Sleep
disorders are on the rise in the nation's major cities as the pressures of
modern life take an increasing toll, according to experts.
While expertise on sleep disorders at Viet
Nam's hospitals is still limited, facilities to diagnose the phenomenon are
available at many hospitals and health centres.
The facility at Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City
is able to detect sleep apnea -- sleep disorder that manifests in loud snoring
and interrupted breathing in 80 per cent of sleep disorder patients.
Recently, the hospital has noticed a surge in
the number of patients with stress-related sleep problems, among which 5 per
cent were diagnosed in the extremely severe phase of the disease.
The same pattern could be recognised at the
city's Public Health Centre where approximately 200 new cases are recorded each
day, according to Dr Nguyen Xuan Bich Huyen, head of the centre's Sleep Care
Department.
Although there are no official statistics on
the occurrence of sleep disorders in Viet Nam, Huyen told Tien Phong (Vanguard)
newspaper that the rate of sleep disorders could clearly be seen to be rising
in urban areas.
The remark was confirmed by a recent survey in
Ho Chi MInh City that found 20 per cent of the 800 interviewees had reported to
have experienced regular disruptions during their sleep.
As pointed out by Huyen, the increasing rate
of sleep disorders is an inevitable result of the demanding pace of life that
many people are taking up.
Sources of stress are now diversified, ranging
from the financial and social pressures that characterised the industrial age
to frustrations from work, relationship problems and the burden of having to
cope with too many concerns simultaneously.
This is the reason why, according to Cho Ray
Hospital, people whose professions require a high level of concentration or
involve a busy schedule such as businessmen, computer-based workers and
drivers, tend to be more vulnerable to sleep problems.
Apart from snoring and breathing disruptions,
which are the main symptoms of sleep apnea, many sleep disorder patients also
have limb movement disorder and hypersomnia – excessive sleep that makes it
difficult to stay awake during the day.
Dr Le Thi Tuyet Lan, president of HCM City's
Association of Respiration, said permanent insomnia could be detrimental to our
memory, concentration, mental agility and body's defence systems.
In addition, if not promptly treated, sleep
apnea could disturb the cardiovascular system and cause illnesses such as heart
failure, stroke, hypertension and irregular heartbeats.
Lan also noted that 50 per cent of sleep apnea
cases were also diagnosed with obesity, the majority being over 45 years old,
in which case the patients should first lose weight and train themselves to
sleep on one side.
However, diagnosis and treatment of sleep
disorders have not always been simple due to the lack of awareness on the
disease among doctors as well as the public.
Understanding of the disease was found by many
doctors to be lacking, which is supposedly the reason behind insomniacs'
decision to take anti-depressants as a temporary solution to their problem.
The Lifestyle Desk
Viet Nam News
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment