Chowrangi

It was 3 AM when light was glowing in Ahmad’s room. Her mother woke up for Tahajud’s prayer and went straight to his room. She thought his son would be studying because his exams are approaching but she became disappointed when she saw him sitting in front of his computer and chatting with his friends.

Do not you think this is every home’s story now? At least I think!

Benjamin Franklin once said: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. But now we are familiar to a term called Junk sleep - sleep that is of neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs.

Presently almost every one is caught up in this social evil but youngsters are in the lime light. Availability of electronic halo of gadgets at somehow reasonable rates is the biggest reason for junk sleep. Television, cable, computer, cell phones and I pods are always there to entertain us by cutting us on our sweet sleep. Our youth is really suffering from this social evil. Their new night light is computer monitor and their cell phone is always vibrating with late calls and text messages. Television screen is always fresh with unending new programs and icing on the cake is the variety of channels which make it hell lot of easier to sit and enjoy your favourite channel throughout the night.

In addition to this vital factor, there are some other reasons also. Although they can’t be considered the vital ones but they somehow are enhancing the trend of junk sleep. The emerging trend of second shift of educational institutions is disrupting the sleeping habit. More students and less space is the vital reason for the second shifts of institutions which start at round about 2PM and end at 8 PM. Definitely students’ sleeping routine do get affected because of this.

Various Multinational eating outlets provide junk food at reasonable rates after 12 AM with an attractive caption of MIDNIGHT DEAL. In the same way, a number of mobile phone companies have the packages of lowest call rates after 12 AM. We really become happy and truly avail these opportunities but we never consider the way they are altering our sleeping routine. In the same way, a number of Multinational companies offer us jobs with attractive salary packages but again, these jobs start at night and end in the morning. These include the call centers whose basic priority is the youngsters with good spoken English and they give a handsome starting salary. Although it sounds so nice to get a job without any degree and experience but don’t you think these sorts of jobs are really interrupting our old routines?

Experts recommend a sound sleep of eight hours necessary for good physical and mental health. Now we rarely find anyone who says that he gets a sound sleep of almost 8 hours. Allah has mentioned in Holy Quran that days have been made for work whereas nights have been made for rest and comfort but we as a society are sleeping less. Our grandparents slept more than we do today. Of course, they didn’t have cell phones, cable TV and other distractions. When it got dark, there was little to do. Today, we sleep much less.

Sound Sleep is definitely more comforting as and it relaxes our body. We have to realize that sound sleep is important for both physical and mental functioning and wellbeing and without any doubt junk sleep is affecting our health negatively.

Other posts by Hadia Rahman

• Media's Influence on Me - May 28th, 2008
• Media Consumption Pattern In Pakistan! - January 3rd, 2008
• Haunting Memories of My Teenage! - November 25th, 2007