Sleep is often treated as a luxury that can be sacrificed when life becomes busy. People work late, students study into the night, parents manage demanding schedules and many others remain awake for hours using their phones or watching television.
What is frequently overlooked is that persistent sleep deprivation is not merely a personal inconvenience. It can have serious consequences for families, workplaces, educational institutions and society as a whole.
Modern lifestyles have made adequate sleep increasingly difficult for many people. Long working hours, lengthy commutes and irregular schedules can leave little time for rest.
The widespread use of smartphones has added another problem. Many people continue browsing social media, watching videos or responding to messages late into the night.
The habit of taking the phone to bed can make it difficult to disconnect from the day’s activities. Students are particularly vulnerable to sleep deprivation. Academic competition and examination pressure often encourage young people to study late at night. Some also sacrifice sleep for entertainment and social media.
A tired student, however, may find it harder to concentrate, remember information and participate effectively in class. Thus, sacrificing sleep in the hope of improving academic performance may actually produce the opposite result.
A Concerned Citizen, Karachi
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026