The New Indian Express reports that obstructive sleep apnea has been a significant factor in traffic accidents in Bangalore.
Many city youths are becoming victims of road accidents because they fall asleep while riding or driving, according to medical experts.
About 10 per cent of the traffic accidents are caused suffer from sleep disorders, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) being the most common of them, said senior physician and consultant pulmonologist, Narayana, Health City, Dr Murali Mohan, on Sunday.
OSA results from the airway being blocked due to the muscles in the throat relaxing intermittently.
He was speaking at a bike rally organised by the Bangalore Traffic Police in Cubbon Park to mark World Head Injury Awareness Day.
“The risk of motor vehicle accident increases by two or three times in OSA patients,” he added. “Studies show that college students sleep for less than the ideal 6.5 to 8 hours a night.”
Too little or too much sleep increases the risk of death while on the road, he said.
