Yvonne Loo: Empowering Singaporeans to Reclaim Their Sleep

Yvonne Loo, Group Director of The Air Station, is on a mission to help you take charge of your sleep wellness journey.

“Sleep deprivation is a severe problem in Singapore. Statistics have shown we are one of the most sleep deprived countries in the world. This is not surprising, given our long work hours and fast-paced environment.

Singaporeans work hard – oftentimes late into the night – and sleep is often viewed as a burden, rather than a necessity. To make matters worse, work stress compounds our sleep issues. It triggers heightened anxiety, further disrupting our natural sleep-wake cycle. 

Even when we’re not working, there are many late-night activities for us to enjoy. Our lifestyle contributes significantly to poor sleep quality. It is crucial to recognise that sleep is a fundamental aspect of a balanced life. It deserves far greater attention and prioritisation.

My passion for sleep health started 14 years ago when I joined a prominent sleep medical device company in Singapore.   As a junior sales rep, I underwent training and was introduced to the concept of sleep apnea. It was eye-opening to learn about sleep disorders and its impact on a person’s health.

Having sleep apnea is similar to suffocating in your sleep. Due to blockages of your airway, you don’t get enough air into your system, and your organs, including your heart might suffer a lack of oxygen. This could then result in your heart working harder, and your body being stressed out as you struggle to breathe.

Another common symptom of sleep apnea is loud snoring, which debunks the misconception that snoring means good sleep. Sleep apnea sufferers also may exhibit daytime sleepiness because they are not getting the quality rest the night before. If sleep apnea is left untreated, it may lead to more dangerous conditions such as high blood pressure.

For the longest time, my mother suffered from high blood pressure that was very hard to control. She saw so many cardiologists, and we spent a lot of money on different medications that different specialists prescribed, just to see what works for her hypertension.

Despite our best efforts, she still faced health complications like end-stage renal failure and extreme forgetfulness. She would leave her room to get something, and by the time she’s in the kitchen, she’d completely forget what she wanted. She was a pessimist who carried a frown on her face and appeared tired all the time.

As her symptoms were very suspicious of sleep apnea, I wasted no time in letting her utilise the free sleep study staff benefit at my current company – The Air Station. The diagnosis revealed my mother had moderate sleep apnoea, and the periods of apnoea attack vividly coincided with her racing heart rate.

So The Air Station introduced her to CPAP – or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure – which is the  gold standard treatment for sleep apnea. It’s basically a machine with a little turbine to push air at higher pressure to help you overcome your airway obstruction sites.

The next morning, her transformation was undeniable. She awoke with newfound energy and a notable absence of nocturnal chest pain. Now, with nightly use, CPAP has granted her boundless energy and minimised her reliance on hypertension medications.

Her mental state has also improved dramatically, switching from someone with depressive thoughts to being the force of positivity to everyone around her. The treatment revolutionised her life.

While feeling relieved for my mum, I couldn’t help but wonder if she had spent years enduring health and mental issues that could have been prevented with earlier sleep testing and treatment. So why didn’t her doctors diagnose her much earlier?

My job led me to realise that sleep apnea is severely undiagnosed and something our part of the world is very unaware of. Did you know, according to a 2016 research, one-third of Singaporeans are predicted to have sleep apnea, and that 90 percent are undiagnosed?

In 2010, I started talking to different cardiologists in Singapore, asking if they were keen to look into the strong link between sleep apnea and cardiovascular diseases. A majority of them replied that it is not their domain nor specialty, and directed me away from their practice.

It was disappointing initially but things started looking up in late 2010 when I met Professor Ronald Lee from the National University Hospital. He was also passionate about sleep health, and had just started researching the link between sleep apnea and its long impact on cardiovascular health.

At that point in time, I knew the road ahead of us was long and tedious, but it was exciting to be in the position to help increase the awareness of sleep apnea

Today, seeing Professor Ronald Lee’s cardio-sleep research being published in reputable medical journals – and finally getting the attention of cardiologists on the importance of sleep apnea diagnosis – it feels very heartwarming and rewarding.

As for me, I’m now the Group Director at The Air Station – a sleep health company whose corporate vision aligns with my goals to Wake The World Afresh!

I didn’t know I would stay in the sleep health business for this long, but witnessing my mother’s dramatic turnaround shaped my career trajectory. I’m fueled by my mission to raise awareness about sleep health, and to encourage everyone to prioritise rest.

The Air Station was created to help people extract the best out of their sleep , and I hope people would take that first step by consulting our in-house experts for guidance on where to start. – Yvonne Loo, Group Director, The Air Station

Interview by: Arman Shah and Jasmine Chew

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