World Sleep Day 2021: Promote sleep awareness for a better life

A night can seem like ages if you’re not able to shut-eyes which cause issues when you can’t stay awake throughout the day. Therefore, it is extremely important to get a proper sleep routine. There is a reason why you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day. On this World Sleep Day, let’s get aware of some of the sleep disorders people face on daily basis. Insomnia, restless leg syndrome and Sleep Apnea are triggered by stress and sleep deprivation majorly.

Poor sleep can affect the major areas of your life such as the depletion of energy and impaired judgment. Sleeplessness can also be associated with diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

What do you think is the right amount of Sleep?

Kids might need 17 hours of sleep whereas adults might require at least 7 hours of shut-eye. Some tips can enhance the quality of your sleep. Follow these dos and don’ts for better sleep.

Don’ts

• Drinking coffee at night leaves your open eye throughout the night.
• You shouldn’t be up till late in the night, it prevents your body cycle from dozing off on time.
• Hit the bed even when you’re not sleepy.
• Eating or watching TV in bed.

Don’ts

• Try to maintain a regular sleep cycle
• Set your bedroom according to temperature requirements.
• Maintain a routine that can help you unwind throughout the night.

How sleep changes according to gender roles?

There are some existing differences between the sleep cycles of men and women. Women are more likely to take longer to doze off but experience more restorative deep sleep. The sleep differences start as soon as you hit puberty. As compared to male counterparts, a woman cannot have eight hours of sleep also they might have comorbid depression. Such issues are more likely to aggravate during the hormonal transition, especially while menstruating, pregnancy and menopause.

Women face cramps, headaches, and bloating that might disturb sleep to a large extent. Also, PMS causes sleep deprivation reported as dreams, sleepiness, fatigue, and difficulty in concentration.

Women are more likely to face sleep troubles during pregnancy especially around the third trimester. During this time, OSA, Pain, and RLS are more frequent. Sleep disruptions are consistent even after you delivered the baby especially in the case of postpartum.

Why Sleep is it a major health issue?

Sleep deprivation has major consequences in adults, adolescents, and even young children. As mentioned above, insufficient sleep can cause major health issues. Insufficient sleep can also affect the immune system and development of mood swings which can aggravate mental health issues such as depression.

One major consequence of sleep deprivation is daytime fatigue; sleepiness causes slow alertness and reflex time. All these conditions lead to impaired driving and motor vehicle accidents. Therefore, the burden of sleep deprivation is extensive. Sleep deprivation is a major health issue that can give life to other sleep issues also.

However, we also hope for better sleep. This World Sleep Day, promise yourself to take a sleep test for your better sleep health.