_{Effects of alcohol and sleep restriction on simulated driving performance in untreated patients with obstructive sleep apnea}

<p dir="ltr"><b>Background:</b><b> </b>Because of previous sleep disturbance and sleep hypoxia, patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) might be more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and sleep restriction than healthy persons.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Objective:</b><b> </b>To compare the effects of sleep restriction and alcohol on driving simulator performance in patients with OSA and age-matched control participants.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Design:</b><b> </b>Driving simulator assessments in 2 groups under 3 different conditions presented in random order.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Setting:</b><b> </b>Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Sleep Laboratory, Adelaide, Australia.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Participants:</b><b> </b>38 untreated patients with OSA and 20 control participants.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Measurements:</b><b> </b>Steering deviation, crashes, and braking reaction time.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Intervention:</b><b> </b>Unrestricted sleep, sleep restricted to a maximum of 4 hours, and ingestion of an amount of 40% vodka calculated to achieve a blood alcohol level of 0.05 g/dL.</p>