Role of environmental factors on sleep patterns of different age groups: A survey-based study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study is to determine the effect of various environmental factors associated with modern lifestyle on sleep patterns of three different age groups through a survey-based study. Methods: This was a survey-based cross sectional study. A questionnaire which included questions about their lifestyle habits such as caffeine consumption, electronic media or gadget usage, bedtime, and wake up time was distributed to people of different ages who were grouped into three age groups. The data collected were then analyzed statistically. Results: Most of the habits of today’s sedentary lifestyle such as excessive stimulant consumption and extensive late night usage of electronic media and gadgets have a negative impact on both quality and quantity of sleep. People with such habits tend to have a very short and disturbed sleep. From the current study, it is clearly evident that the group which is most affected are the adolescents. Conclusion: Awareness regarding the ill effects of these modern day lifestyle factors would help everyone to minimize the adverse effects of these factors on sleep and aid in adopting a healthy lifestyle.