Research

Risky driving behaviors increase as common sleep disorder worsens

Up to half of older adults may have sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing and sleep are briefly interrupted many times a night. A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that this chronic tiredness can have serious implications for road safety.
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People with sleep apnea wake up tired in the morning, no matter how many hours they actually sleep. The condition causes them to briefly stop and restart breathing dozens or even hundreds of times a night. Even though such breathing interruptions often don’t awaken those with apnea, they prevent them from sinking into deep, refreshing sleep.