What exactly is Sleep Apnoea and what role does it play in Fatigue Management?
This is a question that is best answered by understanding what causes sleep apnoea and how it has been linked to fatigue in a lot of people.
Sleep apnoea is actually an extremely hazardous and dangerous condition for anyone, but especially for construction workers, truck drivers, manufacturing industry workers etc. anyone who relies on their alertness to remain safe on site and execute their work functions efficiently.
Sleep apnoea is a more extreme cause of fatigue which can be attributed with causing many accidents in the workplace and crashes on our roads.
Apnoea is a short period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced. Usually when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more it is the cause of sleep apnoea disorder. Sleep apnoea causes at least a 4% drop in oxygen in the blood which is a direct result of the reduction in the transfer of oxygen into the blood when breathing halts.
Apnoea most commonly occurs during sleep, usually disrupting sleep due to inadequate breathing and poor oxygen levels in the blood. The person could wake up completely and suffer from insomnia or the person could remain in a shallow sleep and still feel tired in the morning and throughout the next day.
How to tell if someone is suffering from Sleep Apnoea
Those who suffer from sleep apnoea experience frequent disruptions to their breathing during sleep. These disruptions leave them with headaches, drowsiness and even depression all of which can affect their ability to work. It also can cause chronic fatigue in many people if the condition is left unchecked.
Simply recognising and acknowledging the symptoms of sleep apnoea and fatigue is a step in the right direction for workers wishing to combat fatigue. However if fatigue is ignored for a long period of time the consequences can be dangerous and even if it does not endanger lives, it can make life difficult and often unbearable for people with a chronic fatigue issue. Workers should look out for the following symptoms of sleep apnoea as early warning signs and act before it becomes too late:
- daytime fatigue and sleepiness,
- insomnia during hours when you should be sleeping
- poor concentration and attention,
- memory problems,
- anxiety,
- irritability,
- headaches
- difficulty driving
Look out for the most extreme type of the sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnoea which is often linked to long-term complications if not diagnosed and treated properly.
It is for this reason that recognition of symptoms and seeking help is so important. If not some of the complications that may result include:
- high blood pressure or hypertension,
- ischemic heart disease characterised by poor blood flow to the heart,
- an irregular heart rate,
- heart attacks,
- heart failure,
- pulmonary hypertension which is the elevation of blood pressure in blood vessels of the lungs
- even death from one of these consequences
Peter Cutforth is a Director at Urban E-Learning, a global elearning and web strategy firm based in George St Brisbane. Peter's interests extend to training, safety and compliance, online marketing, and Mobile Apps.
