Another one of those things I've been fretting about for years but never taken action on

Someone just posted in the sleep_disorders forum in a state of distress. He has sleep apnoea and he's finding it very difficult to cope with both the illness and the recommended course of treatment, which is understandable since both are unpleasant. In the course of discussing this, he mentioned with outrage that his doctor was brutally honest about the fact that if he has untreated sleep apnoea beyond a certain level, he's not safe to drive and the doctor should report him. Sleep apnoea is a condition where multiple episodes of breathing stopping occur during the night, which causes daytime drowsiness amongst other problems. It's fairly easy to assess, they do a sleep study and can classify sufferers according to the number of apnoea episodes per hour. There are firm legal guidelines about at what point you are and are not allowed to drive.

I also have a medical condition which impacts upon driving ability. I don't drive and I don't have sleep apnoea, but from all I've gathered, sleep apnoea is small potatoes compared to severe ME, and probably compared to moderate or even mild ME. I've not had a good night's sleep in eleven years, and that's only the beginning. Yet there is nothing stopping ME sufferers from driving. I've mentioned this to ME sufferers I know who still drive, and to an ME organisation. I generally get these answers.

( 'I can tell when I'm not up to driving...' )

Another one of those things I've been fretting about for years but never taken action on

Someone just posted in the sleep_disorders forum in a state of distress. He has sleep apnoea and he's finding it very difficult to cope with both the illness and the recommended course of treatment, which is understandable since both are unpleasant. In the course of discussing this, he mentioned with outrage that his doctor was brutally honest about the fact that if he has untreated sleep apnoea beyond a certain level, he's not safe to drive and the doctor should report him. Sleep apnoea is a condition where multiple episodes of breathing stopping occur during the night, which causes daytime drowsiness amongst other problems. It's fairly easy to assess, they do a sleep study and can classify sufferers according to the number of apnoea episodes per hour. There are firm legal guidelines about at what point you are and are not allowed to drive.

I also have a medical condition which impacts upon driving ability. I don't drive and I don't have sleep apnoea, but from all I've gathered, sleep apnoea is small potatoes compared to severe ME, and probably compared to moderate or even mild ME. I've not had a good night's sleep in eleven years, and that's only the beginning. Yet there is nothing stopping ME sufferers from driving. I've mentioned this to ME sufferers I know who still drive, and to an ME organisation. I generally get these answers.

( 'I can tell when I'm not up to driving...' )