Lack of sleep biggest killer on monotonous roads

Researcher has said that up to 20 percent of crashes happening on monotonous roads can be attributed to obstructive sleep apnea.

The American Thoracic Society has released new clinical practice guidelines on sleep apnea, sleepiness, and driving risk on non-commercial drivers.

Kingman P. Strohl, MD, program director, sleep medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, director of the Center for Sleep Disorders Research at Case Western Reserve University and chair of the committee that drafted the guidelines said that with the new guidelines, the they are aiming to provide healthcare practitioners with a framework for the assessment and management of sleepy driving in the evaluation of OSA.

The new guidelines have been published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.