In Nepal, lack of sleep is rarely treated as a health concern. It is often worn like a badge of discipline or sacrifice. Students stay up late preparing for exams. Shift workers push through long nights. Parents juggle jobs, households, and family responsibilities with little rest.
When exhaustion shows up, it is usually dismissed with a familiar phrase: this is just life. The brain, however, does not see it that way.
What neuroscience tells us about cleep
Neuroscience offers a different perspective. Sleep is not a luxury or a reward for finishing work; it is a biological requirement. Without adequate sleep, the brain cannot function, adapt, or repair itself properly. When sleep is disrupted night after night, the consequences go far beyond feeling tired. They shape how we think, regulate emotions, store memories, and protect ourselves from disease.
During sleep, the brain performs some of its most critical tasks. Neural connections formed during the day are reorganised, strengthening useful information while clearing unnecessary signals. This is how learning stabilises and memories take shape. Sleep also allows the brain to flush out metabolic waste that accumulates during waking hours. When sleep is repeatedly cut short, these processes remain incomplete, leaving the brain insufficiently reset for the next day.
Evidence from Nepal’s own data
These findings are no longer limited to laboratories. They are reflected in Nepal’s own data. A 2024 study of medical students and health-care professionals found that more than one-third had poor sleep quality, while nearly two-thirds experienced excessive daytime sleepiness. These are future doctors and nurses, expected to make critical decisions for others. Their exhaustion highlights how deeply sleep deprivation has been normalised, even within the health system.
Research consistently shows that even modest sleep loss dulls attention, slows reaction time, and weakens judgment. Over time, chronic sleep deprivation alters brain regions responsible for emotional control and decision-making. This helps explain why sleep-deprived individuals often feel irritable, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed. These are not signs of weakness or poor character; they are predictable biological responses to insufficient rest.
Children and adolescents at greater risk
For children and adolescents, the consequences are even more serious. A school-based study in Kathmandu reported that more than 60 per cent of early adolescents had poor sleep quality, strongly linked to heavy social media use and lower academic performance.
Adolescence is a critical period for brain development. Persistent sleep disruption during these years interferes with memory formation, emotional regulation, and the development of self-control, with effects that can last into adulthood.
The link between sleep and physical health
Sleep deprivation is also closely connected to physical health. Studies in Nepal have shown strong associations between sleep problems and overweight and obesity among adolescents, alongside poor diet and low physical activity.
Over time, these patterns increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Sleep is not separate from public health; it sits at its centre.
Why Nepalis are losing sleep
Multiple factors contribute to widespread sleep loss in Nepal. Academic pressure pushes students to trade rest for achievement. Urban noise, traffic, and crowded housing make uninterrupted sleep difficult. Shift work in transportation, health care, security, and manufacturing forces the brain to work against its natural rhythms. Late-night smartphone use exposes the brain to artificial light, delaying melatonin, the hormone that signals it is time to sleep.
Despite these risks, sleep remains poorly addressed within the health-care system. Studies indicate that many health professionals receive little formal training on sleep and feel unprepared to identify or manage sleep problems, particularly in children. When sleep is overlooked at the institutional level, it remains invisible in everyday care.
Sleep as a public health priority
Treating sleep deprivation as a public health issue does not require expensive technology or specialised clinics. Many solutions are simple and affordable. Schools can promote realistic study schedules and teach students how sleep supports learning. Employers can recognise the cognitive costs of long shifts and irregular hours. Urban planning that reduces noise and improves housing conditions can protect sleep at the community level. Public dialogue can help dismantle the belief that exhaustion equals productivity.
At the individual level, small habits matter. Maintaining consistent sleep and wake times, limiting screen use before bed, and spending time in natural daylight during the morning can help stabilise the brain’s internal clock. These are not indulgent choices; they are acts of care for the brain.
Nepal has begun to recognise mental health as a public health priority. Sleep deserves the same attention. A society that runs on chronic exhaustion places an invisible burden on its people, its productivity, and its future.
Sleep is not a waste of time. It is time the brain uses to prepare for the next day. Treating sleep deprivation as a public health issue is not about comfort; it is about protecting the cognitive and emotional foundation of the nation.
