As more than 100 million people worldwide suffer from sleep apnoea, many of them undiagnosed, it has become a health concern, with the annual World Sleep Day raising awareness and calling for action on sleep-related issues.
Dutch technology company Royal Philips is also on board, opening Southeast Asia's first Sleep and Respiratory Education Center three days before World Sleep Day 2018, which fell on March 16 -- the Friday before spring equinox.
Located within the Philips Apac Center in Singapore, the medical-education centre aims to train healthcare professionals across the region to better diagnose and treat sleep disorders.
Last August, Philips signed an MOU with SingHealth to collaborate on providing integrated quality patient care, clinical education and research efforts, as well as to increase public awareness of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which affects one in three Singaporeans according to a recent study.
"OSA is caused by the repeated collapse of a sufferer's airway, leading to low oxygen levels and disrupted sleep," said Dr Mok Ying Juan, director of public education and epidemiology at SingHealth Duke-NUS Sleep Center.
"It can cause daytime tiredness, poor work and school performance, and more serious heart problems. Unfortunately, many cases of OSA in Singapore remain undiagnosed, and more needs to be done to increase public awareness of this condition so that people are guided towards effective treatment of their condition."
OSA can be diagnosed by interpreting data from home sleep tests and in-laboratory sleep studies, which is one of the training topics at Philips' Sleep and Respiratory Education Center.
The 102m² facility has a life-size mock-up of a patient's bedroom for sleep observation and a monitoring room, where sleep technicians score and analyse sleep data.
The training and interaction room is where the sleep data and recordings are interpreted to identify abnormal sleep patterns, such as limb movement, rapid eye movement and respiratory effort, to better understand the diagnosis of sleep disorders.
At the opening event, Philips launched a series of complimentary peer-to-peer training programmes that, besides diagnostic knowledge, will upskill physicians in the latest sleep and respiratory therapy technologies.
"Our centre aims to provide best-in-class education and training from the world's leading sleep specialists for healthcare professionals across the region to address the current gap in sleep-qualified professionals in Southeast Asia, so that timely diagnosis and treatment can be provided to people who suffer from sleep disorders," said Ivy Lai, country manager of Philips Singapore.
The latest sleep and respiratory therapy technologies used for training and demonstration at the centre include the Philips Alice Night One home sleeping test and DreamStation positive airway pressure sleep therapy devices, as well as nasal, full-face and pillow masks.
"Sleep health is an important yet often forgotten pillar of health and well-being," said Lai. "With the technologies available today, and advances in home testing, we aim to make it more accessible for people who suffer from sleep disorders to seek professional help."
Bettering your bedtime bliss
A specialist talks about the dangers of sleep apnoea, on the opening of a new clinic assisting with this problem
While obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is more common among men than women, Dr Han Hong Juan says he has a low risk of having the breathing disorder because of his broad facial structure, holding a lot of air space.
"I'm not the fittest and I may not look good but I breathe very well," quipped the Singaporean ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon. "I was interested in how other men, like my classmates, are very athletic but are likely to develop OSA. And I will outlive them if they don't get treatment."
Dr Juan is the medical director for the ENT, Voice & Snoring Clinic in the Lion City.
He was a guest speaker at the opening of the Philips Sleep and Respiratory Education Center that provides training for sleep specialists and technicians as well as healthcare professionals, to better diagnose and treat sleep disorders.
From a recent study, one in three Singaporeans suffers from moderate to severe OSA.
Men are more prone to having severe OSA due to the differences in fat distribution, upper airway anatomy, neurochemical mechanisms and sex hormones, among other factors.
"Because men are asleep, they are not aware of the persistent snoring and breathing problem whereas the partner is disturbed and worried," he noted. "The wife may then record the husband while sleeping; only then will he realise that it's a health issue and he needs to consult a doctor."
But as women may not show classic symptoms, they may be under- or misdiagnosed with OSA.
Moreover, as some women seek aesthetic surgery for a sharper jaw and ideal face shape, the anatomical change may increase the risk of the breathing disorder and make them a "snoring beauty". Craniofacial abnormalities, enlarged tonsils, allergic rhinitis and obesity also cause the sleep-related breathing disorder, even in younger people.
A sleep study will assess whether you have OSA by observing the snoring and breathing pauses when the upper airway collapses. In contrast, a snorer with normal breathing has a clear and open upper airway allowing air to flow freely to and from the lungs.
Other night-time symptoms include choking or gasping for air, restless sleep and frequent visits to the bathroom.
The loud snoring is not the problem, noted Dr Juan, who's more concerned about the absence of sound.
"The silence means that there is no more air flow, and no air getting into the lung. And when a person is suffocating there's no sound," he said.
After waking up, symptoms during the day include early-morning headaches, sleepiness, poor concentration and irritability.
If left untreated, OSA may cause other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, abnormal heart rhythm, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and stroke.
Dr Juan emphasises the need to generate awareness in order to get OSA patients diagnosed and started on treatment, such as with positive airway pressure sleep therapy devices that are now more simple, quiet and comfortable.
Masks further have revolutionary designs, such as a full face mask that enables wearing glasses, reading and watching TV; and a pillow mask with a hose on the top that allows more freedom of movement.
"You can have a high-tech device, but if the patient feels uncomfortable, that hinders compliance," he said. "But it's not just about the devices. More important, the patient needs expert care and Philips will develop this expertise at its Sleep and Respiratory Education Center."
