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A yawning gap
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Do men need less sleep than women?
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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."
Numerous demands
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 selfconsciousness
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.
TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
* Eat a light meal approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours before bed time
* Avoid coffee/tea after 5 p.m.
* Milk may have some soporific effect if taken at bedtime.
* Alcohol may give a ‘false sense’ of good sleep, when in fact, it significantly causes a poor quality of sleep.
* Exercise in the morning is good for sound sleep, particularly if it involves some exposure to sunlight.
* Evening exercises are all right, but not too close to bedtime.
SUDHA UMASHANKER
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