World sleep day: Now, sleepcation in hotels a rage | India News – Times of India

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HYDERABAD: With the pandemic increasing stress levels among people, the hotel industry is now offering something called a ‘sleepcation’ for employees to rejuvenate and recoup from their daily routine lives.
On the occasion of World Sleep Day, the ITC Hotels in association with the scientists of ITC LSTC took up a sleep study which concluded that the sleep enhancement packages improve the quality of sleep significantly. Hotels like ITC are offering rest and rejuvenate packages, a specially crafted sleep menu, sleep music, spa therapies to enhance the sleep experience of their consumers.
“We believe that a significant factor in hospitality is the quality of sleep and rest a guest experiences in the room for which there is really no substitute. Be it a business or leisure traveler, a good night’s sleep is panacea for the body and soul,” said Zubin Songadwala, area manager – ITC Hotels South, adding that sleep staycations are only set to pick up pace, especially in these pandemic-induced stressful times.
Many consumers are turning towards such sleepcation as they believe that it drastically improves their overall engagement and productivity. “I have been to one of such sleepcation where right from dedicated spa treatments to special culinary offerings were part of the package to improve sleep. It really helped me to introspect my week resulting in improvement in overall productivity at work,” said Vineetha Jonalagadda, an IT employee.
Regards,

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Making sense of sleep nutrients on World Sleep Day – Times of India

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Sleep is where it all happens — everything from repair, recovery to immunity building, blood pressure, heart function, detoxification, hormonal balance, brain detoxification, healing, muscle growth and so much more. Sleep is as important as food for us to survive and so is the harmony between the two. Sleep and nutrition have a cyclical relationship; sleep quality can affect hunger cues and lead to weight gain, while proper nutrition and timing of meals can improve sleep quality and enhance overall health. Eating the right kind of nutrition can improve this relationship and help produce more nights of restorative sleep.

The equation
Eating habits can impact sleep quality primarily by influencing neurotransmitters, hormones, and digestion. Neurotransmitters and hormones help control our sleep patterns, but they also influence all of the body’s natural processes. Not only is it important to pay attention to what we eat before bed, but also when we eat during the day. Most evidence suggests that a consistent diet, eating the bulk of food earlier in the day, and avoiding eating late in the evening can improve sleep quality. “Eating heavy or large meals close to bedtime can disrupt sleep by increasing acid reflux symptoms and causing indigestion. The right strategy would be to maintain a three hour gap between your dinner and bedtime,” says Manjari Chandra, Consultant Therapeutic and Functional Nutrition.

Pack in the right nutrients
A number of nutritional factors influence sleep, including melatonin, tryptophan, a high glycemic index diet before bedtime, and maintenance of a balanced and healthy diet. “An amino acid called tryptophan is directly involved in production of the hormone melatonin which helps in inducing sleep. So consuming foods that are rich in tryptophan — nuts, dairy, chicken, eggs — will help in increasing quality sleep,” says dietician Kamal Yadav, Max Super Specialty Hospital. Work on your sleep hormones. “Fatty fish is a good source of vitamin D and omega-3 FAs, nutrients important for the regulation of serotonin and therefore sleep regulation. Almonds contain high doses of melatonin and helps regulate the sleep and wake cycle,” enlightens Chandra. Magnesium also increases levels of GABA, the neurotransmitter that helps reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve sleep. Along with B6, magnesium also helps the body to produce serotonin. Eat dry fruits, bananas, green leafy vegetables, oil seeds.

Foods that are a big NO
“Foods that are very high in carbohydrates like sugar or energy drinks, foods high in saturated fatty acids like bakery products and high protein foods that take longer to digest have been shown to increase the chances of disturbed and fragmented sleep,” says Yadav. Steer clear of stimulants like caffeine to sleep well. The stimulating effects of caffeine may impact the body’s Circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep, remain asleep, and enter deep sleep cycles. The same holds true for alcohol, a depressant. It helps you fall asleep fast but prevents you from entering deep, restorative sleep.

Can poor sleep sap nutrients?
Sleep and the circadian system are strong regulators of immunological processes. Just as sleep contributes to the body’s Circadian rhythm, so does your diet. Eating close to the same time each day and making sure to have a healthy balance of nutrients will aid in aligning your body with its natural rhythm, which might in turn improve sleep. “On the other hand, a recurring lack of sleep or erratic sleep timings can lead to latent chronic inflammation in the gut and lead to the underproduction of digestive enzymes. This leads to malabsorption of micronutrients causing a cascade of health conditions,” warns Chandra.

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World Sleep Day 2021: Five apps that will help you sleep better

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March 19 this year will be celebrated across the globe as World Sleep Day. The annual event is a celebration of one of the most important parts of our daily routines. World Sleep Day is organised by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society and the aim of the day is also to create awareness around sleep-related issues and the prevention and management of sleep disorders.

