The World Sleep Day is an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving. It is organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society and aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. The slogan this year is “Join the sleep world, preserve your rhythms to enjoy life”.
It has been known that the most basic daily rhythm we live by is the sleep-wake cycle, which (for most people) is related to the cycle of the sun. Sleep-wake and other daily patterns are part of our circadian rhythms, which are governed by the body’s internal or biological clock, kept deep within the brain.
When these rhythms are disrupted, we may see an increase in the prevalence of some illnesses like, cancer, diabetes, obesity, moodiness, cardiovascular issues, and hormonal problems. Our internal clock regulates critical functions such as behaviour, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature, immune responses and metabolism.
The Sleep Health Foundation is participating in World Sleep Day, aiming to promote healthy sleep with an interesting article and the image above.
If you want to know more about circadian rhythms, here are some sources that could be helpful to understand how the body clock works in our lives.
Short video “ How body clocks rule our lives” from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zsxhmsg
Body clock and sleep: Sleep Foundation. https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/sleep-drive-and-your-body-clock
References
- Lucy Williams. https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/public-information/key-events/world-sleep-day.html
- World Sleep day. http://worldsleepday.org/
