Check how inadequate sleep affects your health – Expert

Any condition that interferes with sleep should be regarded as serious as too little sleep impacts the levels of thyroid and stress hormones, Dr Shadi Sharifi, a sleep medicine specialist, has said.

She said this in turn could affect memory and immune system, heart and metabolism, and much more.

Dr Sharifi who is also a neurophysiologist and works at Saudi German Hospital Dubai said lack of proper sleep is a serious problem though many write it off as a lifestyle casualty.

She said in a statement from the hospital that chronic lack of sleep can severely interfere with all our activities, leading to nodding off at the wheel when driving to falling asleep at the desk at work and being unable to focus and concentrate during meetings, among others.

The expert said over time, lack of sleep could lead to weight gain, high blood sugar, increase of heart disease and heart failure, stroke, increase of blood pressure, personality disorders, accelerated aging and depression.

For chronically sleep deprived people, who were battling obesity or psychological conditions, seeking treatment at the earliest is absolutely vital, she said.

How to have a good sleep

Though sleep is affected as you age and the number of hours you get become shorter and the quality of sleep diminishes, there are ways to get a better snooze, said Dr Sharifi .

She said: “Adopting a healthy lifestyle will get you better sleep, and eat at least two hours before going to bed. Avoid eating foods cooked in trans-fats and saturated fats. On an average, we need between six to eight hours of sleep per night. Day time naps will help your body to recover, but do not nap for more than 15 to 20 minutes or you will disturb the night sleep pattern.”

Sleep apnea

The sleep specialist said sleep apnea was a lifestyle affliction that is increasing among the populace. She said: “It goes like this: You go to bed at the usual time, wanting to catch up on your eight hours of sleep. But you get up the next morning with a headache, feeling listless and drowsy, desperately wanting to go back to sleep. What happened here? You were not on Facebook, or watching TV or doing any of the stuff that keeps you awake half the night. Where’s the problem?”

She said when this happens people should first answer these questions: “Are you obese? Overweight? Yes? Well, that’s where the problem is. You are suffering from a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea and the main cause is due to obesity.”

With this disorder, you get up about five to 10 times in a hour, correct your breathing, and go back to sleep said Dr Sharifi “Though you may not realise that you keep waking up for a few seconds every time, it affects the quality of your sleep, fragments it, and as a result, the next day you wake up tired,” she said.

It’s a common notion that most people only snore when they sleep on their back, as this is what allows the tongue to collapse into the back of the throat and obstruct breathing, said the doctor. But there are other reasons why people snore.

“Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea,” said Dr Sharifi. It is caused by the obstruction of the upper airway and is characterized by repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep. That leads to less oxygen reaching the brain.

These pauses in breathing are called apneas and they typically last 20 to 40 seconds. Some of the underlying factors that lead to snoring include obesity and fat accumulation in the throat and narrowing of the nasal passage.

She said today hospitals such as the Saudi German Hospital Dubai, have special sleep clinics to help the population get a proper sleep.

The concept of sleep clinics

She said sleep medicine is a relatively new field but it is an important branch of medicine as many people today are suffering from lack of sleep due to various reasons, including sleep apnea.She said the patient comes for a sleep test after referral by the physician, adding that in the Sleep Clinic at the Saudi German Hospital Dubai, a specialist team evaluates the patient and he or she is required to stay the night at the clinic.

A specialist will question you about your sleep habits. Before the test, the patient is asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire about the patient’s lifestyle, family history and medical condition.The other types of treatment at the Sleep Clinic include surgery and laser removal of fat blocking the respiratory airways. Some people who have sleep apnea might benefit from surgery.

She said obstructive sleep apnea is more common in men, while insomnia due to depression is more common in women.

”If you do not suffer from sleep apnea but cannot sleep, the best therapy is to work out. “Exercise is also an anti-depressant and will lead to deep sleep,” says Dr Sharifi, but recommends that exercise should not be done just before going to bed.