Tap out social media obsession, sleep tight

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 12

Do you tweet or check notifications on Whatsapp and Facebook till late at night? Beware! Going obsessive with the social media leads to sleep deprivation.

Be cautious and better put your phones and other gadgets on a nearby table in the room rather than on the bedside, as these gadgets can take a toll on your sleep, hence affect your health.

Experts have stressed the need for switching off the social media and decreasing exposure to mobiles and tablets at night for a better sleep.

March 18 is World Sleep Day. The Ludhiana Psychiatric Forum has dedicated the month of March to a sleep awareness campaign. It will hold special public awareness lectures and distribute awareness material, informing people about the need for adopting good sleep habits.

Dr Puneet Kathuria, president of the Indian Association of Private Psychiatry, Punjab and Chandigarh State Branch, stressed the need for proper sleep hygiene and proper long-term medical treatment if required.

“People are losing their valuable sleep to social networking sites and it is having a huge negative effect on their health. People don’t realise the impact of using computers, mobile phones and other gadgets on their night’s sleep. Being exposed to bright light emanating from computers and mobile phones while in bed completely delays the brain and body’s ability to get to sleep,” he added.

Dr Rajeev Gupta from Manas Clinic said these days many people have the habit of repeatedly checking Facebook and Whatsapp for messages at night.

“Not only this,  many people, whenever they get up in the middle of the night, will check their mobiles and that also leads to a poor quality of sleep,” he said.

He cautioned people against the indiscriminate use of technology that might interfere both with their personal lives as well as with their sleep.

“The worst part is that people are ready to take medicines but are not ready to part ways with their mobile phones and other gadgets. Lifestyle changes are required to lead a stress-free life and have a sound sleep,” said Dr Gupta.

Dr Sachdeva, another psychiatrist, said many non-specialist doctors have the habit of prescribing high doses of sedatives to patients. As a result, the patients develop dependence on these medicines.

He advocated the idea of the Ludhiana Psychiatric Forum to take special classes with the help of the IMA for the doctors regarding the correct use of sleep medicines.

Dr Neha Dua and Dr Prateek Sharma from Mind Plus Psychiatry Centre said there was the need for using low doses of medicines and counselling for patients who complaint of lack of sleep.

Dr Rajinder Kumar, sharing his experiences of treating several patients having sleep problems. He said many educated people were more comfortable with medicines but were not willing to spare time for counselling. He said even educated people were not willing to adopt healthy sleep habits.

Dr Prabhakar stressed the need for regular doing exercises and maintaining a healthy diet, which is  necessary for a good night sleep. Dr Anshul Mahajan , who works at USPC Jain Hospital, strongly opposed the use of multiple medicines for sleep on a single patient.

Tips on good sleep

• -Maintain a regular sleep routine
• Go to bed at the same time. Wake up at the same time. Ideally, one’s schedule should remain the same (+/- 20 minutes) every night of the week. Don’t stay in bed awake for more than 10-15 minutes
• If you find your mind racing or are worrying about not being able to sleep in the middle of the night, get out of the bed and sit in a chair in the dark. Just be in the chair until you are sleepy and then return to bed. No TV or Internet during this period.
• If this happens several times during the night, that is okay. Just maintain your regular wake-up time and try to avoid naps.
• Don’t watch TV or read in the bed
• When you watch TV or read in the bed, you associate the bed with wakefulness.
• Do not drink caffeine inappropriately
• The effects of caffeine may last for several hours after ingestion. Caffeine can fragment sleep and cause difficulty initiating sleep. If you drink caffeine, use it only before noon.
• Remember that soda and tea contain caffeine as well.
• Avoid inappropriate substances that interfere with sleep
• Cigarettes, alcohol and over-the-counter medications may cause fragmented sleep.
• Exercise regularly
• Exercise before 2 pm every day. Exercise promotes continuous sleep.
• Avoid rigorous exercise before bedtime. Rigorous exercise circulates endorphins in the body which may cause difficulty in initiating sleep.
• Have a quiet, comfortable bedroom
• Set your bedroom thermostat at a comfortable temperature. Generally, a little cooler is better than a little warmer.
• Turn off TV and other extraneous noise that may disrupt sleep.
• If your pets awaken you, keep them outside the bedroom.
• Your bedroom should be dark. Turn off bright lights.
• Have a comfortable mattress.
• If you are a ‘clock watcher’ at night, hide the clock.
• Have a comfortable pre-bedtime routine
• A warm bath, shower
• Meditation or quiet time
• Listening to alpha music at bed time