Inglese
Edmund Coleman has suffered from sleep issues for five years.
The 25-year-old juggles work in Melbourne's hospitality industry with his postgraduate studies.
He admits it is a struggle setting good sleep habits, with the late-night shifts and early morning study sessions.
"I find it really difficult to fall asleep without like a podcast, or a TV show, or a movie, which I think sort of disrupts the first part of my sleep cycle - I'm no expert. And also waking up in the morning I have the terrible habit of setting so many alarms, for fear of not waking up on time, that it actually really detracts from the last forty-five minutes, hour or so of my sleep. But yeah, it's almost reflexive, reaching for my phone and opening it, just for that stimulation to start the day, try and get that white light in and stumble out for a coffee soon after."
Edmund is not alone.
Research published on the 19th of July in the peer-reviewed Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has found as many as 25 percent of young Australians are not satisfied with their sleep.
1,234 young adults - aged 22 - were involved in the study, which determined the sleep quality based on factors such as: sleep duration, how quickly you fall asleep, satisfaction and regularity.
Thirty percent said they slept less than seven to nine hours a night, and 18 percent took more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.
Self-reported low sleep satisfaction was also a strong indicator for lower mental and physical health.
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin is the CEO of the group Public Health Association of Australia, which produces the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
He says the findings of the study have big implications for policymakers in the public health space.
"Increasingly the evidence is forming that suggests that sleep is an important public health issue and in the way that we very clearly recognise that having a healthy diet is good for us, being physically active is good for us, and having good quality and consistent and sufficient sleep is increasingly a public health challenge that we need to do more about and help people address in a consistent manner."
The study participants were drawn from a project known as Raine Study - at University of Western Australia - where the annual health data of thousands of children are tracked from birth, after the voluntary consent of the pregnant mother.
The six Australian researchers [from the fields of psychology, medical research and health and education] say the work is first Australian study to comprehensively investigate the sleep health of young adults using both lab-based and self-reports of their sleep quality.
The study, which did not look at other age ranges, does not indicate if poor sleep is disproportionately affecting younger Australians.
Flinders University Professor of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Robert Adams - who was not involved in the study - says other research suggests that young people may be more greatly impacted by factors which are negatively affecting sleep for all Australians.
"Significant among younger adults is problems with being able to allow enough time for adequate sleep, and there are a number of reasons for that. One is the pressures around the 24-hour society, that have been pretty well documented around being on devices and general interaction with social media and the internet. The other though is other external pressures such as work demands. A lot of young people work non-standard work hours. And so if you're working really late or really early some days of the week but then have to do things like work or study at other times, at different times, it becomes really difficult to set up a regular sleep pattern."
He says younger adults are less likely to seek professional help because they don't see chronic poor sleep as a problem.
He says another barrier to accessing treatment is also cost.
"Access to the therapies for clinical sleep disorders is difficult. Cost is significant. Treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy - access to that is difficult, there are few psychologists who specialise in that area, and there are often large gap payments for it. Access to GPs, as you know has become difficult over time. And advice is often given around getting better sleep habits that isn't necessarily followed up, or able to be delivered consistently over long periods of time."
The landmark study recommends the findings be used to formulate a low-cost screening tool to intervene before sleep issues escalate.
It says the key indicators to track would be subjective satisfaction with sleep and daytime alertness.
The hours of sleep required for an individual to feel rested is between six and 10 hours, although most of the population would require between 7 and 9 hours.
Tips for better sleep hygiene include being physically active during the day and have a night-time routine to reduce screen time an hour before to going to bed.
Professor Slevin says what you eat, and drink can also have an impact.
"It comes down to being consistent in our habits as best we can, trying to go to bed and to get up at roughly the same time each day, making sure the room is dark and as quiet as possible, avoiding stimulus, avoiding things like large meals, stimulants like caffeine and the like. So I suppose really the challenge is to create the right environment, the right temperature and the right ingredients to give yourself the best chance of having a good night's sleep."
For Edmund, the search continues for a good night's sleep.
He has tried different ways of getting back on track, including seeking professional help, but admits he hasn't found a winning formula yet.
"I have considered doing it, but just because you know, its expensive enough to see doctors for other mental issues, I think sleep specifically falls right down the ladder of priorities in terms of personal healthcare."
Italian
Edmund Coleman soffre di problemi legati al sonno da quasi cinque anni.
Il venticinquenne si destreggia tra il lavoro nella ristorazione a Melbourne ed i suoi studi post-universitari.
Ha confessato che instituire cicli di sonno regolari è problematico, con i turni lavorativi notturni e le lezioni di prima mattina.
"I find it really difficult to fall asleep without like a podcast, or a TV show, or a movie, which I think sort of disrupts the first part of my sleep cycle - I'm no expert. And also waking up in the morning I have the terrible habit of setting so many alarms, for fear of not waking up on time, that it actually really detracts from the last forty-five minutes, hour or so of my sleep. But yeah, it's almost reflexive, reaching for my phone and opening it, just for that stimulation to start the day, try and get that white light in and stumble out for a coffee soon after."
