In the pursuit of restful sleep

Mona

Each morning when Shriya wakes up, her first impulse is to check her phone, no not to see if her Instagram follower count has increased, but to see how well she slept…

Her Apple watch gives her minute to minute information on how long was she awake in bed, her REM (rapid eye movement sleep), light sleep and deep sleep time too. If this sales and marketing executive manager with an auto giant is taking her sleep rather seriously, she has all the reasons too. Reportedly, a third of people who suffer from sleep disorders never seek help. A significant chunk of global population, pegged at about 45 per cent struggle with the quality of sleep.

Sad enough, it’s not just supposedly over-worked adults who suffer, but teen and children too joining the list poor sleepers too. Reasons are all too obvious – our over dependence on gadgets, too much time spent on social media, binge watching through the nights–basically, major lifestyle shift.

“Sleep disorders largely go unreported but with the modern thrust on healthy lifestyle, many young patients are seeking out help,” offers Dr Kalapan Mehan. Her patient profile ranges from children to senior citizens, with as many issues as that of snoring to sleep apnea as lifestyle issues.

World Sleep Day 2020 theme being Better Sleep, Better Life, Better Planet, the recent statistics point out to the problem area. A study conducted in February 2020 at Columbia University Irving Medical Center suggests that for women poor sleep could contribute to ‘unhealthy food choices, increasing the risk of obesity and heart disease’. Another study conducted at University of Warwick points out that depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviour and poor cognitive performance in children are affected by the amount of sleep they have.

But then there is help. The first and foremost is being consciously aware of your sleep pattern. “While the different apps do help in charting out your patterns and make you aware of your problem to seek professional help well within time, how useful or scientific they are is yet to be proven,” says Dr Mehan.

Nitin Kaushal, sales head for a beverage brand, though vouches for his fitness tracker’s positive effect on his health. “Our current lifestyle makes us busy 24 by7, it helps to keep track of one’s steps through the day and also sleep hours as to check any issues well in time.”

Watch out for

Children/teen being exposed to TV, phone or iPads is more harmful than one thinks. “While blue light is harmful for all of us, growing minds are more susceptible to influences and it takes them longer to get to quality sleep,” says Dr Mehan. Sleep is affected in teens with increased study load, screen time and sports and other activities. A new Michigan State University study reports that ‘adequate sleep can help teens navigate challenging social situations well. And, even if you work late shift, try to make it to bed as fast as you can, suggests Dr Mehan, “Closer to circadian rhythm, the better quality of sleep.”

Sleep rituals

Doctors across the world as well as wellness coaches stress highly on sleep rituals. Dr Pardeep Malhotra, lists outs the basic steps for better sleep:

1. Set the bedtime, stick to it. Ensure seven hours to be the minimum bar irrespective of the age group; more for teens, children.
2. Make your bedroom technology free. Enter your sleep haven half an hour before bed time. Give your body and mind enough time to wean away from technological distractions.
3. Eat light and preferably an hour before the set sleep time. Eat more of fibre, and exercise at least five times a week.
4. Keep your bedroom dark and comfortable as to put one in sleep mode.
5. Wake up around the same time and maintain the sleep cycle.

mona@tribunemail.com