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Not enough sleep?
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Why are we unable to sleep or worse, wake up not feeling refreshed?
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Photo: K.R. Deepak
Sleep tight Exercise can help you sleep well
Suhasini feels tired every morning. She just does not want to get out of bed. She longs to sleep for at least another hour or two but she has to get to work and unless she gets an early start, her schedule will go completely out of kilter.
Over the past few weeks, Sangeetha has been finding it difficult to sleep. She tosses and turns for several hours before she falls into a restless slumber. How much sleep do we really require? What are the reasons that we may not be able to sleep or worse, wake up not feeling refreshed?
How much sleep?
There is no doubt that sleep is a basic human need. It is as important as diet and exercise in promoting our feeling of wellness. When we sleep, we replenish our spent energies and lay the foundation for a productive day ahead. It has been shown by scientific experiments that the average woman needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep. We all know that this is a goal that many of us do not achieve. It has been shown that women, more than men, are likely to have difficulty falling and staying asleep. This leads to more daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week.
Fallout of lack of sleep
It is not just getting the proper number of hours that matters. It is also the quality of sleep that has an impact on your performance the next day. Without a doubt, building up a sleep deficit over several days will accumulate in ’sleep debt’ and result in daytime sleepiness. Excessive daytime sleepiness impairs memory and the ability to think and process information, and contributes to a substantially increased risk of accidents, problems concentrating, and poor performance at work and in school.
Women have more sleep disorders
Biological conditions exclusive to women, like the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, can affect how well a woman sleeps. Oestrogen and progesterone, the two hormones unique to women, are constantly in a state of flux, coinciding with the different cycles a woman faces. Sleep related problems also become more prevalent as the pregnancy progresses. Women who work on the night shift get less sleep and more disrupted sleep.
Correct amount of sleep
Exercising regularly is without doubt, one of the prime factors in giving you a good night’s sleep. Having said that, make sure that you finish exercising at least three hours before bedtime. Exercise may relieve some PMS symptoms and increases the amount of deep sleep. Post-menopausal women who exercise in the morning experience less difficulty falling asleep. Avoid naps during the day. If you just cannot make it through the day without a nap, sleep less than one hour, before 3 p.m.
GITA ARJUN
(The author is a Chennai-based obstetrician and gynaecologist with a special interest in women’s health issues.)
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
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Mangalore
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Visakhapatnam
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