This is our third article related to the most common health problems amongst IT professionals and how to prevent them.

Today we will discuss Insomnia

Insomnia or difficulties in sleeping is one of the most common health problems seen in software professionals. This issue is encountered more amongst people who work in night shifts because their normal sleep rhythm is disturbed and their daytime sleep is poor and not adequate. According to a study conducted in Finland, 16% of IT professionals who work late at night develop insomnia. Another study held in India found that 35% of the IT professionals had mild insomnia while 21% had reported severe symptoms. If we stare for long hours at the bright screen (laptop or mobile phone) during the night might alter the release of the sleep chemical named melatonin. Consequently, with the time the release of this hormone alters permanently and might even lead to chronic insomnia.

We provide you with a general guidelines of how to prevent insomnia:

• Try to get at least 6 hours of sleep (the recommended is 8h)
• Keep your bedtime and wake time consistent from day to day
• Practice relaxation exercises or play relaxing music before going to sleep
• Use dim lights in the bedroom and change your device screens to “night mode”
• Switch off all devices once you hit the bed

Insomnia can cause daytime problems such as fatigue, irritability, memory impairment and loss of productivity. Left untreated, it has also been linked to severe depression and coronary heart disease.