While the occasion marks a date every year where sleep disorders and how to prevent them are brought to light, It is important for humans to maintain a healthy sleep cycle on a daily basis. A good sleep of 6-8 hours is crucial to the body and its maximum functionality. However, we often lose track of our decreasing sleep times as our lives continue to be taken over by studies, work, and play.

To make sure you maintain a healthy sleep cycle, here are seven apps that will help you get the right amount of shut-eye.

Calm

Calm is a meditation app that you can use right before going to bed. Like most apps on this list, Calm will help you go to sleep faster with sleep stories, soothing music, and even guided lessons on gentle movements that relax the body. The free version of the app should help most people out when going to bed and even tackling issues like anxiety. However, users can also subscribe to engage with some paid content.

Headspace

Headspace is all about meditation and using meditation techniques to calm your mind. Apart from sleep sounds that help you rest well, the app also features multiple courses all based on topics around living mindfully and others. The app also has some neat tricks like manipulating the speaker’s voice to be louder or softer than the background ambient sounds. A free version of the app will provide you a limited number of sessions per day, but you can always go premium and get unlimited access to content.

Relax melodies

Relax Melodies, as the name suggests is an app that can play various sounds to help you go to sleep, and maintain a good sleep as well. You can program the app to play music all night or to shut down after a period of time. The number of sleep sounds you get here is limited when you’re using the free version. However, there’s another catch – you cannot use another app when Relax Melodies is in action. This, however, may actually be a good thing and minimize distractions so you can sleep faster.

Noisli

Noisli also provides you with relaxing sounds. However, its biggest feature is the ability to customise your sounds as per your taste and ambience to create your own soundscape. Noisli can be used for anything from drowning out annoying sounds when you’re trying to work, to set the perfect sleep-inducing stage for you at night. A free version gets you 16 sounds and 15 hours of streaming a day, while a paid version gets you 28 sounds, no limit on streaming, and some more features.

Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle is an app that helps you monitor your sleep time and patterns. The app also has some great features up its sleeve, including monitoring your sleep in real-time by analysing the sounds you make via your phone. This can then be used to wake you up when your body is in its lightest phase of sleep, therefore, allowing you to wake up feeling fresher. You can also set an approximate alarm so the app does not wake you up too late. Premium features include information on how the weather affects your sleep, and the ability to take sleep notes, among other features.

Bonus

Did you know your Apple Watch can natively track sleep?

Sleep tracking can be much more accurate and insightful with the help of a wearable like the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch lets you create a schedule and a bedtime routine to help you reach your sleep numbers. The Apple Health app also helps you track your sleep. When you have gotten enough sleep the Apple Watch haptic alarm feature can also wake you up silently, without disturbing the sleep of those around you.

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54% Indian adults slept more during the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals survey

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Ahead of World Sleep Day 2021, a survey has revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Indian adults’ sleep.

Conducted by Royal Philips, the study titled Philips Global Sleep Survey 2021 found that since the start of the pandemic, Indian adults experienced new sleep challenges — about 37 per cent experienced difficulty in falling asleep, 27 per cent in staying asleep while 39 per cent woke up during the night.

As per the survey, 67 per cent of Indian adults said they are completely or somewhat satisfied with their sleep while 25 per cent are somewhat or completely dissatisfied.

Interestingly, 54 per cent of Indian adults reported that the amount of time spent fully asleep increased during the pandemic. About 61 per cent of the participants between the ages 18 and 34 reported an increase in sleep as compared to 41 per cent of 50-64-year-olds and 35 per cent of 65-year-olds and above.

sleep disorder About 37 per cent experienced difficulty in falling asleep, 27 per cent in staying asleep while 39 per cent woke up during the night. (Source: gettyimages/file)

Analysing the impact of sleep apnea, the study further reported that 80 per cent of people suffering from sleep apnea experience daytime drowsiness although 52 per cent who do not have apnea also experience the same. Again, 47 per cent of the participants also claimed sleep apnea impacted their relationships. Approximately, one in five Indian adults experiences sleep apnea.

To deal with sleep issues, 60 per cent of Indians said they have used or are willing to use telehealth to address the concerns.

“Sleep is an important component of our daily lives. It has a profound impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. I have seen a steady improvement in awareness about sleep disorders such as sleep apnea in the last decade. However, we still have a long way to go in increasing seriousness towards diagnosing and treating this disorder. While brands work on sensitizing people towards sleep apnea, it is also vital to equip physicians with the right know-how to screen, diagnose and treat sleep disorders in general and sleep apnea in particular. Only then we would be able to bring significant improvement in the sleep health of India,” Dr JC Suri, director and head, Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, said in a statement.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on everyone’s lives. With everyone now adapting to the new normal, both healthcare providers and patients have a critical role to play in transforming the way healthcare is delivered. The increase in adoption of digital technologies such as telehealth for treatment of sleep-related disorders from the patient side is a positive change that must be welcomed and encouraged,” added Chhitiz Kumar, business leader, precision diagnosis and connected care, Philips Indian Subcontinent.

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