Introduction:

Sleep Medicine is one of the latest and fastest growing specialities in the field of Medcine. The importance of Sleep and Sleep Disorders cannot be understated, for 33% of our lives we spend in sleep and at any given 33% of the population suffers from some or the other sleep disorder . Nearly 33% of all traffic/road/industrial accidents occur due to sleep deprivation which in turn may be due to numerous sleep disorders. It will be  interesting to know that there are more than 80 sleep disorders including snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, sleep walking, talking and sleep violence, narcolepsy and behavioral sleep disorders to name a few. The impact of sleep disorders on various other disorders is well documented including, diseases like, hypertension( High BP), cardiac failure, heart attacks, cardiac rhythm disorders, strokes, depression, diabetes, obesity in adults and attention deficit disorder, nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting), poor growth, poor performance at work or school and above all poor quality of life.Well documented studies have shown that people with sleep deprivation and disorders consume 3 to 4 times the health services thus escalating the health budget. Equally important is that these can be diagnosed and treated.

History of The Department:

Department of Sleep Medicine was established by Dr.Sanjay Manchanda in 1996. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is the only hospital in the country that has a dedicated Department of Sleep Medicine. Since its inception we have performed more than 16000 sleep studies (One of the largest in the country) of all kind of sleep disorders with contribution from cardiology, pulmonology, ENT, neurology, internal medicine, psychiatry, nephrology, paediatrics, dentistry, gastroenterology and endocrinology thus making it truly a multidiciplinary approach.

Selected Highlights and Milestones

• First in the country to start Sleep Medicine as an independent department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi (1996-Present).
• First to start Home Sleep Studies (1995 – Present).
• First to start Somnoplasty for treatment of snoring on OPD basis with ENT surgeons (2001-present).
• First to start Dental Sleep Medicine in India with Orthodontist (2002-present).
• Developed the first Mandibular Advancement Appliance for treatment of snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea in India (2002-3).
• First to start “Sound and Music Therapy" for treatment of Insomnia.
• Started Department of Sleep Medicine in Sumandeep Vidyapeeth University, Vadodara (Gujarat) in Sept.2009
• Distant Sleep studies and reporting through telemedicine and web technologies.

Facilities Provided:

1. Diagnostic Sleep Study in Sleep laboratory/ wards/ICU/CCU.
2. Nasal CPAP/BiPAP titration.
3. Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)
4. Patient training in use of CPAP/BiPAP and mask fitting techniques.
5. Making and Providing tailor made dental devices for treatment of snoring
6. Somnoplasty and ENT surgeries for treatment of snoring.

Research Activities:

1. Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in “End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
2. Sleep Apnea and Obesity- Cause and Effect Relationship. Effect of Bariatric Surgery for obesity in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
3. Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in cases with Cardiac Diseases.
4. Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep apnea and its effect on Insulin Resistance and Type2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Future Plans:

1. Starting Fellowship programs in Sleep Medicine.
2. Starting Certificate courses for clinicians and technicians in practical sleep medicine .