Lack of sleep taking its toll,says survey

Hyderabad,Dec 17: The nature of work has been going through drastic changes in the recent past and work related stress is certainly not a new phenomenon that is affecting professionals.A survey conducted by Nielsen company on behalf of Philips Electronics India says that the stress of modern life appears to have finally taken its toll with as many as 11 per cent of the respondents saying that they doze off in office.The survey involved 5,600 respondents in the age group of 35-65 years across 25 cities in the country that had a population of at least five lakh. Around 93 per cent of the respondents said that they are sleep deprived with 11 per cent admitting to dozing off at work to catch up on sleep.Also, 74 per cent woke up at least two to three times during the night due to stress. "As many as 87 per cent agreed that they were aware that lack of sleep affects their health but very few visited a doctor," the survey states.

The survey also found 62 per cent of the respondents to be at high risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a condition where breathing ceases, causing the person to wake up multiple times during a sleep cycle. OSA is linked to heart disease and worsens existing heart failure.A top Philips Healthcare India official said that sleep is not optional, but is critical for overall health. Phillips has also announced that it will set up 130 sleep labs in various parts of the country to spread awareness among the masses on sleep disorders.According to a well-known science academy adults should get between seven and eight hours of sleep at night.