Chennai, India:With 93% of the population in India sleep-deprived, and only 2% of Indians discussing their sleep issues with physicians, Philips India (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today renewed its commitment to increasing awareness on common sleep disorders with the launch of its connected care solution.

 Chennai, India:With 93% of the population in India sleep-deprived, and only 2% of Indians discussing their sleep issues with physicians, Philips India (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today renewed its commitment to increasing awareness on common sleep disorders with the launch of its connected care solution

India is suspected to have around 50million sleep apnea patients and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are further adding to the disease burden. Philips India is educating people about symptoms like loud snoring, chronic daytime sleepiness and severe morning headache which impact productivity and overall quality of life. Not only does this affect general well-being but if left untreated it can also lead to graver health issues. But Sleep Apnea can be treated with CPAP therapy.

Philips India has introduced various effective sleep therapy solutions under its Dream Family portfolio. In addition to the dream station device and mask, the new DreamMapperapp enables patients to track vital information and get a daily report on the number of hours of sleep on therapy each night, mask fit, periods of apnea etc., all at the click of a button.

Mr. Harish R, Head of Sleep & Respiratory Care at Philips says, “Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a serious condition that can lead to increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and more. It has been observed that more than 53% Sleep Apnea suspects are already suffering from either Diabetes or High BP. In such a scenario, there is a critical need for effective treatment and management of Sleep Apnea to enable people to live healthy lives. With the Dream Family, especially the new comprehensive and connected sleep solution, DreamMapper app we are aiming to holistically address all these factors.”

 Dr. N Ramakrishnan,Director, Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciencessaid, “Sleep Apnea is at least as common as Hypertension, Diabetes and Heart Disease and can lead to all of these if untreated. India has the dubious distinction of being the diabetic capital of the world and in our recent collaborative research we have found that Sleep apnea is more prevalent in Diabetics. If untreated this can lead to poor blood sugar control and increase risk of complications.”

 Philips India has already established over 500 sleep labs in association with leading sleep specialists across the country with 45 sleep labs in Chennai which adds on to Philips’ long-standing commitment to drive awareness around OSA and other sleep disorders.

 About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips’ health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter