Hyderabad: Kartikay, a data analyst in a private company in Hyderabad, struggles with catching up with his friends on weekends. This is because he is catching up on sleep during weekends.As per a study conducted by community forum Local Circles, about 59 per cent of the respondents get less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep daily. While 23 per cent are able to make up for this loss of sleep by sleeping longer during weekends, around 38 per cent are not able to make up for the lost sleep at all. The survey was conducted with 43,000 respondents from across 348 districts of India.The report titled ‘How India sleeps’ got similar responses for Hyderabadis too, with 48 per cent of the city getting only four to six hours of sleep daily. Those not able to make up for lost sleep account for 34 per cent of the respondents.The causes for interruptions in sleep include having to use the washroom once or more times during sleep hours (37per cent), going to bed late and having to wake up early the next morning due to household activities (31 per cent), mobile calls and messages-related interruptions (13 per cent) and other factors like mosquitoes and noise (15 per cent).The trend certainly looks unhealthy, especially when people are not able to cover for their “sleep debt”.”Around six to eight hours of good sleep is mandatory for all age groups. It’s better to maintain a proper sleep routine to avoid long-term health complications. Sleep debt can be covered by taking short naps during the day or weekends,” said Dr. V. V. Ramana Prasad, senior pulmonologist and sleep specialist.With increased workloads, it has now become necessary for an adult to get at least seven to nine hours of sleep at night.”Sleep deprivation is associated with several short-term effects like poor attention and concentration, reduced productivity at work among professionals or scholastic performance among students. Sleep-deprived drivers are also more likely to be involved in vehicle crashes, as lack of sleep impairs the drivers’ ability and decision-making. Sleep deprivation can make a person irritable and short-tempered. In the long-term, lack of sleep can lead to a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, depression, anxiety, dementia, certain forms of cancer and even premature death,” said Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior neurologist.The ideal situation is to complete the entire sleep quota in one go at night. Children below five years and those aged 60 and above can complete sleep in two instalments (two hours of day-time nap and six hours of sleep at night).Short afternoon naps of 10-20 minutes may be a healthy habit, especially among those who work till late evening. “It boosts cognitive abilities and increases productivity at work. Longer afternoon naps can be counter-productive and can adversely affect night-time sleep,” Dr Sudhir said.Dr Prasad added that sleep deprivation can lead to cardiovascular problems, even sudden cardiac arrests. “Rhythm disturbances are very common in people with less sleep,” he said.”They are also more prone to develop lung infections, particularly pneumonia, as lack of sleep reduces the immunity of the body. Inadequate sleep is linked to snoring and sleep related breathing disorders like sleep apnoea,” he added.Infographic:SLEEP HYGIENEThe report by Local Circles recommended 10 habits for good sleep hygiene:1. Maintain a consistent daily routine.2. Reduce caffeine intake.3. Turn off the computer or television for some time before sleep.4. Don’t go to bed on a full stomach.5. Don’t go to bed on an empty stomach.6. Engage in regular exercise.7. Limit beverage consumption before bed.8. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet.9. Invest in a comfortable mattress, pillow and bedding.10. Go to sleep and wake up using your internal alarm clock.
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