Comment on "Sleep issues still ignored in China: Report" (China Daily, March 20)

Before reading the article, I didn't know that March 21 is observed as World Sleep Day. What the 2013 China Sleep Quality Index, issued by the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, says is not strange to me. Just as the report says, many Chinese people have sleep problems, some of which are even very serious. Common people, however, fail to pay necessary attention to them because of several reasons.

As a 25-year-old man, I am supposed to be healthy and energetic. I am indeed energetic and healthy, except that I have been suffering from insomnia for the past few years. It started when I was a teenager and used to study late into the night and felt nervous about upcoming exams. After I began work, the situation became more serious.

I tried very hard to avoid taking sleeping pills because it's not good for health. But it's a really terrible feeling when you cannot sleep at night. People who have not suffered from such a condition can hardly imagine what it is like.

There are many young people like me who have sleep problems. But when we talk about insomnia, many people don't regard it as a serious problem, let alone a medical condition. The more they ignore it, the more they suffer.

Since society is becoming increasingly competitive and people are under greater pressure, it's time we paid proper attention to this problem and took better care of our health. And the first thing people who have sleep problems should do is to seek a doctor's help.

Han Yang, via e-mail

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(China Daily 03/27/2013 page9)