SINGAPORE (AFP) - Most Asians experience serious sleep problems but refuse to seek medical help, a survey released here recently showed.

They take their problems for granted, and most do not seek a doctor's advice about treatments according to the survey commissioned by the Asian Sleep Research Society.

Of the 3,668 adults polled in the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan, 52 percent had difficulty falling asleep and 56 percent had problems returning to sleep after waking during the night, the group said in a statement.

Forty-four percent said they felt drowsy or tired upon awakening and 38 percent said they wake up too early in the morning.

For the first time, we have a clear indication of the extent to which sleep problems affect people in Asia Shojiro Inoue of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, was quoted as saying.

The next step is for Asians to take sleep problems seriously and physicians to learn about new ways to help.?

The statement said Asians Tend to deny the seriousness of their own sleep problems and fear that prescription sleep medications may cause addiction.?

Naiphinich Kotchabhakdi, from Muhibol University in Thailand, said Asians prefer behavioral strategies such as watching television, or herbal remedies to deal with sleep difficulties.

Herbal remedies are very common but there is little clinical evidence to support their effectiveness, and there is mounting evidence that they may not be safe and may cause complications if taken with other medications.?

Most Asians with sleep difficulties attribute the problem to stress, with health factors, noise and lighting also cited as causes, according to the survey conducted by ACNielsen.

While recognizing the consequences of poor sleep, 84 percent of those surveyed said they do not consider their sleep problems to be severe or even moderate and most are unconcerned about them.?

More than 60 percent accept that feeling sleepy in the mid-afternoon as part of life and were willing to live with it.

Asians need to understand that they are not immune to the long-term effects of inadequate sleep and that they must seek a doctor's help and not depend on ineffective strategies to cope with the situation, said Japanese doctor Inoue.

Seventy percent of the survey subjects agreed that work performance suffered as a result of poor sleep, and 66 percent agreed lack of sleep may lead to other health problems and accelerate the aging process.

(From MB.com)