World SLEEP Day Celebrations Cum *lawareness program at Sukhna Lake received huge response*
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The theme of this year’s event is “Sleep is essential for Health.”
On the occasion of World Sleep Day on 17th March a mass awareness program was organised at the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh by the Department of Otolaryngology, PGIMER Chandigarh. The day was marked by spreading congnizance about the sleep related breathing disorders mainly Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) among the public. Residents and Audiologists from the department actively took part in the event by organizing a skit that highlighted the different scenarios faced as a consequence of OSA in our routine life at home, schools and work place and pamphlets mentioning about the condition were distributed among the crowd.
The Head of the Department of Otolaryngology, PGIMER, Dr. (Prof.) Naresh Kr. Panda introduced the condition of Snoring and OSA and said that people should not ignore this condition as it causes a huge health and financial burden on the individual and the family in the long run. Addressing the gathering, the chief guest at the occasion, Prof Vivek Lal, Director PGIMER, concluded the session remarked that sleep is the most important ingredient of a healthy life and a sound sleep is the hallmark of a healthy individual. A good sleep can prevent so many mental and physical ailments. He lauded the Department of ENT to have taken up a public awareness campaign for such an important topic of public life.
Prof Sandeep Bansal, a sleep surgeon in the Department of ENT at PGIMER highlighted the condition and told about the signs and symptoms and the need and importance for its elimination through medical or surgical treatment. Dr Ankur Gupta, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiology said that OSA can cause grave cardiac consequences in patients and repeated drop in oxygen level while sleeping can cause the body to release adrenaline to such a level that it can cause a sudden cardiac arrest. About 19 percent of people with severe sleep apnoea have died as mentioned in recent studies.
The program was attended by Prof Rakesh Sehgal, Dean (Academics), Sh. Kumar Guarav Dhawan, Deputy Director (Admin), Prof Vipin Kaushal, Medical Suprintendent, PGIMER and the event was a great success and saw the participation of more than 200 people with active engagement with the crowd in promoting the awareness about Snoring Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
On the World Sleep Day, Prof Bansal said that Obstructive Sleep Apnea affects an individual’s productivity, be it a child or an adult and is being neglected inspite of the fact that its treatment can prevent so many comorbidities in future. In fact, studies show that OSA can increase the chances of road accidents. This is because people with OSA do not get enough sleep and so can become drowsy while driving. We have and are carrying out many research projects so as to improve the surgical treatment options for OSA under the able guidance of Prof. Naresh Panda, Head Department of Otolaryngology who said on the occasion of World Sleep Day that people should not ignore this condition as it causes a huge health and financial burden on the individual and the family in the long run.
Snoring is not a regular event and should not be ignored. If you know someone who is snorer or someone who finds it difficult to sleep at night due to sudden choking sensation in the neck, you must refer the person to a sleep surgeon for management of this condition.
