BHUBANESWAR: In the fast-paced lifestyle of 21st century, the quality of sleep enjoyed by working-class people is on the wane. On the occasion of World Sleep Day, we interacted with a pulmonologist Samir Sahu to dig deeper into the subject.
As per a survey by Century Mattresses, close to 54% people are sleeping late due to the excessive use of gadgets. It found that while 17% people sleep late as they work on laptops/smartphones in bed, 22% watch shows on their gadgets. Interestingly, 15% people in Bhubaneswar are delaying their sleeping as they browse their Social Media feed (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.) while on bed.
As a result of multiple reasons, 25% people in Bhubaneswar feel sleepy 1-3 days in a week while commuting to work or coming back. This clearly shows that the gadgets are becoming a major deterrent in people’s sleep.
On being enquired about sleeplessness, Sahu said, “Sleep is required for physical and mental recovery, energy conservation and memorisation. Sleep deprivation leads to longer reaction time, poor performance, lapses and attention, errors of omission, poor short term memory, poor mood, increased fatigue, confusion, stress and emotional liability. Sleepiness leads to work absenteeism, industrial and motor vehicle accidents and impaired cognitive and executive functions.”
He added, “Sleep hygiene like regular exercise, stress management, noise reduction at the place of sleeping, sleep timing regularly (maintaining a regular time for sleeping) and avoidance of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and daytime napping are healthy precautions.”
Uttam Malani, Executive Director, Centuary Mattresses said, “Gradually each one of us is getting impacted by the new age lifestyle which is depriving us from a quality sleep. In our survey, it has come out very clearly that having the right mattress is essential to unlock the power of better sleep, in addition to maintaining a healthy life style. Also, it is important that the mattresses we use must be free from allergens such as mites, bed bugs and microbes.”