Falling Asleep at Red Lights While Riding: Over 80% with Sleep Apnea Refuse Medical Treatment

(Central News Agency, reporter Chen Jieling, Taipei, June 10) Snoring may be a cry for help from a brain deprived of oxygen. According to Taiwan's first survey on sleep apnea, nearly 50% of the population snores, and over 80% are unwilling to undergo further sleep examinations. Even those who have experienced drowsiness while driving, or have fallen asleep while waiting at a red light on a motorcycle, mostly choose to avoid treatment.

The Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine released the results of Taiwan's first sleep apnea survey today. The data shows that 49.6% of people in Taiwan snore, and 14% have felt very sleepy or nearly fallen asleep while driving a car or motorcycle. This highlights that sleep problems and sleep apnea caused by oxygen deprivation have become a serious health and public safety concern.

The survey reveals a "health cognition paradox." While 68.7% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their sleep quality, over 36.7% reported frequent daytime fatigue, drowsiness, or lack of concentration. This cognitive gap is the key reason the public neglects treatment. The survey shows that as many as 80.3% of people are unwilling to undergo further sleep examinations or treatment.

Dr. Tsai Ming-shao, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine, stated that people who snore experience repeated airway obstruction and arousal during sleep. Severe patients can experience hundreds of oxygen deprivation episodes per night. He noted a serious gap between the self-perception of "sleeping well" and the physiological reaction of "daytime sleepiness," and that the public generally ignores the body's daytime distress signals.

Dr. Tsai warned that sleep apnea often forms a vicious cycle with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Long-term oxygen deprivation can accelerate brain damage. Sleep apnea is not just a simple sleep problem but a hidden time bomb that affects overall health. He called for early detection and active treatment to improve sleep quality and protect cardiovascular health and brain function.

Occupational therapist Da Chen (pseudonym) shared his personal experience with sleep deprivation. As a medical professional, he had long suffered from headaches and daytime sleepiness. He once experienced a dangerous situation where he completely fell asleep for just three minutes while waiting at a red light on his motorcycle. An annual health check-up with brain imaging surprisingly revealed that the white matter spots in his brain were more than three times higher than those of his peers.

After a sleep examination, Da Chen was shocked to find that his apnea-hypopnea index was 48 times per hour, leading to a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea. He said that in the past, his severe snoring forced his wife to wear earphones and listen to music to fall asleep. After using a CPAP machine, he no longer frequently suffers from headaches and has provided a healthy sleep environment for himself and his partner. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun) 1150610