For millions of people, the elusive road to slumberland – or good night’s sleep — is anything but a dream.
The consequences of sleep deprivation, specifically the “problem sleepiness” during the day that normally follows, can have extremely serious, even life-threatening consequences, according to National Institute of Health USA.
While some sleep disturbances may be linked to biological changes associated with ageing or certain physical diseases, others may be associated with a mental health disorder. Poor sleep may also stem from “bad” habits such as napping too long or too late in the day, or doing shift work.
When you sacrifice hours this way, you frequently end up paying for it in terms of decreased productivity and an increased risk for errors in judgment and accidents.
While people of any age may be affected, there seems to be a large prevalence of sleep disturbances among elderly men and women. With ageing, sleep becomes more fragile, that is, it doesn’t take much disturbance to awaken the individual.
Women may first notice this during menopause. Lack of sleep and its link to accidents — automobile and on-the-job — now appears to be a problem of far greater magnitude than previously believed.
In some countries, a siesta or short daytime rest is a respected, time-honoured daily ritual. Dr. Kiley also indicated it may have an important role. “With older people in particular, napping is a good practice. Because their sleep is fragmented and they get less of it at night, they typically make up for it with naps during the day. Napping works, it definitely has a role,” he explained, adding that it can increase productivity and help restore your ability to think.
“As you age, your biological clock ticks at a slightly different rate. Because of this, you run into people with an advanced sleep syndrome — they go to bed early and then wake up too early,” said Dr. Kiley.
Sleep experts believe you should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. This figure varies considerably across the age span and from person to person. Still, if you’re getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night regularly, chances are you’re building up your “sleep debt,” and may be compromising your health and welfare.
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