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Four in 10 Kenyans who seek care at the country's only specialist sleep laboratory are battling insomnia, even as Kenyans joined the rest of the world in marking World Sleep Day under the theme "Sleep Well, Live Better."
Observed annually on the Friday before the northern hemisphere vernal equinox, World Sleep Day has been organised by the World Sleep Society since 2008 to draw attention to the growing burden of sleep disorders.
This year, communities across more than 70 countries participated.
Data from the Sleep Diagnostic and Treatment Centre in Kileleshwa, the first and only sleep laboratory in Sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa, show insomnia is the most common complaint among patients at 40 per cent, followed by sleep apnea at 30 per cent, with narcolepsy and parasomnia each accounting for 15 per cent.
The problem cuts across Kenya's social divide. A peer-reviewed study published last year in BMC Women's Health found that nearly three in 10 women living in Nairobi's Mathare and Kibera informal settlements met the criteria for poor-quality sleep, pointing to sleep deprivation not just as a middle-class health complaint, but as a condition shaped by overcrowding, noise, stress and inadequate housing.
The local data reflects a worsening global picture as about one in three adults worldwide does not get enough sleep, with poor sleep linked to cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and depression.
Research shows long-term poor sleep can reduce a person's lifespan by 4.7 years for women and 2.4 years for men.
The economic cost is equally stark, with sleep deprivation estimated to cost economies up to three per cent of GDP annually through lost productivity.
Medical experts say the physical sleeping environment plays a direct role.
Vikas Patel, Chief of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has argued that mattress design is central to spinal health.
"A mattress that supports the natural curve of the spine helps reduce pressure points and can significantly improve sleep quality and reduce back pain," Patel noted.
Against that backdrop, mattress manufacturer Silentnight on Friday launched a new range of products, incorporating temperature-regulating and motion-isolation materials and targeting buyers from children to the elderly.
General manager Kate Katisya said the move was a direct response to evidence that poor sleep is becoming a health and productivity crisis.
"There is a need for better sleep in Kenya even as we celebrate World Sleep Day," she told the gathering. "Without good sleep we lose our productivity."
Tom Onguru, head of strategy at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, said the launch pointed to a wider imperative.
"We need to evaluate our sleep to make sure we are getting the right sleep quality," he observed. "When we see new innovation like this, we get excited because it is a clear demonstration of progress."
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