More than 10,000 people in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou will
participate in a worldwide survey this month on sleep and insomnia.
It
will be the first time for China to take part in such event
sponsored by the International Foundation for Mental Health and
Neuro-Science.
To
help people know more about the importance of sleep and the problem
of insomnia, the foundation, with the support of the
Sanofi-Synthelabo Corp. of France, initiated the World-Wide Sleep
and Health Project -- International Sleep Day set on March 1 every
year.
Professor Li Shunwei of the Peking
Union Medical College Hospital said that the whole of society
is asked to pay attention to the quality of sleep.
Professor Gu Niufan of the Shanghai Mental Health Center noted that
over 10 percent of the population in industrial countries suffers
from insomnia.
A
survey conducted by the Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine
Hospital shows that more than 15 percent of Shanghai citizens are
troubled by insomnia.
Experts point out that insomnia is a disease that should be treated
according to different causes.
(Xinhua News
Agency January 26, 2002)