The ill-effects of lack of sleep and its dreaded consequences were highlighted at the World Sleep Day function by Dr. G. Viswanathan Speciality Hospital on Friday.
World Sleep Day is an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to act on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspect, and driving. It is organised by the world sleep day committee to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. The day is designed to spread the awareness of sleep as a human privilege.
The major focus of world sleep day 2013 is obstructive sleep apnea, which has become a very common and under recognised problem.
V. P. Thandapani, Corporation Commissioner, was the chief guest.
Dr. Jawahar Nagasundaram presented a power point presentation on the ill effects of lack of sleep by mainly on snoring as also lack of sleep leading to hypertension, diabetics, stroke, road traffic accidents, and sudden cardiac arrests. There are surgeries available to cure this problem such as uvulopalato pharyngo plasty and also LASER to the throat.
He said this problem is fully curable so that it prevents early deaths in young adults, men due to morbid obesity, and wrong food habits and lack of physical exercise because of absolute lack of time.
Sleep-related problems like insomnia, restless legs syndrome (RLS), sleep deprivation and sleep-related respiratory disturbances such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome effect up to 45 per cent of the world population. These problems result in loss of quality of sleep that can lead to more health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, he added.
Dr. Kanagaraj, chairman, Dr. G. Viswanathan Speciality Hospital, and Dr. Govindaraj, its director, spoke.
