Ever considered wearing one of these to bed?  sleepaidultrafullWell, when Federal Air Surgeon, Dr. Fred Tilton’s policy goes into effect you may not have a choice.  The FAA has been working on a policy for quite some time to deal with, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).  This condition is “almost universal in obese individuals who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40 and a neck circumference of 17 inches or more”, says Dr. Tilton.  OSA is a condition that affects the sleep of individuals and can cause excessive daytime sleepiness, sudden cardiac death, hypertension and other adverse affects on pilots.  Up until now, the FAA has been dealing with this by trying to educate pilots and air traffic controllers with seminars and materials to raise awareness of this condition.  Well, the next step is going into effect shortly and that is going to include having your Aviation Medical Examiner (AME), measure your BMI.  The AME will accomplish this by using a calculation found in the AME guide and then he will record the results on line 60 of Form 8500-8, during your medical examination.  If your BMI is 40 or greater and neck size is 17 or more, you will be required to see a “board certified sleep specialist”, before you are issued a medical certificate.  If you say, I know I’m overweight, but I’m not that overweight, hold on, because they aren’t stopping there.  The plan is to deal with those that have a 40 BMI or greater first, and then to expand the program down to those in the 26 – 40 BMI range (25 being normal).  The overall goal is to deal with all airman who may be susceptible to OSA.  Here is how you can deal with it ahead of your next examination.  Visit the following website to begin your path to a healthier lifestyle today, http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html).  This link will allow you to determine you BMI and then has several associated links to develop a lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise.