Manage Your Sleep in Ramadan

Sleep is crucial as studies say that a healthy adult should get a sleep of between 7 and 9 hours. But wit could be really challenging during the holy month of Ramadan as Muslims get up for the Suhoor meal and often sleep much during fasting hours, which can interrupt their sleep pattern and that could be very unhealthy.

Not getting enough sleep can reduce alertness, cause mood disturbances and increases one’s risk of injury.

The effects of intermittent fasting in Ramadan affecting sleep has also been extensively studied. Sleep has various domains in its architecture. Falling asleep when lying in bed is called sleep latency and this tends to increase during the holy month. Total sleep time is also decreased. Another important change seen during Ramadan is the sleep-wake hormone Melatonin. While Melatonin levels showed the same wave during the holy month, their levels significantly dropped from baseline. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep duration, which is deep sleep, is also reduced. All these changes are attributed to a change in drinking and meal patterns rather than altered energy intake.

You could also take a power nap during the day. The nap should not be longer than 20-25minutes as one may go into deep sleep and wake up feeling even more tired.

A nap is usually helpful if you are driving a long way home before Iftar. Going to bed early after Iftar and making sure the environment is quiet and dark is also helpful.

Diet also plays a huge role in sleep quality, if the Iftar meal is high in calorie and volume, the brain and body will remain active as the food gets digested. Avoiding fried foods and spicy meals will certainly help. This goes for Suhoor too. Since the caffeine cycle is altered during this time, avoiding too much Caffeine will preserve the quality of sleep. Drink plenty of water instead.

Image Source: Better Sleep

This article was previously published on UAE Moments.To see the original article, click here