SLEEP DEFICIENCY

“To sleep, perchance to dream.” That most famous of Shakespearean quotations is becoming increasingly irrelevant in today’s age. The truth is modern 24*7 lifestyles and pressures of work mean we are sleeping less than ever before. Without us quite realizing it, Indians have undergone some dramatic changes in their sleep patterns.

Sleep is the only natural elixir that repairs the body. But in today’s fast-paced world, sleep is the one aspect that is compromised the most. At work, the manic race against time means we are working longer hours. At home, our lives are no less hectic. The incessant ringing of mobile phones, the clamor of multiple TV sets, late night are all par for the course in average urban households. Sleep and upward mobility make for incompatible bedfellows.

Medical studies have established the benefits of sleep: it improves memory, thoughts and concentration. Getting too little sleep accumulates what is called “sleep debt”. Eventually, the body will demand payment. A sleep-deriving schedule means our judgment; reaction time and other functions are impaired. Research shows that those who have accumulated a large amount of sleep debt function at only 80 per cent of their capability. Constant sleep deprivation also weakens the immune system and has linkages with heart disease, apart from cardio-respiratory problems.

Then there are behavioral consequences, making people irritable, prone to had dictions-making ad memory loss. In a recent survey, 25 per cent of couples reported that their sexual relationship suffered because they were just too tired. Burning the candle at both ends has created so much sleep deprivation that what is abnormal is now the norm. Reason enough for those on the fast track to wake up to the other side of midnight.

Today’s lifestyles condition people to do with very little sleep. They don’t realize the damage it does to their health. It’s like being overdrawn at the bank. The interest piles up.