Buffalo Hospital celebrates National Sleep Awareness Week
Focus on drowsy driving
Buffalo, MN 02/28/2007-- National Sleep Awareness Week is March 5 – 11 and the theme is drowsy driving.
“Sleepiness and driving is a dangerous combination,” said Eric Johnson, RPSGT, sleep technician at the Sleep Center of Buffalo Hospital. “Most people are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving but don’t realize that drowsy driving can be just as fatal. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing.”
In a 2002 Sleep In America Poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 701 people between 18-54 years of age were polled about driving drowsy. Sixty percent of them reported driving while feeling drowsy. Twenty percent had actually dozed off at the wheel.
It's nearly impossible to determine with certainty the cause of a fatal crash where drowsy driving is suspected. However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel. For example, drowsy driving accidents usually involve only one vehicle where the driver is alone and the injuries tend to be serious or fatal. Also, skid marks or evidence of other evasive maneuvers are usually absent from the drowsy driving crash scene.
Indicators of a chronic sleep problem include excessive sleepiness during the day; inability to sleep at night; snoring and breathing irregularities during sleep; excessive limb movements; and sleep walking. “When people are deprived of essential restorative time sleeping, their quality of life may drastically change,” says Johnson. “Snoring and sleep apnea (interrupted breathing), restless leg syndrome, insomnia, daytime drowsiness and other sleep disorders can all be treated at the Sleep Center of Buffalo Hospital.”
Sleep awareness week
For more information on sleep disorders, go to www.buffalohospital.org or call the Sleep Center at 763-684-3808.
About Buffalo Hospital
Part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Buffalo Hospital is a not-for-profit regional medical center committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves in and around Wright County. Information about Buffalo Hospital's services, along with the latest health information, can be found online at www.buffalohospital.org.
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