PHCC warns against staying up late after holy month of Ramadan
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: After the holy month of Ramadan, many people experience sleep disturbances as a result of struggling to readjust to an early sleep routin...
Doha, Qatar: After the holy month of Ramadan, many people experience sleep disturbances as a result of struggling to readjust to an early sleep routine and continuing to stay up late. This common behavior not only poses risks to one’s health but also brings about various detrimental physical, mental and social effects.
The secretion of the melatonin hormone is closely linked to sleep during the night as it increases its release in darkness and decreases when exposed to daylight. Therefore, staying up late and reducing the number of hours we sleep at night disrupt the release of melatonin hormone, which negatively affects the biological clock rhythm, body temperature, body fluid balance and the sense of hunger and fullness.
Dr. Naela Darwish Saad, Manager of the Umm Salal Health Center and Senior Family Consultant at PHCC, explains that insufficient sleep negatively affects one’s performance at work or school, which can lead to decreased productivity, ineffective performance and a higher likelihood of making mistakes, as staying up late can exacerbate issues related to poor focus and memory and impair the ability to make sound decisions and think clearly, consequently individuals may experience confusion, information incomprehension and learning difficulties. Furthermore, staying up late can result in the loss of concentration, increasing the risk of errors and unintentional accidents.
Inadequate sleep after Ramadan can have mental and neurological repercussions, resulting in an increased sleep-related issues like insomnia, ongoing fatigue, stress, memory lapses and depression. On the other hand, the negative physical consequences of staying up late included increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, irregular blood sugar levels, hypertension, various cardiovascular conditions and strokes. It can also weaken the immune systems, elevating the risk of diseases and infections.
