Covid 19 cases in India have crossed the figure of 600,000+, and it took just 5 days to jump from 500,000 to 600,000 cases. It looks like we are reaching towards the peak, as in less than 29 days the number of cases jumped from 200,000 to 600,000, but in the same period the growth rate has come down from 4.7% to 3.5%. Now if you look into recovery rate, till date the same is about 60%. The total number of deaths stand at 17,800+, and death rate is almost at 3%. Now if you see the statistics of Mumbai city then it stands at 79,145 (number of cases), 44,791 (recovery) and 4631 (deaths); the recovery rate stands at 56.6 % and death rate at 5.85%, In both the areas Mumbai city is worse off than national average. The main problems of Mumbai city are, first being population density, and the second is indifferent attitude of certain sections of people towards govt restrictions and last but not the least the lack of coordination between state govt’s various departments and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The way things are moving in few days Mumbai city by itself will cross 100,000 cases.
Now coming to my other topic of the day:
It has been said that normal human being needs 7 to 8 hours of SLEEP every day, and getting sufficient sleep is considered to be very important for healthy living. Many jobs that require extreme precision and caution, it is a must in these fields that one must get proper amount of sleep every day. There have been incidents where people fell to sleep while on job , which resulted in mishap, for example while driving, inspection etc.
In today’s world where life is extremely stressful with job stress, more time spent in front of screen, whether it is mobile or laptop, which often lead to sleep becoming more elusive. There are many people who willingly cut down their sleep to participate in other activities. But, what most people do not realise that in long run, lack of sleep can prove very dangerous. It can cause diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, poor mental health and even death. So, how much sleep is optimum to maintain a good healthy life. Does sleep quantity vary as you age?
It has been said that while infants need around 12 to 16 hours of sleep in a day, adults in the range of 18 to 60 years can make do with 7 or more hours sleep per day. So in terms of sleep seniors are no different from the average adult. However, the issue is that most seniors may not get the required amount of sleep due to many reasons. Insomnia is a common thing among seniors. At times, due to anxiety, at others, some illness or ageing concerns, or even at times few medications may result in sleeplessness. Even if you sleep for 7 to 8 hours, there is possibility that you dis not net get good quality sleep. At times, you find a few seniors who doze off in places, perhaps because of this. Issues like arthritis pain, wanting to urinate may contribute to seniors getting less sleep.
Tips for getting good sleep- As we age it is important to try and follow a set pattern in life to the extent possible. Hence it is important to eat on time and sleep on time. Try to follow a routine, for waking up as well as going to sleep. Follow a healthy routine, wherein you practice some exercise like walking , yoga, meditation after waking up in the morning. Try to avoid watching too much TV before going to sleep or spending time with devices. This may hinder the sleep. Discuss with your doctor if you have too much of sleep issue. Depending on the need, the doctor may prescribe some relaxants, especially if pain and some discomfort are the issues. Do not long nap in the afternoon, as that can hinder night’s sleep. Try to eat your dinner slightly early and make sure to have at least an hour gap between dinner and sleep.
So, in conclusion, seniors should try to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. However if one is comfortable with one or two hour less or more and remain healthy and active, that should not be considered as an issue. Only continuous sleeplessness, especially the kind that leads to health issues should be tracked and treated
Friends, I hope the above information will be useful.
Waiting for your views/comments/feedback.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
2nd July 2020.
R. N. Mungale.
The information is very important.