Coffee and energy drinks are a weak substitute for sleep when driving two tons of steel between a set of white highway lines at 65 mph.

“People think they can judge the precise time they are too tired and don’t realize that drowsy driving is a serious danger,” says David Cloud, who heads the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C. “They don’t know that it’s possible to fall into a three- to four-second microsleep without realizing it. Traveling at 65 mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field basically unconscious.”

More than a quarter of American motorists have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to a recent poll conducted by the sleep foundation. More than half of all drivers admitted to driving drowsy. In 2009, as many as 1.9 million drivers had a car crash or close call because of drowsiness.

Records kept by the Kansas Department of Transportation show 93 people died and 2,388 were injured from 2004 to 2008 in accidents involving drivers falling asleep. Eight deaths and 671 sleep-related crashes were reported in 2008 in Kansas, totaling about $60 million in crash-related costs.

Eating sugar, cranking up a stereo or rolling down the windows while driving may help keep eyes open, but typically increase problems. Even if you manage to stay awake, sleep experts say drowsiness causes slower reaction times, vision impairment, lapses in judgement and delays in processing information, which are all critical elements for safe driving practices.

Martha Bean, public service administrator for Kansas Department of Revenue’s Driver Review Section, said the department reviews various medical conditions affecting drivers, including sleep apnea, a disorder that causes interruptions in breathing during sleep.

“Sleep apnea does cause people to have daytime sleepiness than can result in accidents or careless driving,” Bean said. “It’s not very commonly reported to our office, but I imagine it’s very common. We do have reports of sleep driving, which always turns out bad.”

Kansas commercial truck drivers, which are regulated under federal motor carrier license requirements, mandate drivers receive a medical certificate before receiving a commercial class license. While specific sleep disorders don’t disqualify drivers, federal law requires applicants to disclose conditions that could cause a driver to lose consciousness while driving.

Renee Messer, a registered polysomnograph technician at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center’s Sleep Center in Topeka, said many of the facility’s clients are truck drivers who are tested for sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. She said the number of clients at the center have increased in recent years.

“Our current waiting time is about 50 days,” Messer said. “We see about six patients every night, or about 30 a week.”

Shawn Magee, medical director of the sleep center, said access to doctors can be a problem for many people suffering from potential sleep disorders.

“More people need sleep studies than we can see,” he said.

Magee said there are six major types of sleep disorders, with the most common being sleep apnea.

“People suffering from sleep disorders are often very sleepy, even when getting enough sleep,” Magee said.

Obstructive sleep apnea, which affects about 5 percent of men and 2 percent of women, involves brief interruptions of breathing during sleep as many as 20 to 60 times per hour. By fragmenting nighttime sleep, it can produce daytime sleepiness.

The condition occurs when muscles that stiffen and open the throat relax and narrow the breathing passage, making breathing difficult. The obstructed airway can cause breathing to stop, leading to decreased oxygen in the bloodstream. Over a period of time, it can cause serious medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, an enlarged heart, congestive heart failure, heart attack or stroke. Other problems may include depression and diabetes.

While snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea, not everyone who snores is afflicted by the condition. Common symptoms include:

— sleep that isn’t refreshing.

— daytime fatigue.

— difficulty concentrating.

— trouble with short-term memory.

— morning headaches.

— snoring, choking, gasping or pauses in breathing during sleep.

— falling asleep or fighting off sleep at inappropriate times, such as driving, working, reading or watching television.

General treatment for sleep apnea may include weight loss, avoiding alcohol within four hours of bedtime, avoiding sleeping pills, sleeping on one side or stomach or medications to relieve nasal stuffiness. However, specific treatment for obstructive sleep apnea typically involves the use of a continuous positive airway pressure machine.

The CPAP machine requires a user to wear a light mask over the nose during sleep. A small, quiet air pump is attached to the mask with a long tube, so that air enters the throat through the nasal passages. Stormont-Vail’s sleep clinic estimates up to 70 percent of patients who try the CPAP machine continue to use it, while the remainder find it too uncomfortable.

Messer said many people with sleep problems don’t get enough sleep or enough of both deep sleep and REM or restorative sleep.

“You should have about 25 percent restorative sleep,” she said. “Most people with sleep problems don’t have that, if they have REM at all.”

For more information about Stormont-Vail Health Center’s Sleep Center, call (785) 270-8090.

Kevin Elliott can be reached at (785) 295-1192 or kevin.elliott@cjonline.com.