Sleep is an important physiological phenomenon that allows our body to refresh and repair itself. However, finding the right balance between sleep and daily routine seems challenging during the Holy month of Ramadan. Many Muslim faithfuls, especially the working class and students, struggle to have enough sleep during this period.
Ramadan fasting demands waking up at dawn every morning to eat and pray; this makes it challenging to enjoy a quality night’s sleep. Scientists have reported that the disruption of sleep routines can have a negative impact on daytime functioning, reducing alertness, causing mood disturbances, and creating an increased risk of injury. They further stated that it is important for the human body to be fuelled with good-quality sleep, food, and drink. Therefore, lacking any of these negatively impacts our physical body and emotions.
Sleep deprivation also affects hormones in the body that control appetite, and by implication, lack of quality sleep increases appetite, thus making fasting during Ramadan even more difficult.
Consequently, lack of good quality sleep directly affects our well-being and hampers productivity at work during the daytime; hence it is important to find the right balance for quality sleep.
Certainly, with the tips below, quality sleep can be assured during Ramadan fasting:
Make sure you sleep straight after Isha prayer, the last prayer of the day. This will ensure an average of four to five hours of sleep before waking up for the morning meal, suhoor.
If you feel low during the day, try to nap for about 20 minutes, this can be helpful. A quiet place away from the workstation can do but remember to set the alarm to avoid oversleeping.
Make use of weekends to supplement the sleep hour lost during the week, and have a lie-in until 11 am, not later, as this help to rejuvenate the body and mind for the following week’s tasks.
Avoid high-calorie and sugar-rich food during Iftar so that it does not affect your quality of sleep, as the body will be busy trying to digest it at the time of sleep.
Avoid coffee and products that contain caffeine. Caffeine stays in our system for about seven hours, and it is advisable to reduce the quantity consumed, which should be early enough before sleep time.
Try as much as possible to avoid fried food because they are loaded with fats that stay long in the digestive tract and cause high acidity, leading to sleep disruption. Also, avoid spicy food as it irritates the stomach lining and causes gas and heartburn, disrupting sleep at night. Also, salty foods are high in sodium and will cause dehydration which is not good during fasting.
Make your room comfortable for a good sleep at night. Ensure your sleep environment is quiet and dark. Also, use quality sleep products such as those produced by Mouka, recommended by the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP), to provide maximum comfort to ensure the healthy sleep an Islamic believer desires during Ramadan.
In conclusion, having a good quality sleep during Ramadan fasting will make you healthy and productive during the daytime.
May Allah make it easy for us, accept our act of Ibadat, and have us among the favoured. Amen
Dr. Usman Abba Ahmed, (PT), Ph.D., MNSP
Vice President,
Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy