An associate professor and consultant neurologist, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Dr. Njideka Okubadejo, has said about 63 million Nigerians suffer from sleep-related problems.
Okubadejo, at a seminar organised by Mouka Foam Limited as part of activities marking the World Sleep Day in Lagos on Friday, said poor quality of sleep was responsible for the increasing incidence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension in the country.
She said poor sleeping pattern, unhealthy lifestyle and untreated sleep disorder could also have negative impact on the life expectancy of an individual.
She said, “Sleep is a natural process controlled by the human brain and it restores body functions. Major restorative functions in the body, such as muscle growth, tissue repair, protein synthesis and the release of growth hormone occur mostly, or only, during sleep.
“Sleep helps to conserve energy, aids brain development and improves the ability to learn and perform variety of tasks. It also boosts the immune system. However, sleep problems threaten the physical and mental health, as well as the quality of life,” she said.
Okubadejo said a dirty sleeping environment, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, psychosocial/emotional stress, use of stimulants and illicit drugs could disrupt good sleeping habit. She advised Nigerians to establish and adhere to a strict sleep routine.
She said, “Alcohol and caffeine intake some hours before bed time will affect your sleep negatively. Same goes for smoking before bed time, as it clogs the airways.
“Your diet is important. Heavy, salty and sugary foods make you alert instead of sleepy. When taking siestas, don’t exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep,” she counsels.
Also, the Managing Director of Mouka Limited, Mrs. Peju Adebajo, said sleep is so important that nature had fashioned that humans would spend a third of their lives sleeping.
“Sleep is part of life; ideally, human beings should spend a third of their lives sleeping. We chose to enlighten Nigerians on this topic because we know many of them suffer sleep deprivation and, therefore, cannot function well,” Adebajo said.
She said in order to add value to sleep time and also promote good sleeping habit, the company had launched a mattress trade-in initiative, where Nigerians could trade old mattresses for new ones.