Sleep Disorders: More Damaging than we Realize

We found Nurse Jeesha to be competent dedicated and with a friendly and adjustable disposition. We would highly recommend her.

Reba Mukherjee
Good morning Joji. We would like to share extremely positive feedback regarding Abhijit with you. He was phenomenal! Please consider making him a permanent staff with Portea. Respectful, kind, considerate, always with dad, never complained, clean, polite. Thank you for selecting him as a replacement for Bijish for last month. With all our best wishes to you & your team at Portea, Venkatachalam Iyer

Mr. V V Venkatachalam
First of all I would like to thank you with all my heart for the nursing care you provided me that I could ever imagine during this difficult time.
Thank you for putting yourself on the front line and helping me with my condition.
Your compassion,hard work and kindness do not go unnoticed.Its all because of the doctors/nurses like you we live in a happier and healthier world.
Keep up the good work by making this world a better place to live
Thank you

Apeksha Pandey
I would like to thank you for the nursing services arranged during the last 10 days. Appreciate your help. I would like to mention Antony (Nursing co-coordinator) for the excellent support and help.

Anjan Kumar
Hope you’re well and following al necessary precautions in these uncertain times. Stay safe!

I wanted to send this note earlier but with the current situation and lockdown I’ve not been able to do so. My apologies for that.

After 3 to 4 months of critical care, my father in law passed away earlier this month. We as a family are extremely thankful to the nursing staff who were with him throughout and did everything possible to make him feel comfortable and cared for.

We did hit a rough patch at the start but your intervention helped a lot and we’ve not had to worry about quality thereafter.

While there were quite a few staff members who were involved (Laxman, Monto, Ebby) and very good at their work, in particular we have a deep sense of gratitude for Mr. Jabin who has consistently been with him from day one. Mr. Jabin was assigned to take care of my father in law while he was still in hospital and he took all efforts to match the quality of care just as they were doing in the hospital. Till the last moment, he was there with our family and has gone above and beyond his duties. It was extremely touching to see how he developed a bond with his patient and would care for him as one of his own. The more I say is less when it comes to Jabin and the way he has taken care of him is exemplary.

We are very thankful to the entire Portia team. Your services are a blessing for families that are need of critical care in a home setup.

We wish you luck

C Gopinath
I would like to appreciate the support provided by the Portea Luckow team during this crisis time.
I have been taking services from your organization for almost over a year now, have faced few minor issues earlier but the kind of support the team provided in this testing time when the whole medical support is closed is exceptional and laudable.
My father was admitted in hospital on 20th March and was in ICU and was forcibly discharged on 25th March while being monitored in ICU. I was not getting any support from any of the hospital then I called Rakshit for help. He immediately arranged for a 24 hrs nurse assistant at home. He gave me confidence to overcome the change of managing my father at home. He has been in constant touch with me providing help, guidance and facilitating medical supplies at home. Looking at the criticality of the patient he made a home visit and took cognizance of things , guided the NA asked him to take proper care and even help my mother in home care also.

The efforts your Lucknow team put in to support the patient at home is highly commendable.
Thank you so much for helping me out during these very difficult times. Your help has been invaluable to me, and I don’t know how I would have managed without your help and support. Again, thank you so much. I sincerely appreciate your generosity.

R N Singh
write this note as I still grieve the loss of my dear mama. I would like to thank you who personally ensured she had the care required in the last 2 months of her life.
Pushpa, is a well-skilled attendant, the staff that substituted for her too had a great kind attitude to my mother, and this I appreciated very much. The physiotherapists had rehabilitated her well, given her condition as well.
You run a good service for the sick and/or dying and God Bless you and Portea for the help and unwavering support provided to me and my mother.
I would recommend your services without hesitation.

Many thanks and best regards,

Mrs Denise Ireland
I take this valuable opportunity to thank your team from Portea, for supporting us during a very critical time with a very professional nursing service to suit our needs. I would like to thank all the sisters, with a special mention of Miss.R.Ranjitha and coordinator Mr.Immanuel, who were our rock solid support with their dedicated nursing care.
Thank u Portea.

Meenakshi Vaidyanathan
Their services were very competent and their staff –provided consistent and excellent services over this period.
We are grateful to them and would like to wish Portea success in continuing to provide excellent services.

S Sundaram
Thank you for the gift given to us on your Customer Day celebration. We would like to record our appreciation for the services rendered by your staff Coordinator Ms Yasodha, Patient attendees Mr. Murugesan, have been very attentive to our needs and thanks for the services.

T.E.Degaleesan

Sleep Disorders Are More Damaging Than We Realize

“EARLY TO BED AND EARLY TO RISE, MAKES A MAN HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE.”

