H

UMANS are sleeping less than they should — and the effects are taking a toll. The latest and largest sleep study, conducted in the US using consumer data from 1.53 million nights of sleep, showed that about 80% of adults get less than the minimum requirement of seven hours of sleep per night. South Africans are no exception. Neurologist Dr Kevin Rosman, a specialist in sleep medicine for the past 20 years, said the most common sleep disorders he treated were chronic insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea, when breathing repeatedly stops and starts as you sleep.

While the reasons range from psychological to chronic medical conditions, studies have shown that sleeping as little as an hour less than recommended doubles the risk of a motor accident.

Daniel Rabinowitz, a clinical psychologist in Cape Town, said: “Sleep disorders cause more than just daytime sleepiness. If sleep problems are a regular occurrence and interfere with your daily life, you may have a sleep disorder. They can take a serious toll on your mental and physical health, leading to memory problems, high blood pressure, weight gain — and impacting on your immune system, heart health, energy levels, and mood.”

A lack of sleep can exacerbate existing conditions.

Rosman said women with young babies were prone to postnatal depression as a result of the associated massive hormonal changes.

“In addition, the interruption of sleep can cause depression. Depression is also frequently seen in conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea, where the sleep may be interrupted 100 times an hour.”

Rosman said in recent years electronic devices had contributed to poor sleep. “The first way they are detrimental is simply because of the arousal effect. If one is completely engrossed in whatever one is doing with them, devices could wake us up rather than calm us down.

“The second way devices affect us is the background of blue light. When we are exposed to a certain intensity of blue light in the morning, this suppresses the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

“When light dims at the end of the day, melatonin production increases, and that puts us to sleep a few hours later. If melatonin production is suppressed in the evening, this is likely to worsen insomnia,” Rosman said.

This is why he does not recommend using electronic devices to fix sleep disorders.

Caffeine, alcohol and exercising too late in the day result in poor sleep, although mild exercise, like yoga or stretching, does help to get you to sleep well.

There are more than 80 different sleep disorders and Rabinowitz said medication was only useful in the short term.

“Rather, cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective intervention. The therapist helps you to look at concerns about how you sleep and what to do when you can’t sleep.”

Rosman suggests the “optimal sleep environment” starts with a comfortable bed.

“The room should be dark and quiet enough, cool enough [15°C to 20°C], and secure enough. We tend to sleep better at a slightly lower temperature, although women like the temperature to be slightly higher than men, on average.

“Generally speaking, the less sound the better. A complete absence of sound is better for sleep than even the most relaxing music.” LS

It’s good for you, it doesn’t cost a cent, and best of all you can do it lying down. Sleep is our birthright, and we should get more of it, writes

I am a 36-year-old woman and I don’t always feel pleasure when having sex. I only do it to please my husband. If it were up to me I would do it once a month. Sometimes this causes problems between us.

It is not uncommon for couples to have differences in libido and go through what are colloquially known as “droughts”. Aspects of sex over which partners differ can include, among others, its frequency, the pleasure obtained from it, ways of doing it and willingness to use sex toys.

One should always check for medical issues that could be the cause of low libido or a lack of pleasure during sex. It is important to think about hormonal imbalances, early menopause or side effects of hormonal contraceptives.

However, changes in libido or enjoyment of sex do not always mean there is a medical issue; they can be quite normal. How your partner handles being in a celibate marriage may have an impact on your relationship. Communicating your desires is important.

Intimacy does not only mean penetration; I would encourage you to find ways of remaining intimate with your partner to reduce the sexual distance between you.

You and your husband may require professional help to understand issues of consent within a marriage and work through the incompatibility. Both of you may have to be willing to make changes.

Dr T is hosting a parents and teens seminar to help with the transition from childhood to adulthood. Topics include communication, decision-making, gender identity, sexual health and relationships. There will be a Q&A session.

February 4, 1pm to 6pm. R1 700 per child. Learning material, tea and lunch included. E-mail: drtpmofokeng@gmail.com or disa@icon.co.za

Dr T runs a reproductive clinic in Sandton, She is vice- chairwoman of the Sexual and Reproductive Coalition and is a board member of the Soul City Institute for Social Justice.