Snoring Isn't Sexy® Sleepiness Survey

Transit accidents linked to sleep disorders - USA Today, JULY 24, 2009

Sleep apnea, the most common sleep disorder, can cause acute fatigue and daytime sleepiness. Apnea occurs when a person's air passages become blocked, forcing a wake-up for a gasp for breath. The waking occurs so briefly that many sufferers don't even realize it.

Among the sleep-related accidents cited by the NTSB:

• A charter bus accident that killed nine people on Jan. 6, 2008, in Mexican Hat, Utah., was blamed on the driver's "diminished alertness," due in part to his sleep apnea.
• The driver of a trolley train that crashed into another train on May 28, 2008, in Newton, Mass., likely fell asleep. Investigators suspected that the overweight driver suffered from apnea, but it could not be proved because she died.
• The captain of a Go! airlines regional jet carrying 40 passengers, who fell asleep with his co-pilot for at least 18 minutes over Hawaii on Feb. 13, 2008, had severe undiagnosed apnea. The jet was flying out to sea when the pilots woke up and turned back to their destination.

"Our approach is bury our heads in the sand and hope that it doesn't happen," said Charles Czeisler, director of sleep medicine at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital. "We need to screen for sleep disorders."

Thomas Balkin, chief of Behavioral Biology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and chairman of the National Sleep Foundation, said that a few simple questions can identify people who might have apnea.

No federal agency requires that commercial vehicle operators be screened for sleep disorders, according to NTSB. The Federal Railroad Administration is drafting new rules that could include requiring tests for apnea, the NTSB said. The Federal Aviation Administration requires pilots to get medical exams every year or six months.

While there are no specific screens for sleep disorders, doctors are expected to ask follow-up questions if pilots are obese or have other signs of sleep disorders, said FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette.

The Survey

Please be totally assured that this survey is totally anonymous. We ask no questions that include any way to identify you or your employer.

ATTENTION: Truck Drivers, Bus Drivers, Cab Drivers, Commuter Train Operators, Airline Pilots, Railroad Engineers, Heavy Machinery Operators, Ship Captains, Automobile Drivers and others whose work directly affects the safety of the public

CRITICAL SURVEY

The news has been filled lately with stories of sleepy truckers and airline pilots. The trucking industry is attempting to screen drivers for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and the federal government is proposing regulations on sleepy airline pilots.

The problem is that many of you who are Truck Drivers, Bus Drivers, Commuter Train Operators, Airline Pilots, Railroad Engineers, Heavy Machinery Operators and Ship Captains are afraid to get tested or screened for sleep apnea because a positive test might cost you your jobs. So the problem continues to get worse as excessively sleepy people drive our trucks, fly our planes, engineer our trains, build our buildings and roads and captain our ships -- resulting in an ever increasing accident and death rate.

Snoring Isn't Sexy, LLC is conducting this confidential, totally anonymous survey to estimate the true scale of the problem. We are asking those of you who are Truck Drivers, Bus Drivers, Commuter Train Operators, Airline Pilots, Railroad Engineers, Heavy Machinery Operators, Ship Captains and others, to take the Epworth Sleepiness Scale on the next page.

The results will be published when the survey is completed.This survey is a precursor to an effort to establish a nation-wide confidential, anonymous in-person screening and treatment program for sleep apnea with names hidden from employers, insurance companies and the government for people in those industries that affect the public.

We need your help. Please take the anonymous survey

View Results Only

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is used to determine the level of your daytime sleepiness. A score of 10 or more is an indication that you may have a problem with daytime sleepiness, a score of 16 or more can be an indication of a serious problem. In any case, however, if you snore, if you are tired during the day after a night's sleep, if anyone has observed that you stop breathing or choke or gasp during sleep, and if you have high blood pressure you should be evaluated by a sleep physician or specially trained dentist.

This Scale is NOT a diagnostic test and should NOT be used as a substitute for a medical evaluation. Results are variable and are used by this survey simply to indicate the extent of the problem of excessive daytime sleepiness. "Normal" results should not be used as a certification of your health.

Complete This Form to See Where You Rank In Comparison to Others in Your Profession and Other Professions...

Situation	Chance of Dozing
Sitting and Reading	- 0 1 2 3
Watching TV	- 0 1 2 3
Sitting inactive in a in public place (e.g. a theater or meeting)	- 0 1 2 3
As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break	- 0 1 2 3
Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit	- 0 1 2 3
Sitting and talking to someone	- 0 1 2 3
Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol	- 0 1 2 3
In a car, while stopped for a few minutes in traffic	- 0 1 2 3
TOTAL
My employment is as a	> Please Select < Airline Pilot Ship Captain Truck Driver Bus Driver Cab Driver Commuter Train Operator Railroad Engineer Heavy Machinery Operator Automobile Driver Other
If Other, please fill in

 

The Epworth sleepiness scale has been validated primarily in obstructive sleep apnea.

Johns MW (1991).A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth sleepiness scale. Sleep 14 (6): 540-5.