Many people going on vacay to sleep in peace!

Do not be surprised if you find a friend post on Instagram a picture of himself or herself vacationing, not in Thailand or Paris, but, inside a hotel room, and asleep.

Sleepcation is real in the West and is fast catching up in India too. The term — sleepcation (sleep vacation) — is self-explanatory. It means taking some time off and sleeping (as much as possible) at a resort or a hotel. It is a short vacation to just sleep and rest.

Most people go on vacation to explore new places, meet new people, for adventure, to be close to nature, learn a new culture etc.  But an increasing number of people are going on vacation to quietly sleep.

So, the day is not far when people will post pictures of themselves sleeping, having a pillow menu, posing with a sleep patrol officer, or having a massage at a sleep spa.

The objective of this vacation is to repay the sleep debt. What is sleep debt? Individuals need to sleep eight hours a day but not many do so owing to work pressure, commute to work, health conditions, infant and elderly care, stress, etc. This sleep debt affects an individual’s physical and psychological well-being.

Sleepcation is not an antidote for a sleep disorder. It is a method to catch up with deprived sleep and regulate it. One can prescribe it to those with huge sleep debts before it reaches the stage of medical intervention or dependence on sleeping pills, ruining their physical and mental health.

Why is it catching up in India? Because of widespread sleep deprivation.  Sleep is very important for an individual’s overall wellbeing. An average adult is expected to sleep eight hours a day, but many Indians sleep for 6.55 hours on an average, says Fitbit, an US-based company. This regular inadequate sleep (sleep debt) coupled with stress and other pressures of life may, over a period of time, deteriorate into sleep disorder, hampering an individual’s regular activity.

A recent study by Godrej Interio found that over 93 per cent Indians were sleeping after 10 pm, making it launch the “Sleep at 10” campaign. Going by recent statistics on the alarming levels of sleep deprivation in India, sleepcations will become the norm sooner than later. Right now, we don’t have hotels like the ones in Singapore catering exclusively to sleep, but we are likely to have many in the coming years.

Sleep deprivation cuts across regions and age groups and is not restricted to India or working individuals alone. It is a problem for school and college students as well. The “Start school later” movement in the USA and suggestions for nap stations at college libraries show the intensity of this problem.

Many people are actually unaware or not able to comprehend how serious sleep deprivation is as a problem.