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A yawning gap

PHOTO: AP

FAST BECOMING A LUXURY Eight hours of sleep at night

Sleep is that wonderfully restorative state when the mind and body are switched off.

It’s a much-needed part of one’s routine that’s fast becoming a luxury. With the recommended six to eight hours of sleep getting drastically reduced, it is even becoming fashionable these days to claim how little sleep one needs.

Do men need less sleep than women? Does age make any difference? Does lifestyle play a part?

Says Dr. N. Ramakrishnan, Senior Consultant in Sleep Medicine, Apollo Hospitals and Director, Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciences, “There are significant differences among individuals regarding the amount of sleep they require, but what makes them feel refreshed and alert the next day could be considered adequate.

However, there are no major gender differences. Men may sleep less due to work and lifestyle.

Interestingly, it has been noted that the incidence of insomnia is higher among women, but unfortunately, they seem to ignore it and do not consult doctors about the problem.

On the other hand, men take their lack of sleep more seriously and seek treatment.”

Besides the numerous demands on their time, women have to grapple with their hormones that have a bearing on sleep.

“Traditionally, women serve men and the rest of the family and have late dinner, which may negatively impact their sleep. But, this trend is changing with changing lifestyles,” says Dr. Ramakrishnan.

The major advantage men seem to have is lack of self-consciousness thanks to which they sleep anywhere, and in any situation.

Odd working hours, weekend parties, movies and surfing the Net are increasingly occupying more of our time, resulting in loss of sleep.

Sooner or later, this takes a toll on one’s health.

Says Dr. Ramakrishnan, “Late night movies, parties and working shifts have cut into our sleep time. The commonest reason for anyone to feel sleepy during the day is ‘inadequate sleep the previous night’. If this happens occasionally, we can cope by catching up with sleep the next day, but if you accumulate ‘sleep debt’ over a period of time, your system could go ‘bankrupt’! Catching up on lost sleep would be a good idea for both men and women.”

While one might be able to take the odd late night in one’s stride, regularly sacrificing of sleep will reflect on one’s performance and productivity.

“Our system can cope with an occasional late night and we may be able to carry on with our regular work the next day (although not to the best of our best ability, since we may not feel refreshed). But be it men or women, this may not be possible if we regularly compromise on sleep both in terms of quality and quantity.”

As for age and sleep patterns, Dr. Ramakrishnan observes that depression and loneliness are common reasons for insomnia in the elderly.