While St. Patrick’s Day gets all the attention, March 17 is also World Sleep Day.
Held on the Friday before the Northern Hemisphere vernal equinox, the annual observance is focused on raising awareness on the topic and advancing our knowledge of sleep including sleep disorders and circadian rhythms. This takes place largely in part due special events held by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society, formerly World Association of Sleep Medicine.
The goal of the observance is to promote good and healthy sleep.
While it’s a relatively recent concept, researchers believe everyone should aspire to a single unbroken block of sleep.
In a series of articles, the historian Roger Ekirch demonstrated that the basic form of human sleep prior to the mid-19th century was biphasic. Humans would have a first and then a second sleep. They would retire around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., sleep until midnight or 1 a.m., and then rise for an hour or two – a period of time known as “watching.” They would then have a “second sleep” and awaken in the morning. While the exact times for commencing with the first and second sleeps would shift historically and geographically, the biphasic pattern was more or less constant.
Today, people who travel frequently and experience jet lag are also subjected to a variety of sleep disorders.
Long-term lack of sleep and sleep disorders are associated with multiple deleterious health consequences including obesity, depression, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and an increased risk of hypertension. A study that was published in February 2023 found that individuals who sleep fewer than six hours per day are 21% more likely to contract Long Covid.
In addition, sleep disorders can also result in automobile accidents and injuries and have an adverse impact on family well-being.
Experts estimate that 50 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder that hinders their ability to function on a daily basis as well as causes health issues. Not all sleep disorders are the same: sleep researchers believe there are roughly 90 distinct sleep disorders and symptoms range from difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and excessive daytime somnolence.
Sleep disorders are not only very common but also easily treatable in many cases, hence the justification for dedicating a day to the topic, and with that, I wish you a good night’s sleep, schlafen Sie gut, aludj jól, welterusten, Codladh sámh, dormi bene, schlof gutt, and Sofðu vel.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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