The concept of sleep coaches is catching on in India, but doctors warn that many plying the trade are unqualified.
Doctors say there is an increase in people reporting problems related to sleep. (Creative Commons)
What can you do if counting sheep doesn’t help you drift into blissful sleep?
Well, there is no need to lose sleep over it; you can always go to a “sleep coach” — often also referred to as a sleep therapist, sleep consultant or sleep trainer — an expert who can help you improve your sleep and develop healthier sleep patterns.
Ask Riya Rangarao of Bengaluru. For years, the 32-year-old software professional struggled to fall asleep every night, and tried everything from chamomile tea to over-the counter sleep aids.
Nothing helped till a friend referred her to a “sleep coach”.
Today, Rangarao gets to sleep for a good seven hours daily, thanks to the personalised “sleep schedule” prepared by her sleep coach.
The concept of “sleep coach” is quite popular in the West but is a relatively unknown one in India, say experts in sleep medicine. But it is slowly catching on here as well, they add.
There are two types of sleep coaches, says Dr N Ramakrishnan, American Board of Sleep Medicine, certified sleep specialist, now a senior consultant in sleep medicine at Apollo Hospitals, and also Director, Nithra Sleep Clinic, Chennai.
Being unable to sleep well can lead to various physical and mental health issues. (Creative Commons)
In the first group are medical doctors specialising in sleep medicine, and trained in diagnosing sleep related disorders and even medically treat them.
They take into consideration several factors, including the patient’s behavioural, lifestyle and mental health issues, when making their diagnoses.
In the second group are the sleep psychologists who focus on mental and behavioural issues that contribute to sleep problems. They also look at various dietary and lifestyle habits of the patient that can contribute to sleep issues.
“Sleep coaching is a relatively new profession (in India), and sleep issues and wellness have been combined now,” Dr Ramakrishnan told South First.
Sleep disorders can be due to any number of reasons: Medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, nerve disorders, and pain; mental illnesses including depression and anxiety, or life stresses due to issues such as job loss or bereavement.
Doctors have now added another to the list of probable causes: The pandemic. And even a name has also been coined for the condition: Lockdown Sleep Syndrome.
Dr Ramakrishnan says he and his team found four major reasons why people could not sleep well during the pandemic.
First, he said, the lockdown brought about a radical change in the lifestyle of people as they stayed indoors with an enhanced exposure to gadgets.
Staying indoors led to the second reason: People were deprived of sunlight, essential to get good sleep.
The third reason was the common anxiety over getting infected or the deaths of loved ones, and finally, there was the uncertainty about future.
Post-Covid, several people are spending sleepless nights. (Creative Commons)
“We found that most people who suffered from insomnia during the pandemic had at least two of the above-mentioned reasons,” Dr Ramakrishnan said.
“With Covid19 cases coming down, we are now seeing a lot of people who had the infection develop some residual sleep-related issues. We are seeing more people with long Covid sleep issues.”
Dr Sandeep HS, consultant, pulmonologist and sleep medicine at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital (BGSGGH) in Bengaluru, agreed that sleep-related issues have gone up post-pandemic, the most common cause being anxiety.
“Long Covid is also one of the reasons for abnormal sleep in few patients. Most of them can be treated with a few anxiolytic medications, but the demand for personalised sleep coaches is also increasing, which we provide at BGSGGH, Bengaluru,”
The Covid-19 factor has led to a boom in sleep coaches and sleep experts, many of whom are just B Pharma graduates, and lack the qualifications to become a sleep coach.
Dr Ramakrishnan explains that in sleep medicine other than in serious cases involving sleep apnea, there isn’t much to examine with tests or the use of machines. Most of the time it involves talking, understanding the person’s sleep hygiene, work atmosphere, timings etc.
“Sleep coaches need to dedicatedly monitor the sleeping pattern of patients,” said Dr Ramakrishnan. “But I find many sleep coaches these days do not have the right qualification.”
Moreover, he said many of these sleep coaches fail to understand that sleep requirement varies from person to person, and the therapy involves personalised treatment.
“There are people who may require only six hours of sleep to wake up fresh, and be productive throughout the day, while others need more,” he said. “It is not right to generalise treatment.”
But what was really a matter of serious concern, Dr Ramakrishnan said, was that these unqualified sleep coaches are unlikely to realise if the person they are treating has developed serious sleep apnea issues. “They may not know where to stop and contact a pulmonologist,” he said.
Dr Ramakrishnan said anyone claiming to be a sleep coach needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. “Clients must make sure this person is formally trained and not just peddling information from print media and the internet,” he said.
Doctors even warn of an increasing number of wearables that have entered the market claiming to help monitor people’s sleep. And many people are buying them.
Among technology workers In places like Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, the hours of work have definitely caused changes in the circadian rhythm of people. Hence, the wearable Fitbit kind of gadgets have found many takers.
“Techies feel the need to use all kinds of wearables for good sleep. They must understand that Fitbits are good to know the duration of the sleep — but not its quality. Places like Bengaluru are huge wellness markets. Hence a lot of self-trained wellness coaches, sleep coaches, nutritionists, etc., flourish here” Dr Ramakrishnan added.
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