Set sleep routine, take power naps to avoid sleep deprivation in Ramadan in UAE

Abu Dhabi: Ramadan is a month of worship and togetherness, but its nightly prayers and predawn meals can ship the worshipper’s sleep habits right into a tailspin.

Research have proven that people who find themselves fasting sleep for round an hour and a half lower than standard. The standard of sleep can even undergo as it's unfold out into smaller chunks over a 24-hour interval. Docs have due to this fact suggested residents to arrange a workable sleep schedule throughout the month, and to make sure they get at the very least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep at evening.

Such sleep loss can contribute to acute signs like temper swings, joint ache, and drowsiness. “Drowsiness can interfere with cognitive function, harm memory, cause personality changes, and even depression. Drowsy driving has been shown to be more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol,” Dr Farooq warned.

Docs warned that gathered sleep loss and sleep deprivation has many extra dangerous repercussions, together with elevated danger of weight problems, diabetes and coronary heart illness. And within the UAE, prioritising sleep is particularly vital, given the excessive prevalence of sleep issues like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea.

So long as worshippers make up misplaced sleep later within the day or throughout the subsequent day, they will forestall the dangerous results of sleep deprivation.

“Planning for the sleep disruptions people can experience during Ramadan can be very helpful to help introduce a new routine, especially as routine is an important part of healthy sleep. Find a solution that works for you and try to stick to it,” Dr Farooq suggested.

Dr Ayoob mentioned individuals ought to goal for at the very least one lengthy block of fours of sleep at evening, ideally earlier than waking up for Suhoor, after which get just a few extra hours after the daybreak prayer earlier than waking up for the day.

Dr Farooq additionally advisable taking naps at any time when doable. “Naps can be a fantastic way to catch up on a bit of sleep and help people feel more energised. However, it is important that people regulate their naps properly to get the benefit. I recommend people limit their naps to 20 minutes by setting an alarm, as sleeping for longer than this can be counterproductive and lead to feeling more tired and groggy than before,” she mentioned.

As all the time, weight loss plan and bodily exercise play an important position in guaranteeing sleep high quality.

“People should avoid heavy meals rich in saturated fat and carbohydrates in the period before sleep. This will assist in better digestion before and during sleep. Moderate to high physical activity is also very effective in ensuring sleep quality,” Dr Humaida mentioned.

Sadly, many individuals go for heavy, calorie-laden and sugar-rich weight loss plan throughout Ramadan. “These food types will significantly disrupt the quality of your sleep, as your body will be working to digest them when it needs to be resting. Similarly, very spicy food can cause heartburn, which leads to disruptive sleep,” Dr Ayoob mentioned.

Dad and mom also needs to be sure that youngsters and younger adults get the required quantity of sleep. “It can be hard to get teens to sleep, particularly during the festive atmosphere we enjoy during Ramadan. One great but difficult tip is to try and limit screen time before bed as blue light can interfere with healthy sleep,” Dr Farooq advisable.

Sufferers with sleep apnoea ought to take particular care to get sufficient, good-quality sleep as nicely. The illness is frequent worldwide due to the weight problems epidemic. “In 2016, the obesity prevalence in the UAE amounted to 29.9 per cent in the adult population. In addition, a study of 1,214 consecutive patients presenting to a primary health care clinic in Dubai, found that 20.9 per cent were at high risk for the condition,” Dr Farooq mentioned.

“In Ramadan if we are not careful, further weight gain can be an issue. Additionally, patients with sleep apnoea, tend to ignore their treatment due to interrupted sleep. The same tips and suggestions would apply to them for good sleep as to other patients. I also recommend patients use their CPAP every time they sleep. Getting four hours of CPAP usage helps improve the quality of sleep and can be refreshing,” she added.

Anytime we go to sleep, we start to maneuver by a collection of sleep phases.

Dr Ayoob mentioned researchers discovered that five-minute naps are too quick to maneuver deep sufficient by sleep phases to provide a notable profit. However, sleeping for Half-hour or longer provides the physique sufficient time to enter deep (slow-wave) sleep, however napping for too lengthy or waking up from slow-wave sleep can go away you feeling groggy for as much as an hour, in a phenomenon generally known as sleep inertia.

“Given these considerations, the best nap length in most situations is one that is long enough to be refreshing but not so long that sleep inertia occurs. Naps lasting 10 to 20 minutes are considered the ideal length. They are sometimes referred to as “power naps” as a result of they supply restoration advantages with out leaving the napper feeling sleepy afterward,” the physician defined.

Naps additionally play a particular position for drivers and shift employees. Driving whereas drowsy is harmful for you, your passengers, and others on the highway. So in case you begin to really feel sleepy whereas driving, ingesting caffeine and pulling over safely for a 20-minute nap may help. Nevertheless, this isn't a long-term resolution, as naps and caffeine are identified to extend alertness for under a brief time frame. However, deliberate napping improves alertness and response time in shift employees.

Lastly, Dr Ayoob mentioned naps ought to be taken earlier within the day. “Napping late in the day can affect your ability to fall asleep at bedtime. Try napping around the halfway point between the time you wake up and the time you plan to go to bed, and opt for a sleep-friendly environment,” he suggested.

Sleep deprivation is a typical phenomenon in UAE. “The importance of night time sleep is underappreciated as nightlife is more active given the hot climate. But sleep deprivation is a rising epidemic, and a sleep survey conducted among 4,672 respondents in the UAE in 2018 found that 90 per cent of people are not getting the perfect rest,” Dr Farooq mentioned.

Within the survey, the vast majority of contributors — 46.42 per cent — reported sleeping just for seven hours an evening, whereas 32.42 per cent averaged solely six hours and 1.76 per cent are solely in a position to sleep for 4 hours per evening.

“Poor sleep is strongly correlated with smart-device overuse, which has increased considerably across the Middle East. In fact, 47.5 per cent of people surveyed in three cities in the UAE reported being heavy users of smart-devices. In addition, 74.5 per cent used their smart-device at bedtime and 81 per cent were reported to be poor sleepers,” the physician added.

Sleep deprivation will also be caused in methods aside from sensible system overuse. Essentially the most generally identified ones are sleep issues like insomnia, in addition to obesity-related circumstances like obstructive sleep apnoea.

“One study conducted at a primary health care centre in Dubai showed the sleep apnoea incidence in males is 22 per cent and 19 per cent in females. Another study in Sharjah reported 34 per cent of the study population reported to be snorers, and 43 per cent of snorers were at high risk of sleep apnoea,” Dr Ayoob mentioned.

An individual with sleep apnoea can even contribute to a associate’s sleep deprivation due to the loud night breathing related to the situation.

Different components that result in sleep deprivation embody stress, poor sleep hygiene, an inconducive sleep setting, sure medicines, shift work, and sure medical circumstances like acid reflux disease and despair, and being pregnant.