Do Indians Get Enough Sleep? Chapter Notes | Communicative English for Class 10 PDF Download

Key Points of the Story

• Aviral, a marketing executive, struggles with severe jet lag after returning from New York to Delhi, affecting his sleep and concentration.
• Despite being exhausted, Aviral tries to stay awake to reset his sleep pattern, but ends up dozing off at the wheel while driving home.
• Sleep disorder experts emphasize the importance of adequate sleep for health and suggest that lack of sleep can lead to various health issues.
• A study presented by Dr. Kumar Menon highlights the need for early detection of sleep disorders and incorporating sleep history in patient evaluations.

Detailed Summary

Once upon a time, there was a man named Aviral. He was 44 years old and worked in marketing. Aviral had just come back to Delhi from New York, and he was really tired. He hadn't slept much for more than 38 hours because of a thing called jet lag. This is when your body gets confused about time because you travel to a place far away. Aviral tried to stay awake all day, hoping he would sleep better at night. But sadly, Aviral couldn't sleep well at night. When he woke up in the morning, he didn't feel good and it was hard for him to focus at work. While driving home, he felt so sleepy that he accidentally fell asleep at a red light. The car behind him honked to wake him up. Feeling too tired to drive, he parked his car in a quiet spot and took a nap for two hours. After that, he felt better and could drive home safely. Experts say that not sleeping enough makes it hard to pay attention and can cause health problems. 
Dr. Kumar Menon and his team in Mumbai talked about sleep problems and said doctors should ask about sleep when they check on patients. Everybody knows that not enough sleep makes us tired. Sleep is as important as eating well and exercising to stay healthy. A good night’s sleep means you wake up feeling happy and full of energy. Most grown-ups need about eight hours of sleep each night, says Dr. Jeffrey Lipsitz, who is an expert on sleep. But this number can be different for everyone. If someone keeps missing sleep, the tiredness adds up and makes them feel worse. A young man named Swarup Chatterjee, who is 28 years old and works in Hyderabad, knows he doesn't sleep enough. He only gets four to five hours of sleep because he is always thinking about his busy life. Swarup drinks lots of coffee to stay awake, but he knows he would feel better with more sleep. A study showed that many adults don’t sleep enough. In India, 29% of people go to bed after midnight, and 61% sleep for seven hours or less. Even though many Indians wake up early, getting up early is only good if they go to bed early too. 

Theme/ Message

• The story highlights the importance of sleep for overall health and well-being.
• It conveys the message that adequate sleep is as crucial as proper diet and exercise for maintaining good health.
• The experiences of individuals like Aviral and Swarup Chatterjee illustrate the negative impact of sleep deprivation on concentration and productivity.
• The need for early detection of sleep disorders and the inclusion of sleep history in medical evaluations, as suggested by experts, emphasizes the growing recognition of sleep issues in healthcare.
• The variation in individual sleep requirements and the consequences of accumulating sleep deficits are important considerations for maintaining optimal health.
• The survey results reflecting Indian sleep patterns raise awareness about the need for balanced sleep schedules, advocating for both early rising and early sleeping.

Difficult Words

• Jet Lag: The feeling of tiredness and confusion after a long journey to a different time zone, making it hard to adjust to the new local time.
• Exhausted: Extremely tired and lacking energy.
• Concentrate: To focus your attention on something and think about it carefully.
• Disrupted: Interrupted or disturbed, causing something to be out of its normal order or pattern.
• Deficit:. situation where there is not enough of something, like sleep, leading to a shortage over time.
• Rejuvenate: To make someone feel fresh and full of energy again, usually after being tired.
• Accumulate: To gather or build up something gradually over time.
• Stressful: Causing stress or anxiety, often because of too much pressure or demands.
• Awareness: Being informed or conscious about something, like the importance of good sleep.
• Recognize: To identify or acknowledge something, often because it is important or noteworthy.
• Evaluation: The process of assessing or judging something to understand its value or quality.
• Physicians: Medical doctors who diagnose and treat illnesses, and in this case, are encouraged to consider sleep issues in their patients.
• Disorders: Conditions that disrupt normal functioning, like sleep disorders that affect how well a person can sleep.
• Highlight: To emphasize or make something stand out, like the need for better sleep awareness.