Driving licence advice

Hello readers, I am new to all this, I had a sleep test, 2 nights with a finger pouch and wrist strap. The results were high 74 to 76 episodes an hour. Was brought straight in for a resmed machine and mask etc. struggling as expected . Managing 4 to 7 hours per night. Reasonable fit. But still averaging 40 to 50 episodes an hour. Not informed dvla yet but will need to soon. If not significantly improved , will I lose my licence. What are the paths to this happening

I would suggest downloading SleepyHead to look at your data on the SD card to see what is happening. You mainly want to know what type of apnea events are occurring and when they happen. You need a SD card reader, and a Mac or PC to install the software. Here are some links:

SleepyHead Software Download

SleepyHead Basic Manual

If you can get your data into SleepyHead, then do a screenshot of the Daily Detail screen (F12 on a PC) then left click and drag the file into the body of message here. I will look at it and tell you what I think could be going on. Without seeing the detail it is hard to help. Your other option is to go back to the sleep clinic, as something is definitely not right with the machine setup, or it is the wrong type of machine.

Hi paullambert.

I gather that the initial processes in UK are supposed to be initiated by the license holder so it would seem advisable to get the machine working as well as possible as quickly as possible then work out what you need to do regarding your license. In the meantime if possible you probably should avoid or at least try to limit your driving.

https://www.gov.uk/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-and-driving

SleepyHead gives you a lot more detail than MyAir if that is what you are currently using. Here is an example of the Daily Detail screenshot. There is a bar at the top that flags all of the events over the night. Below you can see what your pressures were along with other data. This lets you correlate the time of the event to the pressure it occurred at. It also lets you see how well the machine is responding to the events.

This link may be helpful to you. The way I read it is that the key is whether or not you have excessive sleepiness. I did not read all of this document, just the section 1.2.1.

Detailed DVLA Guidance for UK Drivers with Sleep Apnoea

Presuming the system is similar to here it's likely that once you are on their radar they will take some time to gather relevant medical information and interview you and possibly put you through some kind of driving test before deciding what they want to do.

They might try to find a middle ground (drive only within a certain distance of your house and only during daylight and not in rush hour etc.) or simply cancel your license

This is only guesswork on my part. I have no personal experience in this area.

Here is a tool to determine your degree of Sleepiness. It is a standard in North America. Not so sure in the UK...

Epworth Sleepiness Scale

Once you are on their radar they are likely to have ongoing supervision processes and require proof of compliance of some kind.

In your shoes I would get the machine working well then ask my local doctor if he/she feels that I should report to the DVLA. Most local doctors are sympathetic and it would shift the decision out of my hands. I would be acting on medical advice by not invoking this process. :)

Yes the Epworth Sleepiness Scale is used in Australia too and carries some weight, which is alarming because I don't know of anybody who wouldn't score in the red if you got them to fill it out on the wrong day. :O

It's time they had a new test (with a more respectable name) that has more complex scoring systems and built in cross checking potential.

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is too simple and too dependent on perspective. I just did it twice, being rather positive and then rather negative but both times I was trying to be essentially honest.

I scored 5 and 12

Of course I live in a world of chaos and have a poor memory but even for normal people perspective is everything.