Sleep is always considered a crucial part of healthy lifestyle and a good sleep is related to our working ability, But when we feel pressed for time it is also one of the first thing to go. Poor and insufficient sleep can gradually result into various physical and psychological problems. Some of the common consequences include a bad mood, fatigue and lack of focus. Poor sleep also gives rise to various immunological and long-term health complications such as blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac problems, etc.

Sufficient sleep is as important and as required as food and air. A healthy life is incomplete without a normal 7-8 hours of sleep. After a long and tiring day we all need an uninterrupted sleep to start fresh and full of energy next day. While sleeping our body undergoes various metabolic and hormonal changes which help to maintain immunity of the body and play a major role in a disease free lifestyle. People give up sleep for a number of reasons, which if continued for long can alter the functioning of body and mind and lead to various complications.

Insufficient sleep tends to make the person drowsy and moody the following day. Sleep deprivation affects the memory power and makes the person dependent on caffeine. Even the effects of alcohol are magnified and lower the quality of life. According to research most of the marriages are unsuccessful due to problems related to insufficient sleep. Lack of sleep can affect sexual life as well as the drowsiness the following day can show negative impact on the marital relationship. With the increasing competition in the new scenario people prefer their work to their health, but are not aware of the negative impacts this will leave on their life.

According to experts a person should sleep for 7-8 hours a day. An uninterrupted sleep helps an individual to relieve the day’s stress and tiredness, and also improve the mental and physical health. Our sleep can be affected by many medical, psychological and environmental factors. A contemporary lifestyle and work- related factors are also among the common causes of sleep deprivation. Because of today’s fast forward and busy lifestyle people extend their working hours by cutting down on sleeping time. Sleep deprivation can lead to many chronic health issues. Knowing these health complications can help you to overcome a sleep problem and lead a healthier life.

Causes of Sleep Disorder

The consequences of your being sleep deprived can include the following:

Visual impairments – The retina of a sleep deprived person looses the ability to form clear and accurate vision. Sleep deprivation also results in double vision and tunnel vision. The condition of prolonged wakefulness can gradually affect the centre of the visual field which can be accompanied by other visual impairments and a feeling of hallucination.

Metabolic alterations – When asleep our body exudes various chemicals/ hormones to control appetite, glucose breakdown and processing, and energy metabolism. Lack of sleep alters the metabolic mechanism of the body and induces hormonal imbalance. Sleep deficit person tends to produce a high level of stress hormone CORTISOL and the glucose regulating hormone INSULIN. Elevated insulin levels are associated with fat storage and weight gain and increases the risk factors for diabetes. People who sleep less than 4 hours have less leptin and more ghrelin (hunger stimulating hormone) production in their body which further leads to overeating and gradually obesity.

Psychological or mood disorders – a sleep deprived person will feel irritated and will experience mood swings most of the time. If sleepless nights continue from days to weeks, weeks to months, it may become chronic and may result in depression, memory loss and other types of mental disorders. People may also tend to get sad, angry, depressed and mentally exhausted. Sleep deprived individuals may also lack social skills. Once an individual gets back to a normal sleep routine, these self reported symptoms may improve.

Cardiovascular problems and hypertension – sleepless nights can pump up the blood pressure level which is associated with various cardiac complications and heart stroke. Cardiovascular disorders can also be caused by increase in weight. According to researchers from a reputed institute sleep deprivation can lead to hypertension as well as decrease the body’s ability to repair the blood vessels.

Immunological complications – our body produces infection fighting antibodies in sleeping mode which help to protect our body from foreign substances. Lack of sleep deteriorates the protecting ability of the immune system and makes the body more prone to illness.

Diabetes – according to studies sleep deprivation can affect the glucose production of the body and gradually lead to Type 2 diabetes. However, the effects of diabetes can be decreased by getting back to normal sleeping habit.

Respiratory problems – since lack of sleep weakens the immune system of the body, the entry of foreign substances is not resisted and the body gets prone to common cold, influenza and other types of respiratory problems.

Brain related complications – sleep relaxes our body and helps to get rid of day long stress. It also boosts up the functioning ability of the brain. In children growth hormones as well as the cell repair proteins are produced while sleeping. The ability to think and concentrate can be affected by insufficient sleep. It also contributes to short term as well as long term memory loss.

Sometimes the Following Complications Can Be Seen

Sleep deprivation of more than 24 hours can affect the ability to differentiate various types of smells.

The ability to focus or concentrate is impaired when awake for more than 72 hours. An insomniac person will be less innovative and may lose the thinking and decision making skills. The work accuracy, effectiveness and performance can steadily decrease with an increase in the waking hours.

Sleep deprivation alters skin characteristics.

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About Author

Sreedevi M

Sreedevi Madhavan manages the content at Portea. She has 6 years of experience writing and managing medical content relevant to the patient and physician community. She also writes blogs for self-development, a handiwork of which can be seen at: www.sreedevi96.blog Sreedevi’s motto in life is “Keep learning, as learning keeps us young and dreams keep us alive.”