Getting a good night’s sleep may keep a doctor away

If there is anything that Aneth Michael treasures most in her life, it’s her bedroom. She endeavours to make it tidy and as comfortable as possible. Reason? She believes that a comfortable bedroom promotes healthy sleeping.

“I avoid anything that might interfere with my sleep in the bedroom,’’ says the 32-year-old trader who runs a jewellery shop in Dar es Salaam’s popular market, Kariakoo.

“After a long day at work, I usually wish that night comes so that I rest, and finally sleep. It’s the bedroom that motivates me, and that’s why I invest in it,” says Aneth who works 13 hours a day.

She prefers a spacious bedroom too. That’s why she avoids putting other stuff apart from the bed, a wardrobe, chair and a table.

Why does a healthy bedroom matter?

Aneth, the Kariakoo trader, says she was advised by a designer on how to keep her sleeping environment quiet, and very dark.

“The designer told me that in order to have a room which can offer a continuous sleep, I should avoid sore room temperatures, light, and noise,” says Aneth.

Experts say lack of sleep can cause moodiness and failure to concentrate. This, they say, affects performance at work and at home. Most studies done on sleeping recommend an average of 8 hours of sleep per day for an adult.

To ensure a comfortable and healthy sleep, Dr Kilawa Shindo, a medical officer at Kigoma Ujiji Hospital recommends a selection of a comfortable mattress, pillows, and beddings.

Dr Shindo also hints on proper sleep hygiene, saying, “Maintaining clean beddings, such as bed sheets, pillows and the overall cleanliness of the room is key to developing good and healthy sleeping habits.”

As Aneth strives to invest in her comfortable sleeping quarters, studies indicate that a human body requires sufficient sleep to function optimally. And, to a reasonable extent, a good sleeping environment and hygiene boosts health.

One study that involved people from Tanzania, Namibia, and Bolivia; published in the Journal, Current Biology, and titled: ‘Natural Sleep and Its Seasonal Variations in Three Pre-industrial Societies,’ showed how daily ambient temperatures and a sleeping environment affects sleep.

During the study, the researchers found that sleep period consistently occurred during the night-time period of falling environmental temperature, was not interrupted by extended periods of waking, and terminated by all-time low daily ambient temperatures.

“The daily cycle of temperature change, largely eliminated from modern sleep environments, may be a potent natural regulator of sleep,’’ says the study published in 2015.

The study aimed at exploring the sleep patterns of groups living in the aforementioned countries with lifestyles similar to our prehistoric ancestors—showed similar late-night habits to humans with internet and TV-based routines. In other countries, a study published in Journal of Molecular Psychiatry, titled: ‘Sleep hygiene awareness: its relation to sleep quality and diurnal preference,’ shows that the level of sleep hygiene awareness among many people is moderate, particularly among young adults—even among those complaining of poor sleep.

However, the study concludes, “…results suggest that better sleep hygiene awareness does not necessarily guarantee better sleep quality and that it may actually be an indicator of dissatisfaction with the obtained sleep.”

The researchers surveyed six hundred fifty two participants, recruited nationwide from the community and from the students in three main cities in Romania.

In United States (US), the American Sleep Association describes sleep hygiene as the recommended environmental and behavioral practices designed to promote better quality sleep.

When sleeping in unhygienic conditions

While there are people like Aneth who have developed a sense of organisation when it comes to maintaining a healthy sleeping environment, this remains a challenge to many others.

Hassan Kassim, 30, lives with his two friends, Calvin Charles, 27 and Godwin Shayo, 27, in a rented one-room residence in Temeke, Dar es Salaam.

The room is too small to accommodate three people. They use a five-by-six mattress, covered with a white-coloured bed sheet which has totally lost its original colour due to stains; plus two pillows which appeared unwashed for a long time.

“We all sleep here,” he says, as he laughs. “While asleep, we have to cross our legs to fit on the mattress,” he adds.

He admitted, during an interview with Your Health that it may take about a month for them to do laundry for their beddings.

Dr Thabit Mwiyombela, a Medical Officer in Dar es Salaam, cautions that sleeping in such unhygienic environment puts people at risk of respiratory infections, such as cases of constant flue. “This can also lead to skin diseases,’’ he adds.

Dr Mwiyombela says that the dust mites which could hide in dirty beddings could increase a person’s risk of getting a cold or suffering from allergies.

He adds that the longer you go without washing your sheets, the more difficult it becomes to remove skin cells, mites, and other fluids, as they become more deeply embedded in your beddings.

“Washing bed-sheets and pillow cases each week and using hot water, helps kill off any bacteria,” advices Dr Mwiyombela.

Healthy sleeping tips from experts

Apart from proper hygiene, it’s also important to choose healthy sleeping positions.

An expert in physiology from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Muhas), Dr Mashili Fredrick, says that for a healthy sleep, a hard mattress and soft pillow are recommended.

He says, “A hard mattress is for body stabilisation-something which can prevent one from backache and other related nerve disorders.’’

According to Dr Mashili, a soft pillow provides a head-support and helps the body to maintain the curvatures, hence this prevents neck and back pain.

Dr Mashili says that the recommended sleeping position is lying on the back or stomach. This prevents nerve compressions that would later result into numbness and shoulder pain.

“Lying on one side for a long time as one sleeps, with arms straight down to the side, causes nerve compression and may put someone in danger of numbness and that’s why the neutral positions like lying on the back and stomach, are recommended, with an exception for pregnant women,” says the physiologist.

Dr Mashili says it’s not recommended for three people to sleep on one mattress since it can make them side-sleepers—something that causes nerve problems. Side-sleeping, he says, reduces body flexibility during a sleep.

Dr Josephine Tesha is a psychologist and independent consultant on wellness who says that if the bedroom is not comfortable, you can experience excessive stress and hence can lead to insomnia.

“For you to sleep comfortably, you must do whatever is possible to avoid any mental illness, including stress. For one to be able to do that, the bedroom environment must be clean, in fact the bedroom is supposed to be a place to only sleep and enjoy,” she says.

Dr Tesha also advises people to learn how to manage stress and that anything that may make them stressful should seek a professional help no matter how small it is.

People should also learn to practice basic warm ups every day when they wake up since it can increase their heart rate, increase circulation to their muscles, tendons and ligaments, and mentally prepare them for their workout,” advices the psychologist.

Foods that affect a goodnight’s sleep

Ms Neema Shosho, a Nutrition Advisor at the Embassy of Ireland in Tanzania says that studies have proven drinks that contain caffeine such as coffee and cola can cause a person to delay to fall asleep and even contributing to developing insomnia.

“Substances like nicotine, found in cigarettes can disturb sleep patterns.

Studies have associated consumption of very spicy and acidic foods, excessive alcohol and high fat foods few hours before bed time; with problems to fall asleep,” says Neema.

For a good and smooth sleep, Neema says, consumption of warm milk before bed time is highly encouraged.

She says that milk contains a substance called tryptophan, a sleep-promoting substance.

She adds, “Other foods that are high in tryptophan include nuts, seeds, bananas, honey and eggs.”