World Sleep Day’19- Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging

 

World Sleep Day is an annual event created and hosted by the World Sleep Society since 2007. It is held on the Friday before Spring Vernal Equinox of each year (exact date changes annually, but always on Friday). This year, 12^th annual World Sleep day will be celebrated on 15^th March’19 with a slogan, ‘Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging’ intended to emphasize the importance of sleep in overall health at any age. The goal is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society’s attention towards sleep problems and their medical, educational & social aspects, and to promote the prevention and management of sleep disorders.

Who created World Sleep Day?

The annual awareness event was started by a group of dedicated healthcare providers and members of the medical community working & studying in the area of sleep medicine & research. The goal of the 1^st World Sleep Day was to bring together sleep healthcare providers to discuss and distribute sleep information around the world.

Why was World Sleep Day created??

Often sleep medicine professionals and researchers came up against the belief that sleep was not important enough in personal health and well-being to be a priority. This couples with society 24*7 flow, the founders of this awareness event aim to celebrate the importance of healthy sleep.

Why is sound sleep required??

A sound sleep:

• Improves concentration & productivity
• Improves Immune function
• Keeps you fresh all day long
• Reduces the risk of obesity
• Reduces the risk of Diabetes
• Reduces risk of depression
• Reduces risk of heart disease

How to get good sleep?

People often ask, ‘I couldn’t get sound sleep’ but studies prove that 1/3^rd of people have sleep problem once in a while.

1. Maintain your sleeping room properly

• The room where you sleep should be maintained properly.
• Research/ studies say that there are 3 requirements in a room:

1. It should be dark
2. It should be cool (i.e a comfortable temperature should be maintained)
3. It should be quiet

• A room which has all the above 3 features is considered ideal for sleeping.
• People who keep pets like dogs, cats etc. often are not able to fulfill the quietness criteria. They should keep their pets in another room so that it doesn’t affect your sleep.

2. Do regular exercise

• It helps in the induction of sleep.
• It should preferably be done in morning/ afternoon.
• Exercise in evening & night often disturbs sleep
• Avoid taking day time naps. It conflicts night sleep for the people who have sleep issues

3. Dinner should be light/ Food habits

• Night meal should be light. It should not be too fatty or too spicy.
• Don’t go to sleep empty stomach. Your sleep will be affected due to hunger.
• Fluids affect your sleep to a large extent. Don’t in-take a lot of water before sleeping.
• Avoid water, tea, and coffee after 7 pm.
• People who smoke/ chew tobacco especially at evening or night often don’t sleep well.

4. Unwind yourself before sleeping time

• We should do some activities which relax our mind.
• Taking a shower with mild water or putting water on your feet relaxes you.
• You can even read a light book, listen to soft music.
• Don’t ever go in for a horror book, movie, serial at night. Anything which arouses/ excites you should be avoided.
• Don’t use mobile phones (browsing, watching videos or using FB) etc. just before sleeping. It disturbs your sound sleep.

5. Go to bed only when you are sleepy

• Make use of bed only for sleeping.
• Try to create a connection that bed means sleep.
• Make use of bed only for sleeping. Don’t use it for watching tv, eating food etc.

6. If you can’t get sleep, get out of your bed

• Wait at max for 20 mins, if you still didn’t get sleep, get up and do something which calms you.
• Laying on a bed and watching time only disturbs your sleep.

7. Maintain a regular sleep cycle

• Try to fix your sleeping time. 5-10 minutes doesn’t make a difference but avoid big variations.
• Try to get up at the same time every morning.

8. Take medicines, only, if necessary

Don’t take medicines on your own. If required, you can go for sleeping medicines (which are non-dependent) but with prior consultation with your doctor. This World Sleep Day lets come together and create awareness of sleep disorders, their better understanding & prevention and aim to maintain a healthy life.