Good sleep is necessary for good physical and mental health and a good quality of life. Insufficient sleep is a pervasive and prominent problem in the modern 24-h society. A considerable body of evidence suggests that insufficient sleep causes hosts of adverse medical and mental dysfunctions. An extensive literature search was done in all the major databases for “insufficient sleep” and “public health implications” in this review. Globally, insufficient sleep is prevalent across various age groups, considered to be a public health epidemic that is often unrecognized, under-reported, and that has rather high economic costs. This paper addresses a brief overview on insufficient sleep, causes, and consequences, and how it adds to the existing burden of diseases. Insufficient sleep leads to the derailment of body systems, leading to increased incidences of cardiovascular morbidity, increased chances of diabetes mellitus, obesity, derailment of cognitive functions, vehicular accidents, and increased accidents at workplaces. The increased usage of smart phones and electronic devices is worsening the epidemic. Adolescents with insufficient sleep are likely to be overweight and may suffer from depressive symptoms. The paper concludes by emphasizing sleep quality assessments as an important early risk indicator, thereby reducing the incidence of a wide spectrum of morbidities.

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For healthy existence, humans need to spend one-third of their time sleeping. Any qualitative or quantitative disturbances in sleep would result in an increased prevalence of obesity, metabolic disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension. The paper aims to highlight the growing global problem of insufficient sleep and its significant impact on the rising incidence of diabetes mellitus. An extensive literature search was done in all major databases for “insufficient sleep” and “Diabetes Mellitus” for this review. Shorter (<6 h) and longer (>9 h) durations of sleep have been adversely related to insulin resistance. Though the relation between insufficient sleep and diabetes mellitus is more or less understood, little is known about how oversleeping or hypersomnia (10–12 h) increases the risk of diabetes. The relationship between sleep disturbances and diabetes is dual-sided, as chronic sleep disturbances would elevate the risk of developing insulin resistance, while diabetes would worsen the quality of sleep. Both the qualitative and quantitative disturbances in sleep significantly increase the risk of developing diabetes, which is supported by numerous community-based and hospital-based epidemiological studies discussed in this review. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders and is characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia and increased sympathetic activity, thus leading to a higher prevalence of diabetes. Sleep therapy may serve as a low-cost method for fighting against the rising epidemic of diabetes.

Dengue is endemic in India. The capital, Delhi, continues to witness a higher number of cases due to urbanization-related factors. This study is intended to implement health education towards prevention of dengue, and to assess its impact on people's knowledge and practices related to causes and prevention of dengue among urban poor in Delhi. Pre- ( n = 484) and post- ( n = 496) intervention surveys from 15 sub-clusters from five slums/slum-like settlements in Delhi were carried out. Health education based intervention was carried out through partnership with the municipal bodies and non-governmental organizations. Socio-demographic characteristics of participants were similar in both surveys. Intervention resulted in significant increase in knowledge on cause, symptom perception and mosquito behaviour in terms of breeding and biting habits. Practice of personal protection measures increased significantly. The participation of people increased during intervention compared to the routine programme. Health education based interventions are instrumental in improving people's knowledge and behaviour. Hence, routine health educational activities as a supportive strategy in the health system need to be strengthened. New integrated approaches such as eco-bio-social approaches with community participation are to be developed and tested in endemic settings like Delhi.

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