WORLD SLEEP DAY 2020
Dr. N. Ramakrishnan, AB (Int Med), AB (Crit Care), AB (Sleep Med), AB (ObesityMed), MMM, FACP, FCCP, FCCM, FAASM, FICCM, FISDA Senior Consultant & Director, Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciences
Sleep is one of the main pillars of health and yet most neglected one. World Sleep Day is held the Friday before Spring Vernal Equinox of each year to celebrate sleep and to proffer a call to action on essential matters in connection with sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving. This year World Sleep Day will be observed on 13th of March. Every year the World Sleep society originates a slogan as an oath for better global sleep health. World Sleep Day 2020 will incorporate the slogan, ‘Better Sleep, Better Life, Better Planet’. It is a known fact that sleep problems are no less an epidemic and it is estimated to affect health and further on the quality of life of an astounding 45% of the world population. Unfortunately, only one third of the affected seek medical attention for the same. So the slogan is meant to emphasize on how improved sleep health can affect an individual at personal level and then further on the world around the person.
What Is Sleep Health?
Sleep health is a multidimensional pattern of sleep-wakefulness, adapted to individual, social, and environmental demands, that promotes physical and mental well-being. Good sleep health has various dimensions:
- Sleep duration: The total amount of sleep obtained per 24 hours
- Sleep continuity or efficiency: The ease of falling asleep and returning to One can sleep
- Timing: The placement of sleep within the 24-hour day
- Alertness/sleepiness: The ability to maintain attentive wakefulness
- Satisfaction/Quality: The subjective assessment of “good” or “poor” sleep
Good sleep health is characterized by subjective satisfaction, appropriate timing, adequate duration, high efficiency, and sustained alertness during waking hours. If any of these dimensions are not satisfactory the person might be subjected various negative consequences.
Better sleep for better life
Poor sleep has obvious short term complications like reduced attention span, memory recall and learning, fatigue, drowsiness, drowsy driving mood disturbances, etc. Unknown to many, poor sleep can have a multitude of long term consequences like obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems, some cancers and even psychological conditions like depression, anxiety and psychosis. So it is obvious that good sleep has a direct relationship with our quality of life. Surprisingly, poor sleep quality also includes excessive sleep. Studies have shown that sleeping less than six hours and more than nine hours can have negative impact on quality of life. Poor sleep and lowered quality of life can form a vicious cycle breaking of which is crucial for better life.
Better sleep for better planet
Various environmental calamities like grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker in Alaska and the chemical plant disaster in Bhopal, India have been attributed to sleepiness at work related to sleep deprivation. Drowsy driving or operation of heavy machinery in sleep deprived state have been well known to be associated with calamities which did not have just human casualties but also negative impact on environment . Liborio Parrino the Chair of the World Sleep Day Committee voiced that increased sleep periods can promote planet health through less consumption of fuel, electricity, food and oxygen. Again if more number of people sleep better and function better the positive impact that they can put on this world is also going to be better in quantity and quality.
How does one get good sleep health?
Sleep health begins with sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is nothing but healthy sleeping habits. Sleep hygiene not only prevents but also improves already existing sleep disorders. At societal level, awareness programmes are to be conducted to promote healthy sleep and knowledge about various sleep disorders beyond commonly known sleep deprivation. These programmes should stress on the need to seek medical attention for the same especially among the youth who are worst hit. At national levels, there should be legislation related to sleep health and sleep disorders for e.g. screening procedures for driving license applicants, upper limit for working hours during a shift, etc.
Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciences on World Sleep Day
Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciences aims at spreading the word of sleep health and how to attain it.On the occasion of World Sleep Day, we at Nithra will be conducting various activities to go in to the public, generate awareness about sleep health and provide whoever approaches us solution to their sleep related queries. To celebrate World Sleep day, let us all take an oath to improve the sleep health of ourselves and our beloved and thereby help build a better planet.
For more info contact : Dr. N. RamakrishnanDoor, # 29, Plot # 1997, J Block, 13th Main Road Annanagar, Chennai 600 040 Ph: +91 44 4350 2252 Mobile: +91 90949 99955 Website: www.nithra.com
