A Group of IPB Researchers Studied the Sleep Quality of Employees in Jakarta
It is everyone's dream to wake up fresh, happy, and ready for action on a daily basis. Sadly, in the modern world, only a small minority lives that dream. Healthy sleep may be incompatible with some modern habits, some cravings, or some lifestyle choices. At worst, refreshing sleep may be incompatible with one's job or even long-term goals. Sleep is an activity that can’t be separated from human life. Humans spend almost a third of their life span to sleep. And of course everyone has different bedtime. Sleep isn't just a form of rest! Sleep plays a critical physiological function, and is indispensable for your intellectual development. Those who do not respect their sleep are not likely to live to their full mental potential! Sleep problems, including snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep deprivation, and restless legs syndrome, are common. Good sleep is necessary for optimal health and can affect hormone levels, mood and weight. Poor sleep quality can affect the endocrine system and metabolic function, increasing the likelihood of diabetes and hypertension, muscle aches, headaches, and digestive problems, but it can also increase accident rates due to decreased concentration.
This phenomenon has attracted a team of researchers of the Department of Biology of Bogor Agricultural University, namely Dr. Bambang Suryobroto, Dr. Kanthi Arum Widayati, and Wira Agung Pratikno to do the research program on employee's sleep quality, with the city's choice in Jakarta. Jakarta was chosen because it is the capital of Indonesia and it is the megapolitan city. It is a modern society, which is characterized by widespread use of electricity, demand for high performance at work, shift work, prolonged commute times and multiple leisure time activities, has significantly changed human sleep patterns.
One researcher named Wira explained that sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is a condition when the brain does not process information from sensory neurons and does not give commands to motor neurons. During sleep, most of the body's systems are in an anabolic state, helping to restore the immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems; these are vital processes that maintain mood, memory, and cognitive performance, and play a large role in the function of the endocrine and immune systems. Based on the results of previous research, there are many things that can affect the quality of sleep, including gender, socioeconomic status (education, income, and employment status), household, and lifestyle.
Sleep quality study conducted by this team had involved 295 employees respondents who were 18-59 years, whose occupation, income, and gender werre different. The research area covered Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, North Jakarta and South Jakarta. This test used the Pitssburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) method.
"The study revealed that sleep quality of older employees better than younger. Statistical analysis indicates that there is significant negative correlation between age and sleep quality (p=0.0322). Either male or female employees have similar percentages between their good and poor sleep quality. Young employees are generally in a career-building phase, and younger employees usually have ideal expectations about their work. If the expectations are not in accordance with actual conditions, it will affect the psychological condition "said Wira.
Wira also pointed out that in previous studies indicated that sex differences affected sleep quality, but in his current team research, sex did not significantly affect sleep quality and and they have no statistical correlation (p=0.1615). Thus, there was no correlation between sex and sleep quality.
"Income and education indirectly were not important factor in relation to sleep quality. Statistical analysis shows that sleep quality has no statistical correlation to income (p=0.5432) and education (p=0.6621)." he concluded. (Wied)
