Inspired by the recent Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine which throws light on the importance of circadian rhythms, the world celebrates 11^th annual World Sleep Day today.

World Sleep Society issued a global call to action about the importance of healthy sleep. Friday, March 16, 2018 is the 11th annual World Sleep Day®. Created and hosted by World Sleep Society, World Sleep Day is an internationally recognized awareness event bringing researchers, health professionals and patients together to recognize sleep and its important impact on our health.

The slogan for this World sleep day is, 'Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms to Enjoy Life,' intended to emphasize the importance of circadian rhythms in healthy sleep, and inspired by the recent Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine assigned to three researchers who have dedicated their studies to circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms refer to cyclic events within the body such as rhythms in hormones, body temperature and alertness levels. Biological clocks from within the body produce circadian rhythms, but environmental factors such as sunlight also affect them. Preserving regular circadian rhythms have been found to lower the risk of sleep disorders, mental health disorders and chronic health issues such as obesity and diabetes.

Professor Debra J. Skene of University of Surrey, UK has over 25 years research experience studying human circadian rhythms in health and disease. She explains, “If there is misalignment between the circadian timing system and behavior, such as during night shift work or following travel across time zones, then one is sleeping and eating at the wrong time of day. This has acute consequences (daytime sleepiness; reduced performance and increased risk of accidents) as well as long term consequences (increased risk of metabolic disorders, cancer).”

SLEEP’S IMPORTANT IMPACT
Sleep is a basic human need—a crucial component of survival, much like breathing, eating a healthy diet or getting enough exercise. World Sleep Day is designed to raise awareness of sleep as a human privilege that is often compromised by the habits of modern life. Sleep impacts nearly every aspect of mental and physical health. Research suggests:

Sound sleep is one of the three pillars of good health along with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

There are close to 100 disorders of sleep, but most are modifiable and manageable with the help of sleep specialists.

Effects of insufficient sleep favor outcomes such as increased appetite and enhanced sensitivity to food stimuli.

Next day effects of poor quality sleep include a negative impact on our attention span, memory recall and learning.

Studies suggest that sleep quality rather than quantity has a greater impact on quality of life and daytime functioning.

Short sleep duration appears independently associated with weight gain, particularly in young age groups.

Longer term effects of reduced sleep duration are being studied, but poor-quality sleep or sleep deprivation has been associated with significant health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems and even some cancers.