Gaurika(ChandigarhCityNews)
Sleep disorders more common in men than women
70 people attend health seminar on sleep disorders at Panchkula
As many as 70 people attended a health seminar on ‘Sleep disorders & importance of sleep for healthy life’ at Alchemist Hospital here today. The seminar was organized to mark World Sleep Day.
Addressing seminar, Dr. Vishal Sharma, Consultant-Pulmonology & Sleep Disorders Specialist said that sleep disorders happens when something partly or completely blocks your upper airway during sleeping. That makes your diaphragm and chest muscles work harder to open the obstructed airway and pull air into the lungs. Breathing usually resumes with a loud gasp, snort, or body jerk. You may not sleep well, but you probably won’t be aware that this is happening.
Dr Vishal further said that the condition can also reduce the flow of oxygen to vital organs and cause irregular heart rhythms. When you have this condition, your breath can become very shallow or you may even stop breathing briefly while you sleep because during sleep, a person’s throat muscles relax allowing the tongue and fatty tissues of the throat to fall back into the airways and block airflow.
He said that obstructive sleep apnea can be caused due to overweight, enlarged tonsils, a thick or large neck or smaller airways in your nose, throat, or mouth, a larger-than-average tongue can also block the airway in many people. The other causes may include family history, frequent alcohol use and smoking which can cause inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airways that can impede airflow. The condition is more common among men than women, and it becomes more likely as you get older.
Talking about treatment options , Dr Vishal said that losing even 10% of weight can make a difference besides avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills, which make the airway more likely to collapse during sleep and lengthen the times when you’re not breathing properly.
