Night-time festivities are in the air across the nation. While there are restrictions on the timing and use of loud-speakers, these are violated routinely. Staying awake for a good part of the night during festive seasons has been normalised, especially in urban India. Restaurants, gyms and food delivery apps remain open late into the night to cater to such customers. The epidemic of sleeplessness is now a major health concern.
India is the first country to recognise sleep as a fundamental right. The Supreme Court, in a 2012 judgement unequivocally held that the right to sleep is included within the ambit of Article 21, which upholds the right to life and personal liberty. This decision was followed by the Bombay High Court while deciding that interrogation by enforcement authorities depriving a defendant of sleep is a violation of constitutional rights. However, many night revellers encroach on the right to sleep of other citizens without qualms.
A case in point was that of a Manipuri musician residing in Delhi being fatally assaulted for objecting to high-decibel disturbance at night. The right to sleep can be meaningful only when people realise that they have a corresponding duty not to infringe on the rights of fellow citizens.
A recent petition before the Bombay High Court highlights the problems caused by “light trespass”. High-intensity artificial lighting during the night in residential areas disturbs the circadian rhythm not just of humans, but also of birds, animals and trees. Further, the phenomenon of extreme night-time temperatures also disrupts sleep. The impact on health and productivity due to lack of proper sleep has been well documented. Research has shown that sleep deprivation is associated with chronic fatigue, cognitive decline and mental distress. It is also linked to metabolic disorders. Despite this being common knowledge, there is a specific chronotype, mainly among the younger generation who choose to be night owls.
Excessive exposure to blue light due to prolonged screen time engagement, social media scrolling, erratic dietary habits, frequent travel and the hustle culture, which have become the norm also reduce sleep times. Even flexible work schedules that demand late night engagement disrupt the sleep cycle. In order to fix this problem, at least partly, European nations have introduced ‘the right to disconnect’ so that workers are not required to answer work related calls or emails beyond normal working hours. Many corporates, including some in India have acknowledged the productivity and sleep connection by having sleep pods or fixed nap times in the workplace. But the problem is deep-rooted and needs more dedicated attention than a series of quick-fixes.
Till a few decades ago, only a certain cohort of professionals and workers who were required to do late-night shifts suffered from sleep deprivation. Today around one-third of the younger working population report inadequate sleep. In the market, sleep supplements have displaced prescription medication. The availability of over-the-counter pills containing melatonin—a hormone naturally produced by the body—and magnesium has matched a growing demand. Medical professionals, however, caution against overuse of supplements without tackling the root cause of the problem.
The sleep-tech industry also proffers solutions in the form of wearable devices that track and measure sleep. Sleep is thus being reduced to a competitive performance metric. It is also unclear how the knowledge of sleep patterns will help induce a restful night. In fact, several users are known to experience anxiety and hyper-vigilance as a consequence of sleep trackers. The industry has also spawned sleep coaches, whose recommendations include remixed platitudes like cutting down on screen time, following a calming routine and avoiding stimulants like caffeine. The fact is that while environmental disruption requires enforcement and administrative agencies to step in, at an individual level only personalised solutions would work, as reasons for insomnia are likely to be unique and distinct. Other than this, sleep hygiene and an emphasis on following a fixed sleep routine may be universally applicable. Irregular timings trigger a ‘social jetlag’. It’s a sign of the times that what is natural to even newborns is now an elaborate learning protocol. But this relearning can prove to be one of the most rewarding experiences. Sleep research has given us insights into liminal states of consciousness, including dreams. Trainers and sports coaches are known to use lucid dreaming techniques to develop skills and reinforce learning. In fact, a widely practiced problem-solving technique is to simply sleep over it.
Sleep is a preparatory state that catalyses creative work. Mornings after a good night’s sleep are marked by alertness. To quote from David Henry Thoreau’s Walden, “The Vedas say, ‘All intelligences awake with the morning’.” But we live in an age when artificial intelligence, responsible for an increasing number of functions governing our lives, never sleeps. Living creatures however need that kill-switch, sleep, to prevent being completely drained and run-down. Sleep defines our boundaries and is a reminder that the world can get by for a few hours without our active participation. It’s no wonder that sleep vacations are gaining popularity.
Reclaiming our right to sleep is about slipping into a personal sanctuary. In an age when attention is being extracted and monetised, sleep is the act of conserving that valuable attention.
Geetha Ravichandran | Former bureaucrat and author of The Spell of the Rain Tree
(Views are personal)