The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Sleep disorders can affect efficiency, say doctors

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 16, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sleep disorders can affect efficiency, say doctors

"Ignore sleep problems and you only get diminishing returns"

A sleepy or perpetually tired person at work is often termed incompetent or just plain lazy. But, excessive sleeping at the wrong time of the day should not be dismissed easily, doctors Lim Li Ling and Suveer Singh tell Kannal Achuthan.

Two doctors with different specialisations were recently in Chennai to promote a common cause: to ask people to pay more attention to their sleep.

Lim Li Ling, a specialist in neurology working in Singapore General Hospital and Suveer Singh, a consultant physician in respiratory health in the UK, say that medical care for sleep disorders must have a multidisciplinary approach so that underlying causes can be identified.

"Often, sleep disorders can go undiagnosed. For instance, taking sleeping pills for insomnia is only masking the problem," says Dr. Singh.

Dr. Lim concurs. Sleep disorders can be due to depression, respiratory problems or lack of a healthy lifestyle, she says.

One of the reasons why healthy sleep is essential is the impact that it can have on the quality of life. "Sleepy driving is emerging as a big problem in the UK, so we now have lots of signboards that read `Tiredness kills - Take a break'," says Dr. Singh, who also teaches at Imperial College, London.

His specialisation in respiratory medicine has helped him treat patients with sleep apnea, a condition characterised by interruption in breathing during sleep. This can cause daytime fatigue, and in extreme cases heart failure. While disorders such as sleep apnea can be life threatening, disorders of the body clock can be frustrating for a patient, says Dr. Lim. Circadian rhythm disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome (when a person is unable to sleep till early morning and is unable to wake up at the desired time) or advanced sleep phase syndrome (when a person wakes up too early) can interfere with school or work.

Dr. Lim says simple intervention can be of immense help. For patients with chronic `night owl' tendencies, Dr. Lim prescribes sleep hormone supplements before they go to bed and exposure to sunlight in the morning in order to reset their body clocks.

How does one know when a sleep problem is serious enough to make a visit to the doctor? Dr. Singh and Dr. Lim recommend that a person seek medical opinion if difficulty in sleep is impairing their work and personal life.

Sleep is so basic and vital that good sleep habits need to be taught in school, recommend the doctors.

As Dr. Singh puts it, "Ignore sleep problems and you only get diminishing returns."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu