Chennai: Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone, goes the quote. Snoring, which has always been considered a social problem, is slowly being recognised by doctors as a serious medical issue that lacks awareness.
According to WHO, approximately one in every 100 million individuals worldwide has some degree of snoring and sleep apnea. The world body estimates one in every four men and one in every nine women to be affected by snoring or sleep apnea. In order to deal with this growing issue, the KKR ENT Hospital and Research Institute held its third two-day surgical workshop on ‘Snoring and Sleep Apnea’ on February 27 and 28.
The workshop saw the coming together of 10 doctors to train other doctors from around the world about the seriousness of snoring and its different aspects. “Snoring is usually caused due to one or more blocks between the nose and the back of the mouth. There are different kinds of blocks which may require different kinds of surgeries to be conducted,” said Ravi Ramalingam, managing director of the hospital.
“It is necessary that awareness is created on the reasons for snoring to help individuals realise the seriousness,” he said. Snoring, which is higher among men, diabetics and overweight individuals, tends to worsen with age.
Reports state that 45 per cent normal adults snore occasionally and 25 per cent are habitual snorers. However, due to the lack of awareness, 90 per cent of the patients remain undiagnosed. “My husband and I used to fight a lot due to his snoring habits. It would drive me mad. Desperate for peaceful sleep, on many occasions, I have slept in a separate room. It was when we had a guest staying over for the night, that we came to know of the seriousness of the problem,” said Sunandha P.
“As Tamil Nadu is known as the diabetic capital of India, cases of sleep apnea are higher here. It is also seen that South Indian women tend to adjust with their snoring husbands more than is the case anywhere. However, the public is slowly becoming aware,” said Ramalingam, adding, “Approximately two patients approach me each day with regard to snoring and sleep apnea.”
With World Sleep Day on March 18, it was decided at the workshop to have ‘Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream’ as the slogan for the occasion.
