Sleep is an essential part of staying healthy and fit. Scientists are always looking for ways to ensure this happens.A new study out of India shows that more hours spent in bed doesn't translate into any real benefits if there's not also an increase in quality sleep.Research that involved 452 low-income workers in Chennai over the course of a month found that an afternoon nap was better than an extra hour of sleep at night, least for those who were very disturbed by their night-time sleep.Actigraphs are small wearable motion sensors that can monitor your sleep cycles. They are increasingly popular in scientific research. Actigraphs are able to measure the sleep of people in their homes without any additional equipment or complex configuration.The researchers provided information and encouragement to workers, as well as improvements in home sleep environments. However, they were not able to achieve the expected health benefits."To our surprise these night-sleep intervention had no positive effect whatsoever on any of those outcomes we measured," Frank Schilbach, economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) says.These outcomes were cognition, productivity and decision-making. As a result, the average number of hours worked decreased. This could be because people spend more time in bed than they do at work. Volunteers were required to perform a data entry job that was solely for the study. Their attention and output could then be measured.It is important to mention the conditions of the study as well. Before the researchers could push it up, participants were getting a mean of 5.5 hours sleep per night from eight hours in bed each night.The workers spent an additional 38 minutes each night in bed by the end of the month, which translated to 27 extra minutes of sleep per night.Low sleep efficiency could prevent you from getting the deepest, most restorative sleep that is so beneficial to your overall health. Research has shown that a lack of quality sleep can lead to dementia and other health problems.Researchers found that the average number of times they woke up each night for the volunteers in the study was 31. Their sleep quality is similar to that of someone living in wealthy countries who suffers from sleep apnea or insomnia.Schilbach says that you often see people sleeping on rickshakes in Chennai. "There are often four to five people in the same room, and it can be noisy. You also see people sleeping between highway segments.It's extremely hot at night and mosquitos are everywhere. In Chennai, there are many potential sleep factors or irritants.Half of participants were encouraged to take a half-hour nap during the day. This led to positive results in productivity, cognitive function and psychological well being.However, participants were unable to work as hard or wanted to, despite the fact that they were getting more done while they were on the job.Researchers say that more research is needed in developing countries, not just in wealthy countries' sleep labs. They also warn against applying sleep studies too widely to different nations or communities.The research team suggests that future studies will focus on sleep quality and not sleep duration. Psychological factors like stress and worry, which are often experienced by families with lower incomes, could also be considered.Schilbach says that there isn't a lot of work to study people's sleeping habits in their daily lives. "And I hope people will focus more on the outcomes that people value and study sleep in poor and developing countries."The Quarterly Journal of Economics published the research.
