How to deal with Insomnia
Sleep is essential, and without it, we become ill (“Five hours of sleep each night linked to greater risk of several diseases: Study”, Gulf News, October 19). It’s a bold statement, but it’s also correct. I can’t emphasise enough on how important sleep is to keep us alive, healthy, and sane. Unfortunately, a lack sleep contributes to depression, anxiety, and addiction. We all have days when we don’t get enough sleep. We may have a hectic schedule. We may have picked up bad habits, like staying late to surf the web and overstimulating our eyes. When these lifestyle factors are addressed, sleep often improves. Several conditions and problems in life can cause sleeplessness, and it’s hard to treat it without first fixing the problem. We need to figure out what’s wrong with our sleep patterns in the first place. But, of course, this is easier said than done. Our core body temperature needs to drop compared to our extremities for us to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sleeping in a sweltering room can be challenging because our core body temperature may rise.
Mark Tyrrell, a famous psychotherapist, found that getting clients to imagine their hands and feet getting warmer helped them fall asleep, as long as the bed wasn’t too cold or too hot. It could be because visualisation helps people fall asleep.
Some of us might not want to sleep as much as needed and wish to utilise our time to deal with life’s problems. But, a healthy sleep routine might make our life easier.
From Ms Saima Muhammed Nawaz
UAE
Give peace a chance
How beautiful the world is (“Can we give ‘peace’ a chance again?”, Gulf News, November 11). But, we who live on the Earth have not realised how cruel and terrible the actions of humans are. Have we noticed the daily happenings and news around the world today? Chaos and confusions have been ongoing in many countries for ages. In some countries, violence and riots occur because of religion and ethnicity. Not only does no one gain anything, but people are killed.
The ultimate truth is that all wars, violence, racism and communalism are staged solely to seize power. I have often thought and longed for how beautiful this world would be without wars and violence, much more peaceful and heavenly.
The reality is sad when the world boasts of education and technology at their peak. Kindness, compassion, love, harmony, and compromise have become just words that can only be written in many languages. In reality, nowhere does it exist. If there had been no war, many lives and natural resources would have been saved. Seeking solutions through negotiations and mutual compromise should always be the equation among the countries and rulers of the world.
From Mr Sameer Usman
UAE
T20 cricket world cup: Rishab Pant is the X factor
Though I am fan of Indian cricket player Dinesh Karthik, I feel that the Indian coach Rahul Dravid’s selection of Rishab Pant for the semi-final clash against England is praiseworthy. No doubt Karthik has not clicked during the matches he played, but so is the case with Rishab Pant, who also failed to fire in his last four or five matches, including against Zimbabwe. But, as averred by the coach, one poor game should not be a parameter to discard a player. I wish Dinesh Karthik had the coach’s confidence, like Dravid, when he was dumped without a single trial. Anyway, the choice of Dravid is correct; as Pant is a left-hand batsman, he could be a better choice against this England team. In fact, Sanju Samson should have been the best choice, and I hope he soon gets rewards for his continued performance.
From Mr N V Krishnan
India
T20 World Cup: Will it rain during the final?
The frequent intervention of rains during the ongoing T20 World Cup Tournament is a cause of concern for most top-playing nations, who are in serious contention for a place in the Semi-finals. The victory of Pakistan against South Africa has proved to be a vitamin for the Pakistan team, who had faced an early elimination after their defeat to Zimbabwe. However, now they stand a good chance to stake a claim in the semi-finals. This team, too, could do an encore of Imran Khan’s lead team of the 1992 One Day International World Cup in Australia. I hope that the rains will not act as a spoilsport in the remaining matches. Thankfully, there will be no selection of teams based on sixes and fours. However, in the future, the International Cricket Council (ICC) should consider the weather disturbances at the World Cup venues before finalising dates for such big tournaments.
From Mr Vinay Mahadevan
India
