Sleep more & live a long, healthy life

Sleep deprivation is one of the curses of the busy, modern life which exacts a heavy toll on the health of individuals. A restful night’s sleep is the basic ingredient of healthy living, next only to a food amply laced with nutrition. Adequate sleep improves the quality of life and enhances the efficiency of brain, improves memory and carries a guarantee to longevity.

Efficiency during the day is directly proportional to how much one sleeps as the brain prepares the pathways for the next day. But sleep deprivation is one of the harsh realities of the current age. A recent survey by a community social media platform Local Circles reveals that 55 percent of Indians get to sleep less than six hours while an adult working individual needs to sleep for seven hours to strike a perfect balance between rest and activity.

All modern societies betray sleep deficiency as a common characteristic. People work longer than ever, pursue success, chase schedules and party till late hours of the evenings. In fact, sleep deficiency is termed as “one of the biggest epidemics in the world” by William C.

Dement, father of sleep medicines who pioneered the sleep study laboratory at the Stanford University. Studies point out that people who get less than six hours sleep develop higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more sleep. Of the 20,549 respondents who participated in the survey by Local Circles, one in two Indians is getting less than 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep each while one in four is getting less than 4 hours of sleep.

At least 52% respondents indicated that their sleep pattern has changed after Covid whereas 48% said, “no, sleep patterns were not affected due to Covid. Sleep deficiency has its social and economic cost. Sleep deprivation diminishes efficiency, weakens concentration and renders the life dull and dreary. Adequate sleep improves memory, inspires new ideas, and boosts concentration. Deficit in daytime performance due to loss or lack of sleep is however a universal deficiency.

Individuals suffering from prolonged sleep deficiency may run the risk of attracting heart disease, sub-optimal functioning of kidney, diabetes and stroke. Sleep deficiency among children can make them obese, trigger mood swings and foster impulsiveness. A good night’s sleep helps in maintaining a balance of hormones that regulate appetite.

The best recipe for overcoming insommnia is to destress life, give up bloated ambitions and to schedule the life in a manner that each task falls into the scheduled slot. Reducing travel time by relocating nearer to the office, ensuring a serene environment for sleeping, avoiding late-night activity or entertainment and shedding addiction to the social media are some of the measures suggested to allow the body a longer reign of sleep.

Surprisingly, the cure for sleeplessness lies in revisiting the choices one has made for his life rather than sleeping pills which are known to be habit-forming, cause mental slowing, erode memory and lead to disorders ultimately reducing the individuals to a physical wreck