According to The Times of India, a study indicates that more than half of sleep apnea patients may already have high blood pressure or diabetes.

Experts said that the survey by Philips Healthcare India has established how sleep apnea can lead to serious health issues, including increased risk of high blood pressure, obesity and irregular heartbeats. The study further showcased that 14% of suspects suffer from cardiac problem. Around 84% admitted to people getting troubled because of their heavy snoring.

It is estimated that India has around 30-35 million sleep apnea patients. “India is a host to diabetic and blood pressure patients, due to the given lifestyle and this only increases the chances of patients also having sleep disorders like Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Frequent intervals of breathlessness, excessive loud snoring, waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat, excessive sleep during the daytime are all common symptoms of a sleep disorder. But the challenge is to make people aware of the condition and its effects that are life-threatening conditions like chronic cardiac conditions, strokes, neurological disorders to name a few,” said Dr Abhijeet Deshpande, International Institute of Sleep Sciences, Mumbai.

He added, “The good news is that most sleep disorders are entirely treatable. The bad news is people are oblivious to such problems. With most urban Indians sleeping under six hours due to their lifestyle, India currently is under a large ‘sleep debt’. And due to the same reasons these people get susceptible to related diseases like diabetes and hypertension.”

View the full story at www.indiatimes.com