Dubai: Many residents say they are sleep deprived, citing busy work schedules as the cause. They also admit it is affecting their moods and energy levels adversely.
“I’m doing two majors in university right now and I work, so it’s a bit hectic at times,” Josephine, 18, a student at Rochester Institute of Technology, said. “Usually, I get around six or maybe eight hours of sleep a night. But usually, it’s six hours,” she said. “Since I don’t do much on weekends, I get more sleep on weekends. It makes me feel better because during the week, I don’t get much [sleep], and I try to rest as much as I can during weekends.”
Sophia, 26, said living in Abu Dhabi and working in Dubai cause her to lose a lot of sleep. She said she sleeps for an average of four to five hours on weekdays. “So when I travel back, then yes, I’m getting a lot less sleep than I probably would like.” She said she sleeps two hours more on weekends, and that doing so makes her feel better. “I have more energy.”
Others said they get adequate sleep during the week. Daniel, a 26-year-old marketing coordinator, said he sleeps a minimum of seven hours a day, the amount of sleep the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends to adults between the ages of 18 to 60 to ‘promote optimal health.’ “I get proper sleep,” he affirmed.
Daniel said he sleeps more on weekends, when he doesn’t have work to do. “I feel worse. The energy level decreases if I sleep more.” He said he feels more energetic waking up early.
Daniel may be suffering from “social jet lag”, which occurs when one sleeps more on weekends than on weekdays.
According to a study by researchers at the University of Arizona, social jet lag causes disruptions in the body’s internal clock, resulting in fatigue, worse mood, and poorer health.
Some said they have the same sleep pattern during all days of the week. “My body has signalled itself to wake up early morning regardless of the timing that I actually slept,” Hisham, 27, who works in an advertising company, said.
Meera, a 21-year-old student at American University of Sharjah, said she might be sleep deprived.
“Well, it’s mostly because I’m a university student with an on-campus job. I spend most of my day working, so it doesn’t really leave much time to study. I’m forced to study at night. I think I do get enough sleep to function, but I don’t think it’s enough health-wise.”
She said she spends most of her time during the weekend catching up on schoolwork, and that her sleep pattern during the weekend is similar to hers during weekdays. “I think my body’s adjusted to waking up so early.”
Ahmad Khalid is an intern with Gulf News
