ABSTRACT
According to the Better Sleep Council’s third annual stress and sleep survey from 2005, women identify getting a good night’s sleep as their priority for personal wellness. Twenty-seven per cent of them believe that sleep is more important to wellness than eating a balanced diet (24 per cent) and exercising 30 minutes a day (19 per cent). The poll shows that women are failing to get the sleep they need and for them sleep is also a priority to ensure the optimal health and happiness which shows that the quality of sleep and health is related to quality of life (Better Sleep Council, 2011). Sleep experts point out that good health means good sleep and high alertness. Sleep loss takes its toll on mood, energy, efficiency and ability to handle stress. Too little sleep can affect the ability to think properly and respond quickly, also compromise health, energy balance and ability to fight infections. Not only is the quantity of sleep important but also the quality of sleep. Some people sleep eight or nine hours a night but do not feel well rested when they wake up because the quality of their sleep is poor.
