Insomnia, sleep apnea two most prevalent sleep disorders in China

Medical experts have highlighted insomnia and sleep apnea as the two most prevalent sleep disorders affecting Chinese people during an event held on Friday.

Han Fang, head of the sleep medicine clinic at Peking University People's Hospital, said that there are more than 90 types of sleep problems ranging from having difficulty falling sleep or waking up to experiencing poor sleep quality. 

"It is estimated that about 10 percent of Chinese people may require medical interventions in sleep and a broader population are encouraged to improve their literacy in sleep health," he said during a news conference held by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences on this year's World Sleep Day.

Han said that a common and dangerous condition is sleep apnea that hinder breathing during sleep. Individuals who are overweight, obese or have chronic conditions like high blood pressure face an elevated risk of developing this disorder.

"Around 60 million Chinese people are estimated to have moderate to severe sleep apnea and require active medical interventions. However, less than 1 percent can receive timely diagnosis and treatment," he said. 

Zhan Shuqin, a physician at the neurology department of Xuanwu Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, said that the most common sleep problems is insomnia.

Warning signs of insomnia include taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, waking up more than twice each night and having trouble falling back to sleep and waking up early in the morning.

Persistent symptoms over three months or longer may indicate chronic insomnia, affecting an estimated 38 percent of the Chinese population, she said, adding that a wide variety of treatments are now available.

The National Health Commission has required each municipal-level region to have at least one hospital that can provide sleep medicine services by the end of November.

"It is encouraging to see that the nation has stress the significance of improving sleep medicine services and spreading awareness about sleep hygiene," said Han.