Wake up, it’s time to sleep!

A woman who sleeps for up to 22 hours a day says the condition is ruining her life (Representative image)

Following COVID-19, nearly 67 percent of Indians reported stress impacting their sleep while more than 54 percent suffer from headaches or concentration issues as symptoms of bad sleep.

These are some of the findings from the annual multi-country sleep survey that was carried out in the run-up to World Sleep Day on March 17. ResMed, a US-based company that specialises in digital health, sleep, and respiratory care, conducted the survey.

It covered more than 20,000 people from 12 countries, including the USA, the UK, China and Brazil, and had over 5,000 respondents from India.

It looked at attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours around sleep as well as its impact on overall well-being.

The survey found that while 85 percent of respondents in India reported satisfaction with their sleep quality, many of them reported that electronic devices (40 percent), change of routine (37 percent), stress (37 percent), and financial pressures (37 percent) decreased their sleep quality.

These issues, as per the survey, lead to adverse effects such as mood changes, excessive daytime sleepiness, and difficulty in concentration during the day.

Is snoring good or bad?

Experts say that good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders such as heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.

Yet, this crucial aspect related to one’s well-being is often not paid enough importance in our fitness regime.

Alarmingly, as per the survey, 58 percent of Indian respondents surveyed consider snoring as a sign of good sleep, highlighting that they were unaware that snoring was a potential trigger for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and other sleep-related issues.

Why sleeping well counts

According to Dr Arunesh Kumar, senior consultant and head of pulmonology and respiratory medicine with Paras Hospital in Gurugram, sleep is a primary and essential function required by the human body to be able to cater to the daily activities that we do and keep the body healthy.

Individuals need to understand the importance of sleep, and lack of sleep may cause the mind to be distraught and unable to even perform basic activities, he underlines.

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Dr Gopikrishnan U, consultant neurologist with the department of neurology at Amrita Hospital in Kochi, Kerala, stressed that sleep is seen across animal species and it is important for the restoration and conservation of energy, reduction in the effect of stress on the body and for transferring newly learned information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Optimal duration and quality of sleep are important contributors to health and well-being, he said.

Though most adults sleep between six and eight at night, the optimum duration varies widely with age and from individual to individual.

‘7-9 hours of sleep required’

According to Kumar, a healthy adult requires a good 7-9 hours of sleep, which is controlled by a circadian rhythm that goes through four stages.

Circadian rhythm refers to the natural cycle of physical, mental, and behavioural changes that the body goes through in a 24-hour cycle.

During the cycle, he says, the brain produces and releases hormones necessary for individuals to remain healthy and many external factors also assist in the circadian rhythm such as natural light, temperature and diet.

“As sleep is highly important for humans, lack of sleep will affect the way the body can perform cognitive functions and even impact behavior,” Kumar said.

Research studies have shown that lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

It can even lead to poor mental health resulting in delayed reactions, attention disorders, decreased concentration, and mood swings.

Individuals may take proactive measures to maintain their sleep hygiene by decreasing the amount of caffeine intake, committing to bedtime and following it regularly, avoiding nicotine intake, and exercising daily, Kumar said.

Gopikrishnan said that adjusting one’s daily schedule and a refreshing sleep should be prioritised for better mental and physical health.

Do we seek help when in need?

However, despite an overwhelming majority — 89 percent — of Indian respondents in the ResMed survey having said that getting a good amount of sleep each night is important for improving the overall immune system, many were still hesitant to seek treatment for issues such as sleep apnea or other sleep conditions.

It was due to high levels of uncertainty and doubts, particularly over concerns about the cost of treatment (32 percent) and fearful of potential results (30 percent), the analysis showed.

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In fact, the survey found that only a handful would choose to consult a medical provider (20 percent), and a vast majority would refer family or friends (57 percent) and online information (37 percent) for advice.

While 67 percent respondents said that doctors in India ask about the quality of sleep, close to a third (30 percent) surveyed continued to doubt the effectiveness of treatment in improving their overall health, highlighting the urgent need to educate them about the health effects of sleep and proactive measures available to address them.