Rebecca Todd of The Press reports on Christchurch Hospital’s new sleep research unit, following research which shows that people who suffer from sleep apnoea are 25 times more likely to be involved in car crashes.
Sleep apnoea is a fairly common condition, in which people stop breathing for short periods while asleep, and as a result are prone to sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, the condition is underdiagnosed, meaning that many people are not aware of their sleep-deprived status.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Sleep apnoea had been linked with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, as well as impotence in men, [sleep specialist Dr Michael] Hlavac said.
“Children and teenagers could also stop breathing during sleep, resulting in behavioural problems and poor performance at school.
“”People think being tired during the day is normal because they’re working too hard, but being tired during the day is not normal,” Hlavac said.”