The benefits of “healthy driving” programs keep piling up for carriers in terms of healthier, happier, safer and more productive drivers, and all of that can’t help but boost retention rates while improving the bottom line.
Consider, for example, the case of Schneider National, Inc. Earlier this year, Schneider National received the 2007 National Sleep Foundation Healthy Sleep Community Award for creating a groundbreaking obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) detection and treatment program for its drivers.
Schneider National is the ninth recipient of the award which is designed to recognize outstanding efforts by businesses to initiate activities or programs based on sleep science with the goal of providing long-lasting results to benefit a significant portion of a particular community.
The commercial driver sleep apnea program administered by the trucking company was created in response to a study sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Trucking Association that revealed up to 28 percent of commercial driver’s license holders have some severity of obstructive sleep apnea.
Signs of sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness, falling asleep at inappropriate times, loud snoring, depression, irritability, loss of sex drive, morning headaches, frequent nighttime urination, lack of concentration and memory impairment. For commercial drivers, these symptoms are dangerous and potentially deadly. Research indicates that untreated sleep apnea puts drivers at increased risk for motor vehicle crashes as well as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes and may contribute to obesity.
“Schneider National is honored that NSF has recognized our efforts to address the dangerous and far-reaching problem of sleep apnea in the industry,” says Don Osterberg, vice president of safety and training for Schneider National.
“Ideally, we expect our program will serve as a model for the entire trucking industry. The industry needs to generate awareness of this problem, educate drivers to the dangers of untreated sleep apnea, provide resources to help them get treated and ultimately make the roads safer for everyone,” Osterberg added.
After considering the extensive dangers of obstructive sleep apnea on its drivers — most of whom, it was discovered, fall into the risk profile for the disorder — Schneider National decided to tackle the problem head on by initiating an education campaign to raise awareness within the organization. Schneider National utilized newsletters, posters, leadership involvement and one-on-one meetings with its drivers.
Through its apnea detection and treatment program, Schneider National tested 547 of its drivers from April to December 2006; 445 of those tested — 80 percent of all drivers — were diagnosed with a sleep disorder and were provided treatment, thus improving the health and safety of its driver workforce.
The advantages of the Schneider National screening program extend beyond the creation of a healthier, more alert fleet of drivers. The company also saw a reduction in health care costs. These savings were passed onto its drivers, as Schneider provided each identified driver with a free continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine — the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.
Aside from expanding the campaign within the company, Schneider National plans to take a leadership role in promoting industry change by helping the U.S. Department of Transportation shape future guidelines for screening and treatment of OSA in commercial drivers.
Almost everyone is likely to snore at one time or another, and while most people with apnea snore, not everyone who snores has apnea. It has been found in all age groups. Estimates of snoring vary widely based on how it is defined.
Habitual snoring has been found in about 24 percent of adult women and 40 percent of adult men. Both men and women are more likely to snore as they age. Men, however, become less likely to snore after the age of 70.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening, breathing-related sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed and untreated. It is characterized by pauses in breathing that last at least 10 seconds, and these pauses can occur hundreds of times per night. It is best treated by a positive airway pressure device, such as a continuous positive airway pressure device, or CPAP, or a bi-level positive airway pressure device, or bi-level. Some people mistakenly refer to all bi-level devices as BiPAP machines, although the word BiPAP is a registered trademark of Respironics, Inc., for a specific line of bi-level devices. The term xPAP is used when speaking of positive airway pressure machines, overall, when one specific type of machine is not being discussed.
Other treatments for apnea exist, though the success rate at eliminating the apneas — especially without surgery — are not close to the almost 100 percent success rate of xPAP devices. They include oral devices, including custom devices made by dentists; surgeries; and an implant that’s been on the market for a few years with mixed comments.
While many people with obstructive sleep apnea snore loudly and frequently, following by periods of silence when airflow is reduced or blocked, and then come to a conclusion when the person begins to make choking, snorting, or gasping sounds when the person’s airway reopens.
Signs of not getting enough sleep or sleeping poorly include consistently taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, awakening more than a few times or for long periods each night, feeling sleepy during the day, or having trouble concentrating at school or at work.
Keeping a daily sleep log, or diary, can help you track your sleep habits and identify what might be interfering with sleep. You may download a sleep diary. To download files from this site, you need to be registered as a site member to gain access. Once registered, simply login, and then download the files you’re interest in.
Links of interest
Have you had bouts of insomnia lasting two weeks or more? Do you walk around in a constant fog, feeling sleepy, fatigued, and as though you have no energy? Perhaps you “feel” older than you are, or maybe it’s all you can do to stay awake while driving. If any of that, or similar issues are familiar, or if you snore or have disrupted sleep, even if just a few simple, repeat trips to the bathroom during the night, check out these two online tests to help you get to the root of the issue. While they will not make a diagnosis for you, they will help you, your physician, or, more appropriately, a sleep specialist, find out what’s causing you the problem sleepiness.
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