One of the healthiest habits you can develop for a disease-free and happy life is getting a good night’s Sleep. Many health issues, especially chronic ones like cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, depression, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and arthritis, can be avoided by sleeping for 7-8 hours each night. It can boost your immunity in addition to helping you concentrate better during the day, make fewer mistakes, and feel better. Many people suffer from disorders like insomnia that prevent them from getting the best possible sleep, but the majority of problems are caused by poor sleep hygiene. not going to bed at the same time every night, eating large meals, spending hours glued to screens.
also read:-Google Search Head Warns Against “Hallucinating” AI Chatbots.
In a telephone interview with HT Digital, Dr. Shirish M. Hastak, Regional Director, Neurology, Stroke & Neurocritical Care, Global Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, explains that if you wake up before 12 o’clock in the afternoon and are able to fall back asleep, this indicates that you are sleep deprived, or if you wake up in the morning and need your morning cup of coffee or tea to function, this indicates that you need more sleep.
Can you survive without your morning cuppa?
Dr. Hastak points out that it is very likely that many of us are chronically sleep deprived given how many people require multiple cups of tea and coffee before 12 pm in order to get ahead with their day. The neurologist says, “If you can go without your cup of tea until 12 pm, probably you are not deprived.” He cautions that we are failing to recognise how serious the problem of deprivation is today.
We simply push ourselves to consume one cup after another, he claims.
Do you have an alarm clock or are you alert and awake at the same time every day? According to Dr. Hastak, if you need an alarm to wake up, you probably need more sleep.He continues by describing what happens to our body and mind when we don’t get enough sleep:
It may be difficult for you to concentrate.
Do you find it difficult to focus on the task at hand, taking hours to complete even a simple, ten-minute task? You most likely lack sleep and are unaware of it. When you can’t sleep, you become tired, irritable, and find it hard to concentrate.
Lack of sleep can be fatal
You run the risk of developing a number of chronic illnesses and even passing away if you don’t get enough sleeps. According to some animal studies, prolonged or complete lack of sleep can cause death.
Your motor function declines Eye movements, reaching, jumping, avoiding obstacles, etc. are all examples of motor activity. Lack of sleep lowers motor activity, which has an impact on daily functioning. It may also make you less motivated to work.
You run the risk of accidents when you have brief sleep episodes.
A micro-sleeping episode is defined as a brief period of sleep lasting 15 seconds or less. Many people who haven’t slept well or for days can report experiencing one.
Micro sleep episodes, which can result in serious auto accidents, are common among cab drivers who haven’t slept for days on end, according to Dr. Hastak.
Hallucination
Lack of sleeping can cause you to lose touch with reality and manifest as hallucinations or delusional thinking. It occurs as a result of severe or ongoing sleep deprivation.
“According to neuroscientific theory, sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations. The hallucination may be tactile (feeling someone’s touch on the body, for example), visual (seeing things or people that aren’t there), or both “Dr. Hastak says.
Seizures
In people who already have brain tumours or seizures, sleep deprivation can cause seizures.
Aside from that, sleep deprivation is a factor in the majority of psychiatric disorders. According to Dr. Hastak, people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions have trouble sleeping, which could make their condition even worse.
“There is a varability in people. Some people need 4-5 hours of sleepswhile others can require 8 hours or more. It’s like satiety where some people will be happy with 2 chapatis while others need 5,” says the neurologist.
But do all people need 7-8 hours of sleep?
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleeping. according to Dr. Hastak. While some people only require 5 hours to function normally, others find that even 8 hours is insufficient.
“People differ in their sleeping patterns. While some people can sleep for as little as four hours, others may need eight hours or more. Similar to how some people can be satisfied with two chapatis while needing five, “the neurologist claims.