Edmund non è il solo.
Una ricerca pubblicata il 19 luglio sulla rivista scientifica peer-reviewed Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health ha scoperto che quasi il 25 per cento dei giovani australiani non sono soddisfatti del proprio sonno.
1234 ventiduenni sono stati sottoposti allo studio, che ha determinato la qualità del sonno basandosi su fattori come: durata del sonno, rapidità nell’addormentarsi, soddisfazione e regolarità.
Il 30 per cento di loro ha detto di dormire meno di 7/9 ore, ed al 18 per cento occorre più di mezz’ora per addormentarsi.
La scarsa soddisfazione per il sonno da loro riportata è un altro forte indicatore di una salute fisica e mentale ridotta.
Il professore aggiunto Terry Slevin è l’amministratore delegato del gruppo Public Health Association of Australia, che realizza la rivista scientifica Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
Slevin sostiene che i risultati dello studio hanno grandi conseguenze per i responsabili delle politiche del settore della salute pubblica.
"Increasingly the evidence is forming that suggests that sleep is an important public health issue and in the way that we very clearly recognise that having a healthy diet is good for us, being physically active is good for us, and having good quality and consistent and sufficient sleep is increasingly a public health challenge that we need to do more about and help people address in a consistent manner."
I partecipanti allo studio sono stati sorteggiati da un progetto noto come Raine Study, presso la University of Western Australia, dove i dati sanitari annuali di migliaia di bambini sono tracciati sin dalla nascita, dopo il consenso volontario della madre durante la gravidanza.
I sei ricercatori australiani – provenienti da psicologia, ricerca medica e salute ed educazione – hanno dichiarato che questo lavoro è il primo studio australiano che indaga a tutto tondo sulla salute del sonno dei giovani, usando dati scientifici provenienti dai laboratori e questionari compilati dai ragazzi sulla qualità del loro sonno.
Lo studio, che non ha esaminato altre fasce di età, non indica se la mancanza di sonno stia colpendo in modo sproporzionato i giovani australiani.
Robert Adams, professore di medicina respiratoria e del sonno alla Flinders University - che non era coinvolto negli studi- ha detto che secondo un’altra ricerca i giovani australiani sono fortemente influenzati da fattori che hanno un impatto negativo sul sonno di tutti gli australiani.
"Significant among younger adults is problems with being able to allow enough time for adequate sleep, and there are a number of reasons for that. One is the pressures around the 24-hour society, that have been pretty well documented around being on devices and general interaction with social media and the internet. The other though is other external pressures such as work demands. A lot of young people work non-standard work hours. And so if you're working really late or really early some days of the week but then have to do things like work or study at other times, at different times, it becomes really difficult to set up a regular sleep pattern."
Adams sostiene che è meno probabile che i giovani cerchino aiuto professionale perché non vedono la mancanza cronica di sonno come un problema.
Ha anche detto che un altro ostacolo all’accesso alle cure è il loro costo.
"Access to the therapies for clinical sleep disorders is difficult. Cost is significant. Treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy - access to that is difficult, there are few psychologists who specialise in that area, and there are often large gap payments for it. Access to GPs, as you know has become difficult over time. And advice is often given around getting better sleep habits that isn't necessarily followed up, or able to be delivered consistently over long periods of time."
Questo importante studio consiglia di usare i risultati per concepire uno strumento di controllo a basso costo per intervenire prima che i problemi del sonno peggiorino.
Secondo questo studio, gli indicatori chiave da controllare sono la soddisfazione per il sonno e la reattività durante il giorno.
Le ore di sonno necessarie ad una persona per essere riposata sono comprese tra le sei e le 10, sebbene la maggioranza della popolazione abbisogni di 7/9 ore.
Consigli per un sonno più sano includono l’essere fisicamente attivi durante il giorno e avere una routine notturna per limitare il tempo trascorso davanti allo schermo un’ora prima di coricarsi.
Il professor Slevin aggiunge che anche l’alimentazione può avere un impatto.
"It comes down to being consistent in our habits as best we can, trying to go to bed and to get up at roughly the same time each day, making sure the room is dark and as quiet as possible, avoiding stimulus, avoiding things like large meals, stimulants like caffeine and the like. So I suppose really the challenge is to create the right environment, the right temperature and the right ingredients to give yourself the best chance of having a good night's sleep."
Per Edmund, la ricerca di una buona dormita continua.
Ha provato diversi modi per tornare di nuovo in carreggiata, tra cui aiuti di professionisti, ma ha confessato di non aver ancora trovato la formula vincente.
"I have considered doing it, but just because you know, its expensive enough to see doctors for other mental issues, I think sleep specifically falls right down the ladder of priorities in terms of personal healthcare."
