Let's do something about Sleep

World Sleep Day is observed annually to draw attention to the importance of sleep in the gadget fraught era. This year’s theme is “Preserve your rhythms, to enjoy Life.”The “rhythms” is nothing but the circadian rhythm, our 24-hour internal biological clock that regulates our waking and sleep; it helps one enumerate between wakefulness and sleeping time.

Sleep has turned out to be a worthy luxury with everyone strapped for time. Sleep. Sleep author, Arianna Huffington said in an interview recently, we need to stop glamourising people who are always on the phone. We need to detach and lead a balanced life. We need to take out time to enjoy the little joys of life, spend time with nature and loved ones, and disconnect from the trappings of gadgets, while keeping routine.

The term ‘Beauty sleep’ is for real. In her book, she writes about how good sleep transformed her personality and redefined her looks, deflecting the thought of Botox.

Sunday (www.sundayrest.com), a new-age brand into mattresses designed with orthopedic guidance commissioned a sleep survey that showed how majority Indians, at least in metropolitan cities despite work schedules are in the habit of sleeping late. While the best time to sleep is anywhere between 10-11pm, statistics indicate the trend being otherwise. Mumbai has the highest number of nighthawks who sleep after the clock strikes midnight. Only 37.27% of Bangalore residents sleep by 10pm; compared to 10% for Delhi and 12.8% for Mumbai. Rest all sleep by midnight if not later.

Alphonse Reddy, Founder, Sunday says, “The study shows how a fast lifestyle, sedentary habits and nagging addictions are leading to sleep deprivation and poor quality sleep. Also the majority of population in India is young and restless, and with so many distractions nowadays sleep is getting bartered.”

Sleep is the most precious natural resource that we are not honouring enough. According to Dr Himanshu Garg, Somnologist and Founder, Aviss Health, “With people increasingly socializing till late at night and working over time, they are losing out on quality sleep. Children during exam preparation are deprived of sleep hours to pack in more, not realizing the REM phase of sleep which is the deepest is when information gets best absorbed and by sleeping late, they are missing out on it.”

Everyone is caught by the fad of exercising and dieting, without understanding how important sleep is. For lifelong efficiency, memory and productivity, good sleep is imperative. The “bravado” attached to less sleep, needs to go.

Expectations seem to be bearing heavy on sleep. Psychologist Neha Patel from Nanavati hospital says, “There are a lot of expectations from society and individuals from themselves, which when unmet are leading to anxiety and sleep loss.” Getting good sleep is imperative for overall mental and physical well being. “Sufficient sleep can help people cope with life better and live with confidence,” says Patel.And finally let’s do something about sleep; you are already in the best place to buy a mattress.