Dr. Kweku Anim Karikari, Acting Western Regional Director of Health, on Monday, admonished Ghanaians to have quality sleep to ensure high productivity at work.

He said everyone was supposed to have between seven and nine hours of sleep daily so that the body could repair worn-out tissues and rebuild energy stores.

Dr. Karikari gave the advice at a press briefing on ‘Quality Lifestyle’ in Takoradi, and urged Ghanaians to keep their body and mind in optimum shape to increase their lifespan.

He said with changing lifestyle in the country, empirical evidence showed increasing incidence and prevalence of non-communicable diseases due to bad health habits, and advised people to eat early and relax before going to bed so that the food could digest properly.

“People with erratic sleep pattern may suffer short-term trouble with concentration or weight gain while long-term harm could be weaken immune system“, he stressed.

Explaining the components of healthy lifestyles, Mr. Edwin Kunbatazie, a Health Promotion Officer with the Ghana Health Service said one was supposed to eat a balanced diet, exercise daily, enjoy quality sleep and relax to relief stress.

He said healthy lifestyle habits were vital for maintaining a youthful and attractive appearance.

“Healthy lifestyle forms a well rounded programme that fulfills your physical and mental needs since it boosts your metabolism, place less strain on your organs, muscles, bones and brain in order to preserve your good health,” he observed.