Commercial or Owner Operator Truck Insurance Provider Explains Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition where your breathing momentarily stops for a few seconds or longer while sleeping. These pauses in breathing can occur every minute or two throughout the night. This causes a buildup of carbon dioxide in your bloodstream that interrupts your sleep. The interruptions prevent quality sleep and leaves you feeling tired and sleepy during your waking hours. This is not a good condition for the commercial or owner operator truck driver whose safety on the road demands mental alertness.

Sleep Apnea Prevention and Treatment

Sleep apnea is linked to excess weight and obesity. Why would your weight affect your breathing when asleep? Because the throat passages of overweight people have more tissue that can block the flow of air into their lungs while sleeping. Commercial or owner operator truck drivers spend long hours driving which prevent them from getting up and walking around. This sedentary work life causes weight gain and is the reason why truck drivers are more prone to getting sleep apnea.

The American College of Physicians’ first recommendation for preventing and treating sleep apnea is weight loss through lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise. For many commercial or owner operator truck drivers, this seems unrealistic given the sedentary nature of their job. Yet, being overweight also entails other health risks such as heart disease and diabetes. Bringing your own food and setting aside time for one or two daily exercise sessions is a start.

Another treatment is called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). It is a device that covers the nose and mouth and keeps the air passages open by blowing air through them. While the device works well for some people, others find it impossible to sleep (or sleep well) with the apparatus attached to them.

An alternative to CPAP is Oral Appliance Therapy which is a plastic insert that fits inside of the mouth. It prevents the throat tissue from blocking the airway. Many users find it more comfortable than the CPAP device. It’s also very compact and doesn’t require electricity or batteries.

For information about getting commercial or owner operator truck insurance in Texas, don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll be happy to help find the right policy for you. Contact us today.