Person struggling with sleep deprivation while using phone at night, representing the health effects of sleeping less than 6 hours
Sleep is not a luxury. It is one of the biological necessities like food, water, and oxygen. However millions of individuals, particularly in the hectic way of life in India, routinely get less than 6 hours of sleep every night – without considering the covert harm it is inflicting on their physique and mind.
Whether it is young students who are studying to pass competitive tests or people in the IT sector who have to work late at night and home makers who are able to afford to sleep all night, sleep deprivation has become an unspoken issue in India. The worst part of the problem is that most people consider poor sleep as normal.
Sleep deprivation is not a normal condition. It is not harmless. And nor does it get better of its own.
Getting less than 6 hrs of sleep will always have a ripple effect in your body – it will impact your hormones, metabolic rate, memory, mood, immunity, productivity and overall health. This is a detailed article that dissects precisely what is going on to your body, why Indians are becoming sleepy, and what you can do to take practical steps to undo the damage.
Get down to it–into what exactly goes on with you when sleep comes to the back burner and you only live in simple clear human terms–let’s explore.
The circadian rhythm is a biological clock running on your body. This in house system governs:
This system is interrupted when you do not sleep enough, which is below 6 hours. This is followed by a domino effect that gradually affects almost all of the organs.
Experts on sleep all over the world conclude:
Adults require 7-9 hours of sleep per day to be properly functioning.
Anything below 6 hours the body is on a command of stress, though your body may say it is fine. Indians can boast of many,I am able to work well with 4-5 hours of sleep.
But science claims otherwise.
Your flesh is aching– though you do not see that at the first instant.
And when you are sleeping less than 6 hours:
Your brain finds it hard to remember and memorize something. This is the reason why so many students study at night and end up forgetting what they read.
Minor chores are more fatigued. You read that same sentence numerous times. You have problems concentrating during meetings.
Judging part of the brain gets inactive resulting into impulsive or emotional judgment.
This is the reason why driving without sleep is like driving under the influence.
Your brain is irrelevant in that it is trapped in the mode of survival – there is no place to be creative, solve problems or innovate.
Rohan, who is 27 and works as an engineer in Bengaluru, used to sleep late at 3 AM, having completed late-night work with clients of MNCs. He became asymptomatic in the mornings–but gradually began to forget things, commit coding errors, and experience attention deficits. He has increased his productivity up to twice after switching to a strict 7-hour sleep.
Such are the effects, subtle as they are, but mighty.
Having less than 6 hours of sleep raises the cortisol or the stress hormone.
High cortisol leads to:
This is why when you have slept shortly you feel:
When you don’t sleep enough:
This leads to:
In the polluted winter season in Delhi, individuals who sleep poorly take sick leave of absence more often since their body has not been strengthened to resist the combined effects of the environment. Sleep deprivation combined with pollution is deadly.
Sleep Poors sleep subjects you to the Risk of:
The rest of your heart does not come at night. Months and years on this would become a time bomb.
The Indian health surveys indicate that the rate at which hypertension is among urban adults with irregular sleep schedules is considerably greater.
A lack of sleep (Less than 6 hours) interferes with the hormones which control hunger:
What you are eating does not give your body the message to stop.
This leads to:
This is the reason why even strict dieters do not lose weight when they are sleep deprived.
Sleep deprivation lowers collagen synthesis resulting in:
Cortisol dissipates collagen – the substance that renders your skin younger.
That is why sleep is the ultimate skincare routine that you can offer to yourself.
The corporate culture in India fetishises late hours and early mornings.
The causes of sleep deprivation are:
With a rested mind it will only require 2 hours to complete what a worn out mind requires 5 hours to finish.
There are several hormones under the control of sleep:
In case these stabilize the following may occur: Symptom exacerbation of PCOS/PCOD.
The effects are felt more by women because they are sensitive to hormones.
India has become one of the most under-slept nations in the world – and the causes are distinctly cultural.
Work-from-home overwork
After the pandemic, Indians began working more hours, more than other nations.
Long commute times
Metro cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru have an average travel time of 1-2 hours per way.
Academic competitiveness.
Students who are studying and are going to take the UPSC, JEE, NEET normally lose sleep.
Excessive use of smartphones at night.
Reels, OTT, gaming Push-up bedtime.
High-stress lifestyle
The struggle to hustle all the time affects the quality of sleep.
Household responsibilities
Women usually stay up late to do their chores when they are at work.
Irregular shifts
The customer care positions in India tend to have US timing.
Mehak, a 32-year old marketing executive at Gurgaon would go to sleep at 2 AM every day because of late-night deadlines and scroll social media till she felt sleepy.
Within several months, she began to complain of:
According to her physician, the problem lay in the very basic issue of sleep deprivation.
She was able to remedy her sleep without medication, and 70% of her symptoms went away.
This is the force of sound sleep.
For most adults:
Teenagers, pregnant women, and sportsmen are in even greater need of it.
Although you may think that you are okay, these are the signs that show that you are sleep deprived:
In case you did pass even three checks, then your body is demanding rest.
Here are India friendly, convenience solutions:
Follow the 90-minute rule Stop screening 90 minutes before bedtime.
You can forget your restless nights–but not your body.
Sleeping less than 6 hours:
The good news?
Bodies heals – when they sleep the sleep they are supposed to.
Sleep is not something to consider afterwards.
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