A good night's rest

Tight deadlines, relationships issues and late nights — everyone’s schedule today includes happenings that affect their sleep pattern. Bengalureans and experts share their views about the importance of proper sleep.

Diya Makhija, a montessori teacher, observes, “Coming to work and then going back to more chores at home can tire one out. A good night’s sleep is required to balance the stress.”  She adds that children and adults alike feel recharged after a short nap.

Weekends are often considered ‘quality sleep time’ for some, but piling up the hours doesn’t help much. Samraggi Chakravorty, a research associate, insists that scheduling proper sleep hours on a daily basis is important. Being the mother to a one-year-old, Samraggi has to plan accordingly every day. “A healthy body, mind and soul depend on proper sleep. Around 7 to 8 hours is needed for resting,” she says. This helps her to deal with daily stress better, which in turn helps her to stay calm.

Karthika Vignesh, a personality trainer and family counsellor, says, “There are many couples and young professionals who tell us that they are at a breaking point and are not able to handle the stress. When we talk to them in detail, it mostly boils down to lack of proper sleep,” she says.

“Binging on TV shows to music videos — many try to distract themselves with screentime, which adds to the damage. The first thing I tell most people who come with stress issues is to sleep on it properly,” adds Karthika.

Sleep in more important to the body than food, says Dr Shalini Joshi, senior internal medicine consultant, Fortis Hospitals. “Though the patterns are different for all, the general rule is that adults should sleep 6 to 7 hours in a day,” she says.

Setting up alarms and waking up in the middle of the night to study are not healthy practices for students, she adds. She advises young professionals, “Have dinner by 8.30 pm and then wind down. Add some exercises to one’s schedule and eat on time.” Lack of sleep increases irritability and lack of concentration, she vouches.

Sleep is important for all organs and internal functioning and the eyes are no less important. Dr Shivadasa VS, Sankara Eye Hospital, says, “If one has sleep disorders, aggravation of eye conditions can occur. Around 10 to 15% of the cases I see are due to improper sleep patterns,” he says. 
  
Sleep is a requisite for healthy eyes. “The moment one opens the eyes, they focus on things. To maintain all functions like secretion of tears, proper sleep is important,” he adds.

Pillow talk

Though sleep patterns differ person to person, 6 to 7 hours of sleep is important.

Digital overload affects sleep cycles. It is best to stay away from all gadgets at least 60 minutes before you plan to fall asleep.

Eating on time and exercising adds to good and deep sleep.