disturbance in Ramadan?
Some fasting people suffer from sleep disorders during the month of Ramadan, due to the change in their daily habits, and while some consider fasting as the main cause of sleep disorders and a sense of lethargy and insomnia, scientific research has discouraged that hypothesis, explaining that the matter is mainly related to wrong behavioral habits committed by individuals, such as interrupted sleep Or acute sleeplessness or unhealthy feeding.
A number of researches have been conducted on the effect of fasting on sleep and concentration, using what is known as "experimental fasting", which may extend for hours longer than Islamic fasting and allow the fasting person to drink water. All research has shown that "experimental fasting" increases attention and focus, and does not cause Lethargy and sleep.
With regard to fasting as an Islamic duty, previous research conducted by a team from the "University Center for Sleep Medicine and Research" at King Saud University, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and published in the magazine "Appetite 2010", stated that Islamic fasting in itself does not change the biological clock, which is responsible for controlling the rhythm. Today between wakefulness and rest, or it causes sleep disturbances, but it is related to other factors that may cause this, such as a change in lifestyle.
In another research conducted on a group of healthy volunteers and published in the journal "Sleep and Biological Rhythms", the hormone "melatonin", which reflects the biological clock system in the body, was measured during the month of Ramadan, after controlling the quality and times of eating and the amount of light that the volunteers are exposed to. During the night, the researchers did not find any difference in the usual regime (rhythm) of the daily secretion of the sleep hormone (melatonin) during the holy month compared to the month of Shaban (as a model for the other months of the year), and objective sleep studies and measurements in the laboratory did not show any change in sleep quality during The month of Ramadan, according to Prof. Dr. Ahmed Salem Bahamam, professor and consultant of chest diseases and sleep disorders, director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at King Saud University.
The disruption of the biological clock in Ramadan is mainly due to the sudden change in sleep habits for many people, so the night turns during the day and the day at night, which contradicts the human nature, as many sleep at intermittent and inappropriate times of the night or day, as compensation for the shortage of nighttime sleep hours Necessary to rest the body.
Also during Ramadan, the shops are active until late at night, and satellite TV programs continue throughout the day, and gatherings between relatives and friends abound, which delays the time to go to sleep at night, and consequently causes a feeling of lethargy, drowsiness and bad mood during the day.
Sleep disturbances may also be due to wrong eating habits, such as excessive intake of fatty or sugary foods, or drinking too much caffeine-containing stimulants, such as tea and coffee, between breakfast and the pre-dawn meal.
This sudden change causes circadian rhythms, such as delayed sleep syndrome, or suffering from an adverse sleep pattern, or a disturbance in the secretion of the hormone "melatonin", whose rate decreases with excessive and prolonged exposure to light, and the disturbances may continue until after Ramadan.
The call to control the frequency of sleep in Ramadan does not mean shortening the performance of religious rituals. Rather, what is required is to organize time, maintain a comfortable body, and adopt the causes of sound sleep, so that the rituals can be performed actively, and sleep disturbances can be avoided through several points:
Regularity in the daily lifestyle and the absence of a sudden change in sleep times and waking up during the holy month, because daytime sleep does not substitute for a night''s sleep.
Paying attention to getting enough hours of sleep at night, while taking a short nap (nap) during the day in order to restore activity and seek help on night prayers, provided that its duration ranges between 15 to 40 minutes, and not more than that in order not to cause lethargy.
Organizing food appointments, while hastening the breaking of the fast and delaying the pre-dawn meal, and avoiding overeating and heavy meals, as this can lead to sleep disturbance and increase acid reflux into the esophagus, which affects the quality of sleep.
Refrain from consuming stimulant drinks, which contain "caffeine", at the suhoor table, so as not to cause insomnia.
Nicotine is a stimulant. Smoking a cigarette leads to interrupted sleep.
Avoid exposure to intense lights, such as TV screens, computers or smartphones during the pre-dawn period, and once the light is reduced, we stimulate the body to lower its temperature, thus activating the hormone melatonin, and it is preferable to be exposed to direct light immediately upon waking up as a way to control the pace of sleep and gain activity quickly.
Avoid frequent looking at the alarm clock Because this may increase stress and thus insomnia, and avoid using watches that are lit at night.
Children in particular need enough hours of sleep in order for their physical and mental development to complete
