Don't sleep on it, read the signs
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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Sleep disorders a silent killerEyes Wide Shut | It's time you woke up to this epidemic our fast-paced life has spawned, says Durgesh Nandan Jha
A prominent lawyer known for closing cases at breakneck speed recently visited a hospital complain ing of poor perform ance and fatigue. The 51-year-old's pace had been flagging and he had even been caught napping by judges in court. Tests showed he suffered from sleep apnea requiring immediate medication attention.With today's fast-paced lifestyles, 24x7 activity and increasing screentime at night, sleep disorders are widespread. “Sleep loss and related disorders are a silent epidemic affecting adults as well as children,“ says Dr Nevin Kishore, pulmonologist at Max Hospital, Saket. In severe cases, these can kill, but they also increase the risk of road accidents, heart failure, obes ity and memory impairment.
Low awareness about sleep problems means people don't take their snoring and breathing difficulties seriously. Often, they are in denial. “Some are brought to hospital by their spouse with video clips of their snoring pattern and actions during sleep,“ says Kishore.
Clinical psychiatrist Dr Jitender Nagpal says snoring is a major cause of marital discord. People who snore or have breathing difficulty during sleep always feel tired and avoid intimacy. “Many divorces take place because a partner snores a lot and is not willing to get treated for it.“ Neeta Jha's (name changed) marriage was saved because her husband agreed to see a doctor for his snoring. “My husband used to snore a lot but would never accept it. When we started sleeping in separate rooms he thought I was cheating on him.It took me months to convince him to consult a doctor and when the sleep study results came out even he was shocked to see that his oxygen levels went down severely.“ Three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy cured him.
Dr J C Suri, who heads the department of sleep medicine at Safdarjung Hospital and founded the country's first sleep lab in 1995, says there are more than 70 sleep disorders but insomnia and sleep apnea are but insomnia and sleep apnea are the most common. “When I started working on sleep patients, few people, including doctors, knew about it. Every day, we get over a dozen cally referrals of criti ill patients who suffer from breathing difficulty during sleep.“
Studies show that 30-40% of the working population, particularly those in high-stress jobs such as corporate executives, medical professionals and cops, don't sleep well. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by respiratory difficulties during sleep, affects 9-21% of women and 24-31% of men. It has been linked to heart disease, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia (abnormal levels of cholesterolfat in blood) and insulin resistance.
Accidents and occupational injuries are other risks associated with poor quality sleep. Experts say, by 2020, the number of fatalities in vehicle accidents will double to 23 lakh, of which 2.3 lakh to 3.5 lakh will result from sleepiness or fatigue. “Sleep disorder is a silent epidemic. Few people suffering from it know about the condition and fewer still seek treatment for it,“ says Kishore.
Many Indians felt proud when US President Barack Obama complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sleeping less than him. Some even felt inspired. But doctors dealing with sleep disorders were not impressed.
Dr Sanjay Manchanda, senior consultant, department of sleep medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, says seven to eight hours of sleep is a must for most adults. “Prime Minister Modi can do with lesser sleep because he practises meditation and pranayama which help in rejuvenation of the body. Also, he has a strict diet regimen. Most of us do not follow that. So we should focus on getting a good night's sleep and reducing risk factors such as obesity and hypertension that aggravate sleep problems.“
Low awareness about sleep problems means people don't take their snoring and breathing difficulties seriously. Often, they are in denial. “Some are brought to hospital by their spouse with video clips of their snoring pattern and actions during sleep,“ says Kishore.
Clinical psychiatrist Dr Jitender Nagpal says snoring is a major cause of marital discord. People who snore or have breathing difficulty during sleep always feel tired and avoid intimacy. “Many divorces take place because a partner snores a lot and is not willing to get treated for it.“ Neeta Jha's (name changed) marriage was saved because her husband agreed to see a doctor for his snoring. “My husband used to snore a lot but would never accept it. When we started sleeping in separate rooms he thought I was cheating on him.It took me months to convince him to consult a doctor and when the sleep study results came out even he was shocked to see that his oxygen levels went down severely.“ Three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy cured him.
Dr J C Suri, who heads the department of sleep medicine at Safdarjung Hospital and founded the country's first sleep lab in 1995, says there are more than 70 sleep disorders but insomnia and sleep apnea are but insomnia and sleep apnea are the most common. “When I started working on sleep patients, few people, including doctors, knew about it. Every day, we get over a dozen cally referrals of criti ill patients who suffer from breathing difficulty during sleep.“
Studies show that 30-40% of the working population, particularly those in high-stress jobs such as corporate executives, medical professionals and cops, don't sleep well. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by respiratory difficulties during sleep, affects 9-21% of women and 24-31% of men. It has been linked to heart disease, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia (abnormal levels of cholesterolfat in blood) and insulin resistance.
Accidents and occupational injuries are other risks associated with poor quality sleep. Experts say, by 2020, the number of fatalities in vehicle accidents will double to 23 lakh, of which 2.3 lakh to 3.5 lakh will result from sleepiness or fatigue. “Sleep disorder is a silent epidemic. Few people suffering from it know about the condition and fewer still seek treatment for it,“ says Kishore.
Many Indians felt proud when US President Barack Obama complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sleeping less than him. Some even felt inspired. But doctors dealing with sleep disorders were not impressed.
Dr Sanjay Manchanda, senior consultant, department of sleep medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, says seven to eight hours of sleep is a must for most adults. “Prime Minister Modi can do with lesser sleep because he practises meditation and pranayama which help in rejuvenation of the body. Also, he has a strict diet regimen. Most of us do not follow that. So we should focus on getting a good night's sleep and reducing risk factors such as obesity and hypertension that aggravate sleep problems.“
