Singapore is among the most sleep-deprived nations in the world. Sleep deprivation has a lot of negative implications for our health. And surely though, there are many reasons as to why we become deprived of sleep. Here are only a few of them:
1. Work
In Singapore, one cause of being sleep-deprived comes from the established culture of working long hours. Some prefer to work night shifts, while there are also others who like to stay late at work. It’s really because of the culture that people have just learned to adopt it. But then again it is still important to strike a work-life balance to be able to live a healthy life.
2. Choice
Some people also deliberately choose to stay up late. They don’t feel the urge to sleep, and so they basically use it as a time to unwind from a tiring day. They browse on social media, read books, watch television, and eventually stick to that routine of sleeping late to indulge in these things.
3. Stress
Stress also plays a huge part in making us sleep-deprived. When we go to bed with high levels of cortisol, we still feel “jumpy” and alert, that is why we can’t sleep too easily. In addition, we will also have difficulty having deeper sleep when our cortisol is still high.
4. Eating late
Eating dinner late or having a snack before bed is not ideal because you are stimulating your digestive system when it should already be preparing to relax like the other parts of the body. You won’t be able to sleep properly when your stomach is full because when you lie down, you’ll risk having indigestion, bloating, and even acid reflux.
5. Screens
The blue light emitted by our gadgets’ screens is also a contributor to sleep deprivation, especially in today’s generation. This blue light messes up our natural body clock as it confuses the body when it’s about time to sleep. It also sends signals that trick our brain to cut the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin.
6. Sleep disorders
There are actually many sleep disorders that can affect the quality and duration of sleep. Take Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) for example. It causes unpleasant sensations in the legs including a strong urge to move them. This is most felt when a person is already resting, like when he/she is already lying down in bed.
7. The environment
Other external factors like the person’s sleeping environment also play a part in sleep, both for good and bad. When the room is too hot, a person will have difficulty sleeping because the body’s temperature naturally drops at night. There is also the case of noise, there might be noisy neighbors, dogs barking, a crying baby, and a lot more.
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