wondering if I needed a leak, deciding I didn't, and then staying awake until dawn, at which point I went back to sleep until waking up at the time my employer says I should be starting work. I have to work in the evenings to catch up.

Kalimna

Interesting link to the sleep apnoea trust, particularly the British Thoracic Society document.