Doctors in India are reporting an increase in the number of patients visiting sleep labs due to more young people dealing with insomnia and disturbed sleep, reports The Times of India.
An increasing number of youngsters are now grappling with insomnia and disturbed sleep patterns?, so much so that sleep labs have begun to do brisk business. Doctors, not just in metros like Delhi and Mumbai, but even in smaller cities like Dehradun are reporting an increase in the number of patients visiting ‘sleep labs’ ?that analyse? sleep patterns and then ?prescribe treatment?.
On average, 9 to 15 patients, including those in the age group of 18 to 30, are frequenting sleep labs in Dehradun every month, while the count in Kolkata is as high as 3 to 4 patients per week.
Talking to TOI, Dr Ravi Gupta, certified sleep physician (World Sleep Federation) at the Himalayan Hospital, said, “Most common ailments that patients are seeking relief from include obstructive sleep apnea, delayed sleep and snoring.”
Many patients desperate for some shut-eye are signing up for expensive ‘sleep studies’. A sleep study or polysomnography is an overnight test where the patient is hooked on to a machine which gathers information on eye ball movements, chest movement, abdomen movement, sleep stages, heartbeat, brainwaves etc.
