Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette Humans are not nocturnal creatures so switching sleep patterns during Ramadan to stay awake all night and sleep during the day like owls will have several adverse effects on our health. “After the night prayers, I watch some TV, occasionally visit a friend, read the Qur'an, and then it is time to prepare the suhoor meal. By the time our family is done eating, there is only an hour left until fajr prayer so we stay awake to avoid missing the prayer. We go to bed right after the dawn prayer and sleep until afternoon. No matter how hard I try to catch up on sleep during the day, I still feel tired and exhausted,” said Lema Saad, a mother of four girls. Complaints like these are common during this holy month, but many of us may be unaware that sleeping late may be taking its toll on our physical and emotional health. Dr. Ahmad Sabbagh, who specializes in sleep disorders, said, “Our bodies have been biologically programmed to get some shut-eye in the dark hours of the night. When you stay awake after midnight rather than going to bed, the body begins to unleash the stress hormone, cortisol, which has several damaging health effects on the body. The influx of cortisol increases blood pressure, weakens the immune system, slows down growth and cell renewal and repair, and reduces secretion of serotonin which is a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting sleep and a general feeling of wellbeing.” Another important hormone that is only produced by the body at night is melatonin and bright lights in the home during late night hours interferes with the production of this hormone. Melatonin is best known for making you sleepy, but it has many other functions, including regulation of immune, digestive, thyroid and reproductive functions. Studies show that low levels of melatonin are linked to migraine headaches, depression, suppressed immunity, memory problems, and insomnia.
Melatonin production rises in the dark and peaks between midnight and 2:00 AM. Specialized photoreceptor cells in the eyes are thought to trigger most melatonin secretion by the pineal gland in the brain. The pineal gland is considered to be one of the most important organs in the endocrine (hormonal) system. It acts as a biological clock, telling the body when it is night and when it is day, triggering the production of specific hormones accordingly. So keeping lights on and staying awake at night confuses the body's internal clock and hormonal cycles. Sleeping early and rising early has more benefits as researchers have found that it can make you a happier person. A recent University of Toronto study suggests there may be some truth to the centuries-old saying: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Renee Biss who led the study said, “Early risers, called larks, tend to be more cheery than owls who sleep until the sun is high in the sky. The finding that the better moods of some adults might actually be explained by something as simple as the fact that they like to wake up earlier was pretty surprising and interesting for us. Previous studies have also suggested that morning people have more stable personalities and a greater sense of well-being, while night people are more susceptible to depression and substance abuse.” Students and teachers may have the luxury of sleeping during the summer, but all other employees have to wake up early for work so staying up late at night is even more detrimental for their health. Dr. Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology, conducted a study on 470,000 people from eight different countries, said: “If you sleep less than six hours per night you stand a 48 percent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15 percent greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke. The trend for late nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our health so you need to act now to reduce your risk of developing these life-threatening conditions.” According to the study, the amount sleep one should get is of seven to eight hours, while sleeping more than nine could be an indicator of other health problems. The days in Ramadan this year are long and hot. Nonetheless, if we want to be more active, happier, and healthier, scientists strongly discourage staying awake all night and sleeping throughout the day. “The One” who created us knows best what suits our bodies, and instructions on the correct sleeping patterns are mentioned in more than one place in the Qur'an. “And We have made your sleep as a thing for rest. And have made the night as a covering and have made the day for livelihood,” (Qur'an 78: 9, 10,11)
