Does good sleep mean sleeping eight hours every night? If a person feels tired during the day even after sleeping for a long time, what should he pay attention to?
BBC News Hindi editor Nitin Srivastava, in a podcast, asked questions related to sleep to Dr. Sanjay Manchanda, head of the sleep medicine department of Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi.
Dr. Sanjay Manchanda said that along with the hours of sleep, its regularity and the type of sleep is also important.
In the conversation, the need for sleep at different ages, problem of breathlessness along with snoring, daytime nap, mobile phones and before sleeping habits were discussed.
Should everyone sleep eight hours?
Dr. Manchanda says that eight hours of sleep should not be considered a fixed rule for every person. According to him, every person may need different amounts of sleep.
Dr. Manchanda recommends about six to nine hours of sleep for older people, but says that good sleep cannot be understood only by hours.
For this he tells three things. How long did you sleep, how similar was the time of sleeping and waking up every day, and what were the different parts of sleep.
He gives the example that if a person sleeps at 11 pm one day and at 2 pm the next day, then it also needs to be seen why his sleeping time is changing again and again.
In the interview, Dr. Manchanda also says that a mattress manufacturing company played a role in spreading the eight-hour issue among the people. In the conversation, he did not reveal the name of that company or any study.
What are the different parts of sleep?
Dr. Manchanda explains that the entire night's sleep is not the same. Sometimes there is light sleep, sometimes deep sleep and there is a part in which dreams usually occur.
This part related to dreams is called REM sleep. REM means Rapid Eye Movement, that is, during this time there is rapid movement in the eyes. According to the doctor, this part is useful in the process of remembering. At the same time, he connects deep sleep with the repair of the body and the growth of children.
Dr. Manchanda says in conversation that REM sleep generally accounts for about 20 percent of the total sleep. According to him, if it increases too much then the time of deep sleep can be reduced.
How does sleep change with age?
According to Dr. Manchanda, in the initial months after birth, the child sleeps several times during the day and night and wakes up in between to drink milk. As he grows, a sequence of sleeping and waking begins to develop.
He talks about about 16 to 20 hours of sleep in the initial months, then about 12 to 14 hours for younger children and about 10 to 11 hours for school going children.
Talking about adolescence, he says that many children do not get enough sleep when school starts very early. If the child wakes up early in the morning but is not able to sleep on time at night, then he has less time left for sleep.
Regarding the elderly, Dr. Manchanda says that their sleep sometimes comes at different times instead of coming for a long time at one go. Some people sleep at night as well as in the afternoon.
According to him, how a person feels during the day also tells a lot about his sleep. If fatigue persists throughout the day or you experience bouts of sleep while sitting, then you should pay attention to night sleep.
What is the effect of more or less sleep?
Dr. Manchanda says that due to continuous lack of sleep, it can be difficult to concentrate on any work and work cannot be done as before. He explains that the reason for this could be sleeping habits and also some sleep related disease.
In the conversation, he talked about more than 80 types of problems related to sleep. According to him, if a person does not feel refreshed after waking up in the morning or feels sleepy repeatedly during the day, then he should see how much he is sleeping and what kind of sleep he is getting.
He also talks about the relationship found in research between sleeping more than nine hours and health related problems. In the interview, he did not mention the name of any specific study for this.
When is snoring a cause for concern?
Dr. Manchanda says that the sound of snoring occurs when there is vibration in the respiratory tract while sleeping. According to him, the structure of the palate and the back of the tongue, the small or backwards located lower jaw and the structure of the neck can play a role in this.
He says that this problem does not happen only to overweight people. An underweight person may also snore.
According to the doctor, mere snoring and repeated stopping of breath along with snoring are two different things. If breathing stops while sleeping and you also feel tired or sleepy during the day, then it should not be ignored.
Dr. Manchanda talks about breathing stopping for about ten seconds at a time and this happening several times in an hour. He says that breathing problems during sleep can be related to blood pressure, heart beat disorders and other health problems. Such symptoms can be examined.
