World Sleep Day:
Every year, World Sleep Day is observed to raise awareness of the value of sleep for overall health and wellbeing. It’s a call to action that focuses on issues with medicine education, social factors, and other sleep-related issues. The World Sleep Society is in charge of organizing the day with the goal of improving sleep disorder prevention and management in order to decrease the negative effects of sleep issues on society. Through its themes, World Sleep Day raises awareness of various facets and advantages of healthy sleep every year.
Theme of World Sleep Day:
“Sleep Equity for Global Health” is the theme for World Sleep Day in 2024. World Sleep Day delegates and other advocates for sleep health will be able to talk about topics like what makes for “quality sleep” by using this slogan. In what ways does getting enough sleep support mental wellness? How may getting a better night’s sleep aid in improving concentration during the day? Or how could exhaustion affect us emotionally, cognitively, and physically? This day serves to raise awareness of the value of getting a good night’s sleep for all of the other numerous reasons that sleep is an essential component of good health.
Significance of World Sleep Day:
The purpose of World Sleep Day is to raise awareness of critical sleep-related issues in the fields of medical, education, social work, and driving while also celebrating sleep. The World Sleep Society’s World Sleep Day Committee is in charge of organizing it, and its goal is to improve sleep disorder prevention and management in order to decrease the negative effects of sleep disorders on society. Every year on the Friday preceding the Spring Vernal Equinox, there is a World Sleep Day celebration.
History of World Sleep Day:
Since 2008, World Sleep Day has been celebrated as an international promotion of awareness that promotes sleep and seeks to assist people who suffer from severe sleep disorders. The celebration, which falls on the Friday before the Spring Vernal Crescent every year, is observed by more than 70 countries and is celebrated by 155 events each year.
The main topics of discussion on World Sleep Day are medicine for sleep, awareness about sleep, and the social consequences of sleep deprivation on day-to-day living. Sleep problems are a modern issue that, if left untreated, may take control of a person’s entire life, no matter how serious.
The United States Sleep Association reports that between 50 and 70 million people struggle from a sleeping problem of some kind, about 25 million have breathing problems, and insomnia is the most often reported sleep issue (the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep during the entire night).
This day, which was arranged by the World Sleep Society’s World Sleep Day Committee, started with a gathering of medical professionals and researchers who were interested in sleep medicine and sleep science.
World Sleep Day seeks to unite individuals, including those in the general public and medical professionals, in order to talk about sleep issues, look for answers, and prevent sleep issues in those who haven’t experienced them yet.
Physicians like Antonio Culebras, MD, and Liborio Parrino, MD, of Italy served as the first co-chairs of World Sleep Day and helped form the World Sleep Society, a nonprofit dedicated to funding research into the widespread sleep issues that plague people today.
The World Sleep Society partners with a range of media outlets to assist them in disseminating information and reporting on the impact sleep may have on daily living. It all comes down to spreading the word and telling folks where to look for as assistance.
Types of Sleep disorders:
1. Lack of sleep
Those who suffer from insomnia frequently feel sleepy and struggle to fall or remain asleep. Based on the most frequent problems, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that between 33 and 50 percent of adults experience some kind of insomnia.
2. Snoring and sleep apnea
Although annoying, snoring can also be harmful.
Sleep apnea affects more than 20 million people in the US. Oxygen levels and sleep quality are impacted by the breathing and choking interruptions that occur frequently—at least five times each hour. It is associated with hypertension, heart disease, and stroke in the absence of treatment.
3. Circadian rhythm disorders
“Lark” and “night owl” tendencies are innate; they result from sleep-wake phase problems that either create an advanced riser (early riser) or a delayed sleeper (late sleeper). Both have internal clocks, or circadian rhythms, that are distinct from the external day-night cycle.
4. Movement disorders
Sitting motionless at night seems nearly impossible for those who suffer from restless leg syndrome in their legs and feet.
These unpleasant or painful cravings can be triggered by certain medical conditions and drugs, such as kidney disease, iron deficiency, neuropathy, pregnancy, anxiety, and antidepressants. These cravings affect 7% to 10% of the population.
5. Parasomnias
These uncontrollable sleep episodes include hallucinations, sleep paralysis, sleepwalking, sleep talking, and night terrors that the sufferer never remembers.
6. Too much sleep
In contrast to the majority of other sleep disorders, hypersomnalists frequently oversleep (averaging over 10 hours per night) and experience drowsiness regardless of how early they go to bed. They may experience hallucinations or sleep episodes.