World Sleep Day 2018: Sleep is not a priority for over 60 % Indians

New Delhi: Is exercise more important than sleep to maintain good health and well-being? 60 percent Indians feel that way, according to a survey that highlighted the need for good sleep for better health.

The findings were revealed on Thursday, March 15 – just a day ahead of World Sleep Day.

March 16, 2018, marks World Sleep Day – an annual event held on the Friday before the March Equinox each year as a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving.

The survey, led by Philips India, showed that 19 percent of Indian adults account overlapping work hours with normal sleep time (shift work sleep disorder) as a key barrier to sleep, while another 32 percent feel that technology is a major sleep distractor.

While 45 percent adults have tried mediation to initiate and maintain good sleep, 24 percent reported having tried specialized bedding.

"Sleep disorder is a much more serious issue than what most people understand, especially given their direct correlation with other serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke etc," Harish R, Head (Sleep and Respiratory Care) at Philips, said in a statement.

"In a country where snoring is traditionally associated with sound sleep, it is extremely challenging to make people aware that it is a sign of a serious sleep disorder," he added.

The findings will provide directions to raise awareness and innovate interventions to ensure an important but oft-neglected aspect of health and wellbeing: sleep health.

The survey was based on Philips annual global survey conducted with over 15,000 adults across 13 countries – India, the US, the UK, Germany, Poland, France, China, Australia, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan.

(With IANS inputs)