Mumbai, 21st September 2022: Wockhardt Hospital today launches a Sleep Disorder Clinic at the Mumbai Central branch which will deal with all issues related to sleep health. Sleep has a significant effect on overall health, despite this sleep disorders often remain undiagnosed and inadequately treated. While we spend one-third of our lives sleeping, but there is poor awareness amongst general population about the importance of sleep. This clinic will deal with all kind of sleep disorders including sleep apnea, insomnia, hypersomnia, snoring, parasomnia etc. The clinic will the managed by a multi- disciplinary team of Neurologist, Psychologist, Psychiatrist and Sleep technicians.
According to a survey conducted by Philips Healthcare in 2021, 93% of Indians are sleep deprived, getting less than 8 hours per night. 58 % believe their work suffers due to lack of adequate sleep, 11% take leave from work because of lack of sleep, 11 % confessed having fallen asleep at work due to a poor night’s sleep and 38 % witnessed a colleague falling asleep at work. 15% report having sleep disruptions related to work stress but only 2 % Indians discuss their lack of sleep with a physician.
Speaking during the launch, Dr Prashant Makhija, Consultant Neurologist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central said, “Getting adequate sleep of at least 7-9 hours is essential for every adult. Sleep health has also been recently included by American Heart Association as a metric of cardiovascular health. Frequent sleep disruptions can result in both short- term as well as long-term health complications. Also, speaking on the common issue of snoring, which is not only a nuisance for bed-partner but can be a marker of Sleep apnea serious health disorder with significant long-term negative effects on cognitive, metabolic, and cardiovascular health.
Dr Malik Merchant, Consultant Psychiatrist, Wockhardt Hospital adds, “there are several factors which contribute to sleep disruptions. While we spend one-third of our lives sleeping, but there’s poor awareness amongst general population about the importance of sleep. Sleep difficulties can arise due to physical as well as emotional problems. Sleep and mental health have a strong relation and are depended on one another. Lack of sleep can contribute to or worsen existing depression, anxiety, mood swings, anger, loneliness etc. Stress is one of the leading factors for sleep disorder.
Poor sleep can be a manifestation of underlying medical disorder and by itself lead to disastrous health consequences. In India, we lack a standard approach to diagnose and manage the sleep disorders. Considering this, a multidisciplinary team of specialists from different sub-specialties with experience and training in the management of sleep disorders was formed to provides holistic solution for all issues related to sleep health.