Sleep clinic soon at KMC

A sleep clinic, to diagnose sleeping disorders and offer counselling, will be inaugurated soon at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital here.

Speaking at a continuing medical education (CME) on sleep disorders here on Tuesday, V. Kanakasabai, Dean, Kilpauk Medical College, said that nearly 15 per cent of outpatients at the hospital suffered from a range of sleeping disorders. Besides lack of sleep, there has been an increase in the incidence of hypersomnia, excessive sleeping disorder, among school students. Lifestyle modifications contribute largely to these changes in the pattern of sleep.

“It is not uncommon to see a patient with physical illness, suffering from insomnia. Physical and psychological factors contribute a great deal to disturbance in sleep,” Dr. Kanakasabai said.

The sleep clinic would have a team of doctors, including a neurologist and psychologist, who would assess the condition of patients and prescribe remedies.

Diagnostic tools such as electroencephalogram, electromyogram and polysomnography, which monitor body functions during sleep, would be available, he said. “Sleeping disorder is a sign of physical or psychological ailment. By altering sleep patterns, one can improve the health conditions,” he added.