It is midnight Philippine time, but workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry are wide awake.
They take call one after another, while sipping coffee to keep them on their toes. While others are asleep, BPO workers have to wait for sunrise before they go home and head for bed.
Vince Somintac, 31 years old, had this life for six years and from day one lacked the right amount of sleep.
“On the first day pa lang talagang deprived na ako ng sleep. Siguro kung ide-define yung deprived ng sleep, I mean hindi yun yung regular na sleep cycle ko, ‘yon. First day of work palang, ganun na,” Somintac said in an interview on Friday.
Working at night, when the body is supposed to be resting, is a demand for an industry servicing different countries in different timezones. Employees usually negate their need for proper sleep when they are young, only to suffer from illnesses brought by the lack of it as they age.
In the case of Vince, hypertension, vertigo, and severe body aches started to kick in during his second year of working in a BPO company. His blood pressure hit a high of 180/160 at one point. Having close to a heart attack at 27 years old, he had a wake up call.
“Siguro 1 to 2 years lang nag kick in na. Talagang siningil narin ako ng katawan ko. At first parang simple headache, backaches, dizziness tapos nagkakaroon ako ng mga series of headaches and dizziness. Nagpa-checkup ako it turns out mayroon na akong vertigo”, he said.
Sleep specialist Dr. Beverly Carbonell of the Baguio General Hospital said in a phone interview on Friday that there are ways to regulate sleeping patterns for those working in jobs that entail having lack of sleep. She said it is important to address these concerns because having healthy sleep helps in healthy aging.
Imagine having the key to being beautiful inside and out without the need to spend a lot on treatments. Sleep is an all-in-one beauty secret, Carbonell said.
“Not only physically pero syempre physically, mentally, emotionally. Sleep also improves the mood, reasoning, memory. Lahat po nare-repair during proper sleep,” Carbonell said.
There are two consequence types in sleep deprivation. Acute effects include sleepiness, poor memory, poor reasoning, and poor hand-and-eye coordination. Chronic effects cover more serious illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
Since the reality of getting 8 hours of sleep is almost impossible to reach for those in “sleep depriving jobs,” Carbonell said it is not the amount of sleep but the quality of sleep which is the secret. Having proper sleep hygiene is the key to having a healthier life.
For shift workers working in different hours on a rotating shift schedule, it is advisable to take naps during break times for 20-30 mins.
“Magte-take po ng nap during the break or mga power nap na tinatawag natin during the shift or better before reporting for a night shift. Naps na 20-30 mins, puwede mag improve ang alertness during the job,” Carbonell said.
Lack of sleep also makes it difficult for sleep-deprived drivers to have the right focus due to poor-hand-and eye coordination. Commuting is the best option for this.
In the practice of sleep hygiene, it is also advised to have the same sleep schedule on work days and days off to train the body when to be alert and when to sleep.
The world celebrates World Sleep Day every March 15. It is an annual awareness event that was started by a group of dedicated healthcare providers and members of the medical community working and studying about sleep medicine and research.
In connection with this, the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine, in cooperation with Baguio General Hospital, had a free obstructive sleep apnea screening at the Department of ENT on Friday morning.
A convention that will discuss the basics of sleep including disorders, will be held on March 21-23 at the Holiday Inn in Baguio City.