Dr. Sachin Chittawar, MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DM (Endocrinology) said that sleep is a must for good health.
On the occasion of World Sleep Day, Dr Sachin Chittawar said, “We all probably know someone who snores quite loudly when they sleep. But it is important to understand the mechanism of snoring. When you snore, you actually stop breathing for a few seconds and resume on your own. In severe cases, where this stoppage of breathing extends for much longer, it is described as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).”
In India, about 2.4% to 3.4% of men can be expected to show a medically significant level of OSA. The corresponding figure for Indian women is about 1-2%. The prevalence increases with age, so that between the ages of 30 and 70, 34% of men and 17% of women could exhibit symptoms of OSA, he added.
While these numbers are alarming enough, the scientific explanation for this phenomenon is equally intriguing. While sleeping the body generates less of cortisol and other hormones than the waking hours. These hormones are needed to tackle the myriad physical and psychological challenges and enable the body to remain alert and energetic with extra glucose and oxygen.
This risk of chronic disease is an important reason why OSA must be treated aggressively, through surgery, CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) or by other means. The form of treatment varies, depending on the cause of OSA.But the therapy of first choice in most cases is CPAP.