Vitafoam Equips Federal Neuropsychiatric Laboratory in Yaba

Rebecca Ejifoma

A frontline manufacturer of foam and allied products, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, has donated innovative mattresses to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Sleep Laboratory, Yaba, Lagos, as part of its corporate initiatives to boost government’s efforts aimed at creating conducive environment for treatment of psychiatric patients in the country.

This exercise held in commemoration of the World Sleep Day 2018 at the Sleep Laboratory of the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.

Speaking at the commemoration, tagged: ‘Preserve your Rhythm to Enjoy Life’ the company’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi said sound sleep aids memory, repair cells and enhance physical and psychological state.

“This year, beyond providing quality sleep products like mattress, pillows, duvet, bedsheet and beds to Nigerians, Vitafoam is giving back to the society by furnishing the first Government Sleep Laboratory at Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba,

The GMD, represented by the Technical and Development Director, Mr. Abaggana Abatcha, said this year, Vitafoam created sleep corners in all their comfort centres in Lagos and provided sleep specialists to give free consultation to all their customers during the WSD.

“We are committed to producing quality and innovative products that will support sleep and we will continue to support World Sleep Day in creating sleep awareness to enable Nigerians achieve a good night’s sleep, so we can produce better leaders for our beloved country Nigeria. We are confident that good sleep is an achievable dream with Vitafoam.”

A Sleep Expert from the University of Toronto, Dr. Adeoye Adefemi, emphasised the importance of quality sleep. According to him, everyone should fix a bed time for sleep. And to achieve that, one has to avoid heavy spicy or sugary food and caffeine products four hours before bed time and always dim the light to sleep.

He said most issues that make people break down mentally are traceable to sleep disorder. “Other factors are lack of quality food and good exercise.

The Medical Director, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr. Oluyemi Cecilia, acknowledged the sleep laboratory as the first owned government laboratory in Nigeria and “It is something that is germane to us. We appreciate Vitafoam for helping us with it”.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Warwick in 2012 have revealed that 150 million people across Africa and Asia “cannot sleep”. As part of their conclusion, these scientists drew attention to the fact that their findings call for public health initiatives to raise awareness about sleep problems in low-income countries.

Also, the former U.S. president, Bill Clinton, once admitted that every important mistake he made in his life he made when he was tired; hence, Mckinsey quarterly report of February 2016, the organisational cost of insufficient sleep shows that sleep-awareness programmes can produce better leaders.