The Philips Electronics India limited (PEIl) on Monday organised an awareness programme here on Monday about the common sleep disorders posing serious health hazards
Odisha is witnessing a significant rise in the number of people afflicted with sleep disorders. As many as an estimated of 93 per cent of Indians are now suffering from sleep disorders. Senior consultant in critical care of Apollo Hospital Dr Samir Sahu highlighted the causes, symptoms and treatment available for sleeping disorders.
lack of sleep leads to various serious health problems including high blood pressure, increased risk of diabetes, weight gain and irregular heartbeats, Dr Sahu said. If symptoms like lack of sleep and snoring are ignored without treatment then a more serious condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), could arise, which is characterised by repeated cessation of breathing during sleep and it can lead to heart diseases and, in cases, even trigger heart attacks, he said.
He said loud and chronic snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent urination at night, morning headache, memory or learning problems and inability to concentrate, feeling irritable and depressed and mood swing are the most common symptoms of OSA.
In Odisha, there has been a steep rise in the number of the OSA cases for the past two to three years, Dr Sahu informed, adding that there are several treatment options including Continuous Positive Airway Pressure to surgical option that can help address the problem once it is diagnosed.
Most people and even doctors are not aware of OSA though it is as common as diabetes and blood pressure. If it is treated, there would be improvement in BP, diabetes, paralysis, memory loss and heart failure.
Philips has been consistently working towards spreading awareness of the sleep disorder and providing sleep-related solutions for diagnosis and therapy, offering requisite education and training to the medical fraternity and monitoring post-therapy patient progress, said Senior Director (Home Health Care) of Philips Healthcare India Bidul Dhaul.
A Phillips survey conducted by the Nielsen Company on 5,600 people in 25 cities between the age group of 35-65 showed that 93 per cent of Indians are sleep-deprived. And 72 per cent people who participated in the survey said they used to wake up three to four times while sleeping while 87 per cent people viewed that lack of sleep is one of the prime reasons for various health issues.
The sleep labs help physicians accurately diagnose sleep disorders. Dhaul said his company has assisted many hospitals and clinics in Odisha for establishing seven sleep labs, two of which are at the AIIMS and Apollo Hospital.