Formerly Sleepy People
BETTE GARBER
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Trucking company Owner Roger Roberson, chairman of Roberson Transportation, Champaign, Ill., remembers when he had a "devil of a time" staying awake.
"Feeling tired all the time felt normal," he says. "You're dozing off and you think all you've done is shut your eyes for five seconds, when you've really been out for five minutes."
When told he dozed off at family and business functions, he would attribute it to "...just resting."
Finally, after falling asleep at the wheel of a car, he consulted his doctor who wasted no time in sending Roberson to a sleep clinic for testing. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) was found to be the culprit.
"My doctor told me I hadn't really slept for years.Tests showed I was going without breathing for a minute, a minute and a half."
He fit the profile for OSA, he admits, "Obviously the big factor is if you are overweight, have a large neck, are a heavy snorer, and tend to breath more through your mouth than your nose, and I fit them all."
Has getting treatment helped? Absolutely.
"I believe it saved my life. Now I'm more alert and aware. I can focus and concentrate better. I do get tired, but I sleep at night and I don't snore. It's helped those around me sleep, too. Our kids used to hear me [snore] at the other end of the house."
The CPAP mask took about a month to get used to, he says, but then "...you feel funny without it. At first it was a real struggle. A lot of people give up before they get the benefit of using it."
The message he wants to see get out is that OSA is a treatable disorder and, once treated, "....your quality of life increases dramatically," he says.
"I want people to know OSA is not a stigma or social disorder, that's it's just something that happens in people and that it is treatable."
The Safety Department at Roberson Transportation now make drivers aware of OSA in orientation and lets them know it is a relatively inexpensive fix.
"[Getting treated] is better than having an accident," Roberson says.
Truck Driver
Back in the early 1990s, Columbus, Miss. driver Jeffrey Chism was tired all the time. After a full night's sleep he would find himself nodding off or napping just hours after getting up.
His wakeup call came the day he awoke to find himself plunging straight towards a bridge abutment. Only his three million miles of driving experience saved him that time.
Like so many OSA sufferers who drive professionally, he had an inkling something might be wrong but fearful of losing his medical qualification and livelihood, he accepted the condition as a fact of life and just toughed it out on a daily basis.
"I was in such bad shape I would fall asleep in the seat before getting into the sleeper and I would sleep that way for several hours," he recalls.
Finally a close encounter with a railroad crossing compelled him to seek medical help. In that incident, he awoke as he was starting across the tracks while red lights flashed and a train approached.
Overweight and 39 at the time, Chism was diagnosed with extreme severe apnea. In a seven hour study his sleep was interrupted 500 times; one interruption with no breathing lasted almost 90 seconds.
During those seven hours he had only 45 minutes of uninterrupted sleep, but those minutes were not consecutive. He was averaging 60 seconds of actual rest for every nine minutes of sleep. His oxygen level, which should be over 90 percent normally, had dropped as low as 36%.
"I drove 3 million miles before being diagnosed in 1995. It's a miracle I am here to tell about the many close calls I've had," Chism says.
Since going on the CPAP machine he says, "I'm a changed person. The first time you use it and you finally get a good night's sleep, it's awesome... the best feeling you've ever had."
Since receiving treatment, "I have driven almost another million miles and have yet to fall asleep at the wheel. I feel so much better, my blood pressure is normal, and I function a lot better.
"Think about the millions of people on our highways," he adds. "It's unreal to think how many people sharing the Interstate with you might have a sleep problem."
Magazine Editor
This writer was diagnosed and treated for OSA early in 2001.
Getting tired half-way through the day was routine. I'd nod off in press conferences and over the computer keys. So, to stay awake, I snacked constantly. Driving across country to various shows I found it impossible to drive very long without getting drowsy so I nibbled the miles away.
I used to joke that you can't fall asleep while you're chewing.
Finally I consulted my doctor who sent me for a sleep study.
Diagnosis: moderate sleep apnea.
Upon using the CPAP, I found the benefits instantaneous and dramatic. No more snoring, no interruptions, no waking up during the night. I function so much better now — more alert, focused, operating on "fast forward" from morning until night, and tackling new projects with energy to spare.
Driving to Newport's TruckerFest in Reno, Nev., from the east coast in six days, I never once got drowsy.
The remarkable changes cited here are due to nothing more magical than getting a good night's sleep... finally.
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