For the millennials who want success at any
cost, sleep seems to have taken a backseat.
People take pride in sleeping less than
normal and working more. Also with the advent
of cell phones and other electronic devices, we
tend to spend more and more time on them and
to compensate for the time loss, we have started
sleeping less. In fact, two thirds of adults
throughout all developed and developing countries fail to obtain the recommended 7 to 8 hours
of night sleep, so much so that WHO has now
declared a sleep loss epidemic throughout the
world.
Why is sleep so important? It influences almost everything that is happening in our body
thus affecting
both our physical
as well as our
mental health.
Within the brain,
sleep enriches a
plethora of functions- our ability
to learn, memorize and make
logical decisions.
It recalibrates our
emotional brain
circuits, allowing
us to navigate
day to day challenges of life.
Let take the
incident of Mr.
Ajay (name changed). He is a 27 years old bank
employee having a 9 to 5 job. Last Monday, he
binged on his favourite series on Netflix and
slept at 3 am. He woke up at 8 am and somehow
reached his workplace. He felt lazy and lethargic; was not able to concentrate and made errors at work. Infact he was irritable and angry
and even yelled at a customer so much so that
he was reprimanded by his manager. Does this
sound similar to anyone who hadnt had enough
sleep on some nights?
Insomnia impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning and
problem solving.
During the night, various sleep cycles play a
role in consolidating memories in the mind. Even
though sleep gives our body the physical rest,
its actually processing and consolidating our
memory. When we do not get the sleep we
need, our bodies do not forget; we go into sleep
debt. Our bodies continues to pay back this
debt by trying to get sleep whenever possible,
which can result in microsleep. These
microsleeps impede concentration and negatively impact retention of information. Studies
show that insomnia leads to car accidents, increase in alcohol and substance use as well as
caffeine and other stimulants. Additionally,
people who have insomnia secrete abnormally
low levels of testosterone and may be prone to
low sex drive. Sleep disturbance contributes to
all major psychiatric conditions like depression,
psychosis, anxiety and suicidal
tendencies. Inadequate sleep
also contributes
to development
of early dementia and increases vulnernability to different lifestyle
diseases like
hypertension,
diabetes and
stroke.
So, what is
the solution?
It's simple –
maintain sleep
hygiene. Incorporate sleep promoting habits
and decrease sleep depriving habits. The do's
for good sleep are- to go to bed at the same
time each night and get up at the same time
each morning, including on the weekends. Make
sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and
at a comfortable temperature. Some Dont's :
Remove
electronic devices, such as TVs, computers and smart phone from the bedroom;
avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before
bedtime. Doing this can determine whether an
underlying condition is causing your sleep
problems and can provide the treatment you
may need. Overall the productivity comes down
drastically with sleep deprivation- both in academics and at the work place. So, the next time you want to score more in exams or want to impress your boss, do
have a good night sleep instead of burning the midnight oils. If you
continue to have issues with your sleep patterns or insomnia, be sure
to follow up with your doctor, especially a psychiatrist.