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China has sleep problems

Written by: David Castillo on March 22nd, 2010

China has sleep problems | read this item

When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? With the increasing pressure and speed of modern life, more and more people are taking sleep hours for granted.

The Shanghai Institution of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Sleep Disorders recently conducted a survey that showed 38 percent of adults from the city suffer from insomnia.

The city has a population of 19 million, and this means that more than 7 million suffer from a sleep disorder.

Doctors have strongly warned people about sleep apnea, linking it to car accidents, depression, and cardiovascular problems. In the long run, studies also say that sleep disorders can affect a person’s memory, disposition, and learning ability.

“If a person is working more, he or she borrows that time from sleep and that’s a bad loan,” explained Li Xinzhao, a psychologist from a consulting company. “Our society has valued people bragging about being able to function on very little sleep as a mark of someone who is aggressive, dynamic and successful. That’s wrong.”

Children are also prone to the condition. In eight Chinese cities, 27 percent of children suffer from sleep apnea.

“If your child finds it difficult to concentrate, or easy to sink into a state of depression or impatience, you should pay attention to his or her sleep,” said Jiang Fan, professor from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center.

Source: China Daily

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