Sleep Apnea Awareness on March 17
Hyderabad, March.15: “Sleep Sound, Nurture Life” is the slogan for this year’s observation of World Sleep Day by World Sleep Day Committee. March 17 will be observed as World Sleep Day to celebrate benefits of good and healthy sleep. In today’s fast paced world people often do not get adequate sleep. Those who get to sleep, might suffer from snoring or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) - a sleep related breathing disorder. Sleep can impact one’s life miserably.
People suffering from sleep apnea have irregular breathing. It puts a person at the risk of heart failure, stroke and even road accidents. Recent data suggests that by 2020, out of a total of 23 lakh fatalities due to road accidents, an estimate of 2.3 lakh to 3.5 lakh will result from sleepiness or fatigue.
A person suffering from OSA has narrow upper airway. Further relaxation of the airway during sleep causes difficulty in breathing, resulting in lack of oxygen in blood. The brain cells, sleeping till then, wake up and so does the person, briefly. The narrowing of the upper airway thus relaxes and he/she starts breathing again. When the process is repeated time and again, the circuit is called obstructive sleep apnea.
Lalit Pai, CEO & Co-founder, Nightingales Home Health Services said, ‘OSA today has become more of a lifestyle disease. People usually do not realize the risk of OSA and easily fall victim due to lack of awareness. If it is not diagnosed at the right moment, it can have devastating effects on normal life.
It is essential to know the risk factors and take measures to avoid it. OSA is a chronic disorder which can be harnessed through intervention of pulmonologists and efficient respiratory therapists, at home. ”
Interestingly, the number of people are also on the rise. OSA does not just cause sleeping disorder but can also be a cause of death. Some of the effects of OSA are incidence of high blood pressure, weight gain, heart problems, type 2 diabetes, etc. Some of the common symptoms of OSA are daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, episodes of breathing cessation during sleep, abrupt awakenings accompanied by gasping or choking, awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat, morning headache, difficulty in concentrating, mood chances (irritation or depression), etc.
Dr. Raghottam Reddy Senior Consultant Pulmonologist said that “OSA is a disorder in which a person stops breathing during the night, perhaps hundreds of times. These gaps in breathing are called apneas. The disorder occurs when tissues in the upper throat collapse at different times during sleep, thereby blocking the passage of air.
The accident risk is two to six times higher for those suffering from sleep apnea than it is for regular drivers. Every day in our country a lot of accidents are caused by drivers with sleep apnea falling asleep at the wheel. Dr Raghottam Reddy strongly recommends a sleep study evaluation for all the people who are obese, hypertensive, diabetic and especially people like Pilots, drivers and Engineers who work on heavy machineries which can cause potential damage based on the OSA status of the individuals.