Specialised sleep disorder clinic births in Lagos 

Sleep Inc. Limited, a subsidiary of Sleep Consultants Limited USA, a specialised Sleep Clinic has opened its flagship Nigerian clinic in Ikoyi, Lagos. Established with the sole aim of delivering world class respiratory and sleep specialty care and education to patients in Nigeria, the clinic will provide care and advice to patients with diverse respiratory related and sleep disorders.

The clinic’s team of international sleep experts is led by OlusolaOguntolu, MACP, FCCP, a board certified doctor in Internal Medicine, who also has sub-specialty board certifications in sleep medicine, pulmonary disease and critical care from the American Board of Internal Medicine.  The facility also has local and international industry partners that assist in execution of the founders’ vision.

Oguntolu, who is also the Chief Circadian Officer of the Clinic, while showing guests around the facility, stated: ” having recognized the paucity of qualified providers in the often undiagnosed area of pulmonary and sleep disorders in the country, and noticing the devastating effects of these diseases when untreated, one of our main goals, is raising awareness among Nigerians about sleep disorders and respiratory ailments.”

Oguntolu also noted that the Clinic, located on Bourdillon Road in Ikoyi, is purpose designed for the care of patients with respiratory and sleep disorders and is configured with best-in-class diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to aid in diagnosis and delivery of cutting edge therapies.

“To understand why sleep is important, think of your body as a factory that performs a number of vital functions. As you drift off to sleep, the body begins its night-shift work: Healing damaged cells, boosting the immune system, as well as recharging the heart and other parts of the cardiovascular system for the next day”, explained the Chief Circadian Officer.

Sadly, quite a number of people are not getting the quality sleep needed to truly receive the health benefits of sleep because they suffer from a number of fairly common but undiagnosed sleep disorders such as sleep apnea syndrome, insomnia, narcolepsy, Restless Leg Syndrome, REM behavior disorders and other parasomnias.

The most common major disorder in the spectrum is sleep apnea. This is a dangerous condition that has potentially catastrophic consequences. It is associated with significant risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus and stroke amongst other conditions.

According to the American trained sleep disorder expert, the predominant symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (a type of sleep apnea) are snoring, fatigue, daytime sleepiness and decreased cognition over time. The good news is that the disorder is easily diagnosed and eminently treatable. However, it requires a heightened awareness as well as proactive effort by the patient and healthcare provider for early recognition and treatment.

Increased risk factors for sleep apnea include Obesity (BMI >30), hypertension, large neck circumference (>17” in men; >16” in women), excessive use of alcohol or sedatives, smoking and family history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). 30-83% of patients with hypertension have sleep apnea, 86% of obese type 2 diabetics suffer from sleep apnea. There is also a very significant Stroke risk.