Ah, sleep. A word that means so much to me, yet I do not remember the last time I slept peacefully. I am sure it was eons ago and I long for a peaceful night's sleep. I can picture myself now, asleep on a comfy bed, looking so peaceful. Imagining myself sleeping has, in fact, become a hobby of mine. What more can I do on March 15, celebrated all over as World Sleep Day 2019? What's worse? It's also a Friday. Ugh, the irony of being sleep deprived on World Sleep Day. What if all of us had a day to sleep peacefully without the fear of daily targets and our bosses haunting our dreams? Is that too much to ask for? Yoga Asanas And Pranayam To Help You Sleep Like A Baby. 

Getting the right amount of rest and sleep is essential to our good health. Poor sleep quality can increase the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart diseases. Well, since science itself has validated how important sleep is, is it too much to ask the governments to declare March 15 a holiday for all of us to snooze? Women Sleep Better in Company of Dogs Than Cats or Humans. 

World Sleep Day 2019 is billed as a celebration of sleep and a “call to action” on important issues surrounding it, such as medicine, education, driving and social aspects. It emphasises the importance of healthy sleep. It is the 12th Annual World Sleep Day and is hosted by the World Sleep Society. And the slogan for 2019 World Sleep Day is “Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging.”

But today, we have built a generation of zombies that prioritise careers over everything else, including one’s own well-being. In fact, a 2018 survey revealed that 60 percent of Indians don’t think sleep is a priority at all and 32 percent can’t sleep due to technology.

Even after all the talk about the importance of sleep on World Sleep Day, the lack of sleep is getting the better of us. Work and work-related stress is directly responsible for our sleep deprivation. In the race towards professional growth, we have all become sleepless workaholics, with no concept of 9 to 5. We end up working 24*7, leaving no room for sleep. In the end, most of us don’t get the professional successes we have been chasing nor good health. It’s a lose-lose.

If World Sleep Day 2019 is not a reason to stay in bed, I don’t know what is. I love my work, but not as much as I love to sleep. I am yawning excessively hoping to get sent home. And if I don’t succeed in snoozing through the day, there is always tomorrow.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2019 12:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).