Manila, Philippines – According to the 2016 Healthy Living Index Survey, Filipinos have one of the highest rates of sleep deprivation in Asia; 46% of Filipinos do not get enough sleep while 32% said they sleep for less than six hours.
This mirrors a lifestyle challenge that urbanites worldwide are grappling with. In the 2017 Philips’ Unfiltered Sleep: A Global Prioritization Puzzle , an international survey which looked at how people across the globe perceive, prioritize and prepare for sleep, more than 8 in 10 adults (84%) say that a variety of activities take precedence over a good night’s sleep.
Beyond lifestyle habits, one of the most common causes of poor sleep quality is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a condition that disrupts the sleep cycle and affects one’s energy, intellectual performance and long-term health.
Due to collapsed airways, a patient with OSA stops breathing repeatedly thereby disrupting sleep. The disorder often goes undiagnosed due to the lack of awareness both on the part of the patients as well as primary care physicians.
Untreated OSA in the long-run can result in life-threatening conditions such as cardiovascular diseases; type 2 diabetes, abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure and even stroke.
