Published in Indian Express (City Express), Saturday,
April 22, 2006
Does it often take you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night? Or do you wake up frequently during the night – or too earlier in the morning –and have a hard time going back to sleep? When you awaken, do you feel groggy and lethargic? Do you feel drowsy during the day, particularly during monotonous situations?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you may have a ‘sleep debt’. More than 60 percent of adult’s experiences sleep problems. However few recognize the importance of adequate rest, or are aware that effective methods of preventing and managing sleep problems now exist.
Remember, sleep is not merely a time out from our busy routines; it is essential for good health, mental and emotional functioning and safety. Researchers have found that people with sleeplessness are more likely than others to develop medical and psychiatric problems. Sleep loss has been found to impair the ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning, and logical reasoning. People suffering from snoring, which may be a marker of underlying sleep apnea, are likely to have higher incidence of high blood pressure, heart problems and stroke. They suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, which can be extremely dangerous at work and also lead to serious accidents while driving.
Although sleep needs vary, most healthy adults in general need an average of 6-8 hours of sleep a night. So, how do you measure how much sleep you truly need? If you have trouble staying alert during boring or monotonous situations when fatigue is often unmasked you probably aren’t getting enough good-quality sleep. Other signs are a tendency to be unreasonably irritable and difficulty in concentration or remembering facts.
Virtually everyone suffers at least an occupational night of poor sleep. However, some individuals are particularly vulnerable to insomnia. These include students, shift workers, travelers and person suffering from acute stress, depression or chronic pain. Old adults also have frequent difficulty with sleep problems.
Secrets For a good night’s
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