THERE are no two opinions about the health benefits of rising early. But Ms Shaista’s mention of the West as the main culprit for this bad habit in us (Oct 15) is a bit amusing.

Which particular country in the West is she alluding to? The culture of sleeping late and getting up late is more subcontinental in my opinion.

Out here, you will see weddings happening late into the night. Little children are seen being dragged into late night weddings or parties by helpless parents. Ever been to the multitude of eat-out places sprouting up all over Karachi? Notice children being brought out late in the night. Televisions blaring late till night in most homes disturb children’s sleep patterns.

I am not much in touch with our present-day village life, but my sense is even there it is not possible to get up late. Out there, they have to work in tandem with nature.

Doctors now say sleep deprivation is a big cause of depression; not the clinical kind I suppose, but the one that can hurt your health. If you haven’t had enough sleep your blood pressure starts acting up, and mind can play tricks. Stress is the first thing you feel on a tired body.

By all standards, you should get up early, but by the same token you must go to sleep early too, giving your body eight hours of sleep (depending on individual need). Find an hour every day to exercise or yoga or meditate.

As a parting note, barely anything opens up in the city before 12 noon. I drop my son to school every morning. Even at 7:45 am, it is nearly impossible to find a fruit vendor or vegetable stall open. Morning is a good time to buy fresh food, but maybe I am one of those rare moms driving their children to school; it is mostly male drivers I am jostling against, blaring their horns behind me at every red light.

Rukhsana Nasir

Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2014