Sound Sleep Alarm Busted!

Rule or Myth?

“I would say the 8-hour mandate is more of a myth than a rule,” says Dr Archana Nanduri, Director of Vidyaranya Counselling Centre from Hyderabad. Suggesting that this isn’t a hard and fast rule but more of a generic belief. Besides, get this straight: sleep is a personal affair.

It would differ from person to person. For instance, some people may feel pumped and energetic with just 6-hour of sleep while others may require 8-hours. Dr Archana says, “What’s important is not the number of hours, but whether you feel relaxed once you wake up and are able to get through the day without constant fatigue.”

Adding to this is the fact that people from different cultures may sleep differently. In Japan, the average person sleeps just 6-hours and 18 minutes at night. Move to France and the average leaps to 7-hours and

52 minutes. While these findings may seem perplexing, they don’t necessarily indicate underlying health conditions. Sleep patterns just differ based on where you stay! The Research by UBC strongly suggests that researchers found no causal relationship established between shorter-sleeping nations and unhealthy conditions.

Dr. Era S. Dutta, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, MD Psychia-try & Founder of Mind Wellness, DNB, MBBS shares how it’s easy for people to come to average numbers. From myths that range from eight hours being ideal for sleep, or 6-litre of daily water-intake or 72 bpm being the ideal heart rate. Dr Era says, “The reality is, these numbers are overused till they serve as ideal markers.”

Place Over Time

Substantiating claims of the British Columbia study, Dr Archana says, “I completely agree that the environment we sleep in plays a huge role in how well we rest.” Dr Archana talks about cities and the hullabaloo that goes on around. Implying that constant traffic, loud music, public functions that stretch till late evening could interfere with a good night’s sleep.

She says, “On the other hand, people living in quieter parts of the city may find it easier to settle in deeper and uninterrupted sleeping patterns.”

It’s here that some hard but often ignored facts come into play. Take for instance this: Sleep may be dependent on factors such as age, genetics, lifestyle or health conditions. According to the National Sleep Foundation, there could be a plethora of sleep patterns and durations for people of different age groups. Then there also comes the divide between long sleepers and short sleepers. Dr Era says, “Long sleepers regularly sleep significantly longer than most people, often nine to ten hours, while short sleepers typically would just need four to six hours of sleep.”

What also adds to these factors is the role of culture. Dr Archana quips, “Culture has a powerful impact on one’s sleep.” For instance, in India, people may usually engage in an afternoon nap. Whereas in other cultures, this may come across as an alien task. Dr Archana shares how it’s common to have short naps at work in countries like Japan. This is perceived as a sign of working hard, usually called the Inemuri phenomenon.

Perfect Mantra

“There is no ideal sleep time” explains Dr Era. Simply put: people could be engaged in different pursuits and would require different rest patterns and styles. Dating back in time to the pre-industrialization period, the ideal time considered was post sunset. These haven’t just been age-old beliefs but have had some scientific backing to them. “A primary reason for sleeping after sunset was because melatonin rises in the dark.” explains Dr Era. However, that seems to have changed today. Blame it on chaotic routines or disastrous work-life balance scenarios.

Cutting through these complexities, the best way to sleep well is to let your body naturally guide you. Dr Era suggests that one should keep a sleep log and let natural sleep waves lure you. She explains how melatonin levels rise naturally two hours after sunset (9-10pm).

With deep waves of sleep hitting one usually prior to the 2 am slot. She advises, “Going to bed between 9:30-11:30 pm would help most individuals align with their natural biological rhythms.”

Sound Sleep

While culture, the place of stay and the time you sleep matter, what’s important is to understand one’s sleep cycle well. If you are a morning person, you could have your schedule planned accordingly, finishing most of your productive tasks during the morning slot. The same applies to those who fall under the Night owl banner.

Apart from this, one may also choose to get into spiritual or calming practices. Dr Archana says, “Early morning prayers or meditation can impact and shape sleep schedules well enough.” What’s clear is that there can be no one size that fits all. What is then required is a little fine-tuning of habits and hitting sleep when it lures you the most!