Dubai Hospital is set to hold a campaign to raise awareness about sleep disorders on April 23.

The campaign is aimed at helping improve public knowledge about signs, symptoms, complications, diagnosis, and treatment options of sleep problems, said a statement.

Dr Abdulrahman Al Jassmi, chief executive officer, said: “Public awareness and education is important for early detection, prevention and management of diseases. In line with the DHA’s health strategy 2013 to 2025, it is our aim to empower  the public through such health educational campaigns.”

Dr Fadhil Mustafa Abdullah Al Shama, head of internal medicine department at Dubai Hospital and consultant endocrinologist, said: “People are generally unaware about sleep problems and normally approach the doctor when the symptoms greatly increase. Our aim is to  raise awareness and thus promote early detection through this campaign.”

Al the sleep problems, majority of the sleep problems are due to sleep apnea, a disease caused by poor oxygenation of the blood while sleeping, he said.

“The disorder is characterised by pauses in breathing or instances of shallow or infrequent breathing during sleep.”

Dr Manoj P Mathews, senior specialist registrar in internal medicine department at Dubai Hospital, said that obesity and sleep apnea are strongly linked and that people who are overweight or obese are at a higher risk of developing the disease.

The symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue , insomnia, loud snoring,  tiredness and irritability etc, he said.

“Snoring is not harmful per se but when it is related to sleep apnea it should be evaluated because if left untreated it can cause serious heart, lung and blood pressure problems,” said Dr Mathews.

Loud snoring or the kind that leads to gasping and waking up should not be taken lightly and the patient should visit a healthcare professional to test themselves, he said.

To detect sleep problems several baseline blood tests are done and  additionally a sleep study  may be required.

In terms of treatment, it generally depends on the underlying cause of sleep apnea, said Dr Mathews.

“The fundamental treatment for patients with sleep apnea is lifestyle changes, diet and exercise to reduce weight. Even a slight drop in body weight can lead to significant improvement in the condition,” he said.

“In addition to this, depending on the type of sleep apnea patients are either given machines to help them sleep better or surgery may be needed in cases of obstruction usually in the upper respiratory track )to unblock the airways,” he added. - TradeArabia News Service