What if you fall asleep while driving?
Dr. Manchanda talks about the dangers of driving while sleepy. He says that a person may feel that he is awake, but falling asleep even for a few seconds can be dangerous on the road.
He says that a part of the accidents on roads and in factories are related to lack of sleep.
He says that if you feel sleepy while driving, then stop the car at a safe place and rest for some time. According to him, it is not right to keep driving just by keeping your eyes open or drinking coffee.
Do short naps during the day help?
According to Dr. Manchanda, some people feel refreshed after a nap of about 20 to 25 minutes. He says that if the nap becomes too long, then people may feel heavy for some time after waking up or it may take some time to understand what is happening around them.
According to him, a short nap can help some people to work in the next part of the day. However, he does not recommend it as a substitute for every person's night's sleep.
How does mobile phone interfere with sleep?
On the question of keeping the mobile phone in hand while going to bed, Dr. Manchanda says that along with the light of the phone, messages and notifications can also keep the person awake.
He says that people for whom it is not necessary to pick up the phone at night, they can keep it away from them while sleeping. In the conversation, he also questions the habit of sleeping while watching TV.
According to him, sometimes a person starts feeling sleepy, but he remains awake to watch the remaining part of the program, later he may find it difficult to sleep again.
If you can't sleep, should you stay in bed or get up?
Dr. Manchanda says that one should go to bed when one feels sleepy. According to him, constantly changing sides while awake in bed can make a person think that he will not be able to sleep.
In such a situation, he talks about sitting comfortably for some time and returning to bed when he feels sleepy. He also recommends that one try to wake up at approximately the same time every day, even if one slept late the previous night.
They are also asked to avoid looking at the clock again and again at night. According to him, keeping an eye on the time can further increase the anxiety of not being able to sleep.
What do doctors say about tea, coffee and alcohol?
Dr. Manchanda says that people who have trouble sleeping should pay attention to drinking tea and coffee in the evening. In conversation, he also describes nicotine as a thing that hinders sleep.
Regarding alcohol, he says that it can make you feel sleepy initially, but it can cause difficulty in maintaining sleep throughout the night. That's why he is against using alcohol as a means to sleep.
He also advises to avoid vigorous exercise too close to bedtime. According to him, the body should get time to become relaxed before sleeping.
Should you sleep in darkness or light?
Dr. Manchanda says that the temperature of the sleeping room should be such that you feel comfortable. The room should not be very cold, but a slightly cool room may be better for some people.
He talks about the connection between darkness and melatonin produced in the body. It is also said that some people do not like to sleep in complete darkness. If light light does not disturb their sleep, then according to them there is no problem in it.
Regarding melatonin available in the market, Dr. Manchanda advises not to start taking it daily on your own if you are unable to sleep. He talks about its use in situations like time change problem after long air travel and change of work shift.
In the conversation, he also says that continuously taking melatonin from outside can make a difference in the body's own production of melatonin and its effect. This is what he said in the interview.
What did the doctor say about sleep problems in women?
In the interview, Nitin Srivastava asked a question about the problem of sleeplessness being more common in women. In reply, Dr. Manchanda did not confirm any specific percentage or any reason for it.
Instead he said that many people who come to him say that they did not sleep at all, although something else can be known only if it is investigated. According to him, it is important to understand separately how long a person slept and how he felt about his sleep.
He explains that if necessary, in the sleep test it is seen how long the person remained in light or deep sleep. Besides, breathing, heartbeat and oxygen level in the body are also recorded.
How is food related to sleep?
In this entire conversation, Dr. Manchanda comes back to one thing again and again, sleep cannot be understood in terms of only eight hours. What time do you sleep every day, whether you have frequent sleep interruptions at night or not, and whether you feel constantly tired during the day or not, all these should be taken into consideration.
