World Sleep Day Today: Beware of sleep disorder

A Bangladeshi research published in a US-based journal found prevalence of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes among the people with sleeping disorders.

The research findings were revealed based on the responses of a survey conducted on some 12,338 adults across Bangladesh.

The research also found that snoring during sleep is significantly associated with chronic disease in Bangladeshi adult population.

Today is World Sleep Day. The annual event is organised by the World Sleep Day Committee of World Sleep Society that aims to lessen the burden of sleep-related problems.

The research, carried out by Brac's research and evaluation division, was published in Sleep Health journal of the National Sleep Foundation in 2018.

 “Despite the relationship was not causal, there is a clearly established link between sleep duration and snoring with non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh,” Dr Fakir Yunus, lead author of the article told The Daily Star.

The article reads, “Although several known risk factors for chronic disease have already been identified, snoring during sleep may be regarded as a 'next-generation' global health problem in Bangladesh and elsewhere.”

The authors said, “Snoring is considered a form of sleep-disordered breathing that leads to an inability to initiate or maintain good quality sleep, especially when associated with nocturnal oxygen desaturation or upper airway obstruction.”

The study also showed that shorter sleep duration affects human memory and the immune system, and in particular, inadequate sleep duration (less than 6 hours) is significantly associated with a higher risk of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease, and mental health disorders.

Furthermore, the article read, a long sleep duration (more than 8 hours) is associated with obesity, hypertension, CHD, and impaired physical and psychological well-being.