Bangalore: Sleep deprivation can become a serious health disorder as it can affect efficiency at work and reduce the body's immunity to infections. Workaholics who boast about getting by with six hours or less of sleep may well note that Albert Einstein insisted on 10 hours of sleep a day, according to his biography.

The reason for insomnia or plain, restless sleep can be many. For many people, it is because they are unable to unwind and slow their brain a bit after a day of hectic activity when their analytical and decision-making skills are always on the edge.

"According to sleep-disorder clinics in the U.S., any person who takes over 30 minutes to fall asleep after getting into bed, could have a sleep disorder or may be heading towards one," says psychotherapist Sunanda Murthy.

Those who need alcohol or medication to sleep are also heading for trouble.

Another type of sleep disorder is when you fall asleep quickly enough but get up after three or four hours and then just cannot go back to sleep. This may especially be common among those who sleep after consuming alcohol or after eating a very heavy meal. The body may just be unable to digest all that rich food and the system may be craving for more alcohol, doctors say.

"In extreme cases where a bereavement or other personal tragedy is making a person lose sleep, we do prescribe sedatives and other medication that induce sleep, but only in small dosages and for a limited period. Most patients are slowly weaned away from medication with no after effects and resume normal sleeping patterns without difficulty once the painful situation has become just a memory," explains general physician P. Eshwar.

While the notion of "eight-hour sleep each night" may be a generalisation, most adults need at least six to seven hours of sleep. Aged persons may get by with less sleep because they take naps during the day.

Depression

"Regularly losing sleep has an impact on the thinking process and the body's reflexes: one reason why many accidents happen at night on the highways. Those operating machinery may get into accidents. The body's immune system may be weakened by 28 to 30 per cent when you keep losing sleep," warns Dr. Murthy. People with insomnia are also likely to suffer from depression and certain behavioural disorders.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail