Wake up to the dangers of inadequate sleep

MANILA, Philippines - The recent discovery of a hereditary gene that is linked to shorter durations of slumber may influence us to brush off concerns about inadequate sleep.  However, it would be good to keep in mind that the gene, called DEC2, is a rare mutation. Most likely, sleeplessness and abnormal sleep patterns are due to other causes that should be addressed. After all, regular inadequate sleep may lead to serious health hazards.

Studies conducted at various research institutions worldwide agree that insufficient sleep has serious repercussions. Lack of sleep has been linked to hypertension and heart disease, as well as mental illnesses like clinical depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder. Memory impairment, headaches, learning disabilities, and weakening of the immune symptom may occur while altered energy metabolism increases the risk for developing obesity and diabetes. The effects of sleep deprivation may be more immediate and cause traffic and work-related accidents.    

How much is enough sleep? The US National Institutes of Health recommends seven to nine hours of good quality sleep for adults daily. Sleeping problems or disorders may significantly reduce the hours of slumber. And sleeping pills may not be able to provide a solution.

One sleeping disorder that affects millions of people worldwide is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where blocking of the upper airway occurs, so that people who have sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly, resulting in fragmented sleep. Since each breathing stop can last from a few seconds to minutes and may occur from five to 30 times or more each hour, it is easy to understand that the disturbed sleep due to oxygen deprivation puts a strain on the heart, and can lead to other serious health conditions. While physical factors such as a large tongue, extra tissue or decreased muscle tone leading to collapse of the airway will predispose an individual to sleep apnea, there are devices that can prevent its occurrence.

The focus of a recent roundtable dialogue was to highlight the risks brought about by OSA and how stakeholders can increase awareness about the potentially dangerous condition.  Peter S. White, Philips Respironics vice president for Asia Pacific, Philips Home Healthcare Solutions, asserts , “Sleep deterioration is a significant issue and it is getting worse. The length and quality of people’s sleep is deteriorating because of lifestyle changes. Various factors such as work- related stress, financial worries or poor diet may affect sleep.”

In the US, sleep apnea is a public health issue with serious economic implications. Surveys indicate that the untreated OSA population has two times the number of physician visits and three more nights of hospital stay. Not surprisingly, the healthcare costs add up.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea? Loud disruptive snoring tops the list. Peter White mentioned that while the culture pervasive until about 10 years ago was that “snoring is good as an indication of deep sleep,” it actually results from an unstable airway. A recent study conducted by Philips in five markets across the globe revealed that while OSA is recognized as a curable disease, only about a third of patients consider snoring — which is a key symptom of OSA — a problem for them personally.

Other symptoms to watch out for are gasping or choking during sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headache, and memory or learning problems. A dry throat when you wake up may signal OSA. In addition, frequent urination at night, not being able to concentrate on your work, feeling irritable, and mood swings or personality changes, such as feeling depressed, can signal the condition.

“Sleep is not optional — it is absolutely critical to people’s health,” says Peter White.

Your physician will recommend the treatment best suited for your OSA. But to get the proper diagnosis and best treatment option, you need to be aware of the symptoms and recognize you have a sleep problem.

Fortunately, the most common treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea are not scary and entail absolutely no pain. With Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) as the treatment of choice, one merely needs to comfortably hook up to a safe, convenient, and handy device to get restful, revitalizing sleep before the health perils associated with inadequate sleep set in.

Sleep tight, everyone!