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Health and
Fitness
All You Who Seek Sleep
Tonight
by Susan Philip
November 20, 2005
Ever since the first
light bulb was switched on, human beings stopped regulating their
working day by the movement of the sun. In 21st century India, in fact,
the sun doesn't set for very many people.
Doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, air-hostesses, those in the
hospitality industry, journalists, soldiers and security personnel have
long been facing difficulties associated with sleep deprivation. And
with the growth of BPO (business process outsourcing) units and the
software industry in an increasingly globalizing India, the numbers of
sleep deprivation victims have swollen to grave proportions.
The lengthening list of psychological and physiological problems
attributed to lack of sleep shows it can no longer be relegated to an
occupational hazard that individuals must deal with on their own.
Increasingly, we are beginning to understand the true role that sleep
plays in maintaining mental and physical equilibrium and aiding growth.
Studies show that while sleep - sound, regular sleep - is indispensable
for men and women alike, on women, children and adolescents, the effects
of sleep deprivation are especially virulent.
Any condition that causes a disturbance in sleep or leads to an
individual being unable to complete his quota of required sleep is
called a sleep disorder. The reasons are physiological as well as
sociological, says Dr N Ramakrishnan, a certified sleep specialist and
founder of the pioneering Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciences in Chennai.
"Contrary to the common perception of sleep as a passive state, where
body and mind are at rest, it is an active process," he says. Sleep can
be divided into various stages, including REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep
and slow wave sleep. During the latter period, growth hormones are
released, while the former is thought to be inextricably linked to
memory and learning. Both are crucial for growing children.
And children are increasingly at risk. In modern India, where double
incomes are a necessity, parents are forced to shake awake their infants
to drop them off at childcare centers. As they grow, the pressure to
excel in curricular and extra-curricular activities translate into
coaching classes, growing workloads, exams, thus eating into sleep time,
says Ramakrishnan.
"I make parents and children who come to me sit down and analyze how
cutting down on sleep is actually setting back performance," he says.
They find increased sleepiness during the day, poor attention and
retention capacities and a performance dip, which triggers depression
and more effort, prompting a repetitive cycle. As tiredness grows and
productivity falls, emotional and behavioral problems also surface.
"After the elderly, among whom sleep disorders are most common, women
have the dubious distinction of being the highest category of victims,"
says Ramakrishnan. He explains that, in India, the problem is compounded
by the dual role society constrains women to play, as co-breadwinner and
homemaker, without concession to added burdens.
And then there is the issue of subtle discrimination. "As a
professional, I have to prove myself twice over," says S Chitra,
Associate Editor with a leading Internet magazine in Chennai. While
working as news editor in a prestigious national daily, she checked and
re-checked material, conscious that her gender would be brought up,
however obliquely, in the context of any slip-up. As a result, even when
she wound up and went home, she found herself unable to wind down.
Stress is a root cause of insomnia.
Chitra's disrupted sleep patterns led to a persistent feeling of
listlessness. A general practitioner prescribed sleeping tablets, "but
after an extended period, even the pharmacist refused to supply them to
me," says Chitra ruefully. She had to seek a psychiatrist's help and
will be happy if she can put insomnia behind her in another couple of
years.
With India moving into a 24-hour society, she is no longer part of a
minority. Lured by hefty pay cheques and projected glamour, thousands of
young women join call centers, BPOs and software institutions. Staying
up at work through the night, snatching an hour or two of sleep and then
getting up to cope with household chores and family responsibilities,
these women usually realize too late the damage sleep deprivation can
do. "For about 10 years I abused my body, working on and on. I had no
idea what it was doing to me," says Chitra.
Among the elderly, loneliness is a leading cause of sleeplessness, adds
Ramakrishnan. Take the case of a patient who complained of progressive
inability to sleep. Sensitive probing revealed that the problem started
when her children had left home to set up their own families. Another
growing issue in an increasingly nuclear, urban India.
Statistics culled by A C Nielsen - a leading provider of international
market information - after a global study in late 2004 reveal that as
many as 46 per cent of Indians sleep for less than six hours, 40 per
cent go to bed between 11 pm and midnight and 64 per cent wake up before
7 am.
Inadequate sleep dulls the mind and generates neuro-cognitive problems.
It has also been associated with heart disease, high blood pressure,
diabetes and a significant weakening of the immune system. Fatigue is a
common physiological symptom. Anxiety, depression and a poor response to
emergencies are among behavioral fallouts of insufficient sleep.
The most common types of sleep disorders are Insomnia and Sleep Apnea,
says Ramakrishnan. Insomnia is characterized by an inability to sleep,
or abnormal wakefulness. Daytime symptoms include lethargy,
irritability, frequent napping and attention deficiency. It would be
wise to seek medical help if symptoms persist beyond four weeks, he
advises. Sleep Apnea is characterized by brief cessation in breathing
during sleep, and symptoms include loud snoring and excessive daytime
sleepiness.
Sleep medicine is just 8-10 years old in the West, where there are some
free-standing sleep laboratories with specialized personnel and
equipment to diagnose the condition and rehabilitate patients with
incurable sleep disorders. In India, it is in an embryonic stage. Though
some lung- and ENT (ear-nose-throat) specialists take cognizance of it,
not much attention is paid to the subject as a specialty. Research is
poor and data sparse, says Ramakrishnan.
It is to fill this gap that he set up Nithra in 2004, as an institute
for diagnosis and management of sleep disorders, and also to train
doctors and paramedical personnel in this emerging specialty. "Our
mission is to promote awareness of sleep disorders, in particular, the
importance of early diagnosis and treatment," he says.
So, how much is sleep is enough? There is no categorical answer. Each
individual's needs are different. Some thrive on five to six hours of
sleep, while others need eight to nine hours. Women tend to sleep a
little more than men, adolescents need more sleep than adults and older
people a little less than younger ones.
To correct poor sleep habits, Ramakrishnan recommends practicing sleep
hygiene - undertaking relaxation methods, controlling the sleep
environment, avoiding large meals or strenuous exercise just prior to
going to bed and reducing, if not eliminating, intake of alcohol and
stimulants like caffeine and nicotine. "With growing awareness will come
increasing availability of help," he promises.
By arrangement with
Women's Feature Service
Top |
Health and
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The Week of November 20, 2005
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Global Threats,
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The PM who
Placed India on Fast Trace to Global Power Status by Dr. Subhash Kapila
All You Who Seek Sleep Tonight by
Susan Philip
Gender Equality or Encashment of the Last Human
Resource by Kusum Choppra
Credibility of University Courses:
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Evaluation is the Answer by Prof. Raja Mutthirulandi
Caste System in Hinduism: A Historical and
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India's African Past by Fatima Chowdhury
Goa and Garbage by Lionel Messias
Peace via Technology by Anat Cohen
Poet, Poetry and the Native Land by Alipta Jena
Footsoldiers Ask for a Better Deal by
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Brazil: Waiting for Their Land of Freedom by
Marlinelza B de Oliveira
At Peace in Conflict Zone
Child Warriors of Kashmir by Prakriiti Gupta
Shedding Light on the Dark Continent by Aparna
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Main, Meri Patni aur Woh by Kusum Choppra
A Second Lesson by NS Murty
Insanity by Anu Chopra
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