NEW DELHI: Most Indians are just getting less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep, which has deteriorated post-COVID-19, the latest survey has said.
The survey also found that the percentage of Indians who get less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep daily has risen from 50 percent in 2022 to 55 percent in 2023 and 61 percent in 2024.
LocalCircles, India’s leading community social media platform, which has been surveying for the last two years to understand the sleep patterns of Indians as it is directly related to mental health and other lifestyle diseases, also found that many take simple steps to get that sound sleep.
These include keeping their mobile and other electronic appliances switched off or out of reach before bed, eating light meals for dinner, avoiding dessert, or following the age-old advice of having a glass of warm milk to get that quality sleep.
Though it found that 61% got less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep at night in the last 12 months, 38% said they generally got only four to six hours of continuous sleep, while 23% said they slept up to 4 hours.
The remaining 28% of respondents said they got six to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. However, six percent said they sleep for 8-10 hours, and 5% said they sleep for over 10 hours.
About 26 percent said their sleep quality deteriorated post-COVID pandemic.
Dr Sachin D, Consultant, Interventional Pulmonology Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Cunningham Road, Bengaluru, also said that he had seen sleep deprivation as a significant symptom in patients who had recovered from COVID lasting for months or even a year post-recovery.
He said India is considered the second most sleep-deprived country next to Japan, and not getting quality sleep indicates “a dangerous trend as sleep quality is directly linked to mental health.”
Sleep deprivation could lead to mental health issues, including anxiety, stress, depression, memory impairment, learning abilities, poor sexual health, and also a weakened immune system, leading to recurrent infections and frequent falling ill, he told The New Indian Express.
“Good quality sleep in terms of duration (at least 6-7 hours for adults), consistency, and quality are essential for physical and mental well-being. Improving sleep quality can help reduce the chances of these disorders and improve cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health and overall mental well-being,” he said.
Looking into why people are not able to get quality sleep, the survey found many reasons, including age-related, health-related, filling up water in places where supply is available for a short time in the early hours, household duties or professional work, tending the sick, elderly or minor child or children.
However, 72% attributed it to having to use the washroom once or more during the night, which they said interrupted their sleep.
"Several studies globally have shown that people with long COVID experience insomnia and sleeplessness due to anxiety. In addition, those with heart problems, asthma, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases tend to have poor sleep patterns,” said Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles.