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To sleep, perchance to dream, ay, there's the rub
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-03-22 08:57
Most people dream while sleeping, but there are a growing number who can only
fantasise about a good night's slumber.
A recent survey found 40 per cent of Chinese
urban dwellers suffer from sleep problems.
[baidu] |
A recent survey found 40 per cent of Chinese urban dwellers suffer from sleep
problems.
Stress, noise pollution and partners who snore excessively are just some of
the reason's many of us wake up feeling cranky after a restless night of
twisting and turning.
The survey, released by the Chinese Sleep Research Society to coincide with
World Sleep Day yesterday, also showed many more are suffering from narcolepsy -
the condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in
relaxed surroundings.
Last week, a group of medical experts discussed in Beijing how to improve
quality of sleep.
Professor Wang Yuping from the Beijing Xuanwu Hospital believes high pressure
from work and the rapid-pace and irregular life styles of modern urban living
are major factors affecting our sleep.
"The rapid pace of the nation's economic development in recent years has
forced many to change gear and live life in the fast lane," Wang said.
Sleep disorders have become a common illness among the middle-aged who have a
family and a career to support, said Wang.
An increasing number of young are joining the sleepless in China.
Guo Wei, 29, an employee of a foreign-owned company in Beijing, says he often
feels sleepy at work and cannot concentrate. But at night he finds it hard to
fall asleep.
Adults are not the only ones under pressure.
Students, overwhelmed by long school hours, piles of homework, and various
after-school activities are also suffering.
A survey by the China Youth and Children Research Centre shows more than half
of primary and middle school students said "a good sleep is the dearest thing"
they want.
The survey, conducted among 5,846 students in 10 major cities including
Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing over the past two years, showed 10.4 per cent of
those under 12 slept less than eight hours a day.
This was much lower than medical recommendations which suggests children and
teenagers should get at least nine hours of sleep within 24 hours.
"Being asleep is just as important as being awake," said Peng Min, a Beijing
pediatrician. "It's particularly important to children and youngsters," she
added.
China's midnight twitchers are not alone. A World Health Organization survey
shows 27 per cent of people in the world have certain sleep disorders.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It occurs more often in women and
in the elderly.
As sleep disorders give rise to greater concern, the International Foundation
for Mental Health and Neuro-Science introduced the World Sleep Day in
2001.
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