LETTERS: The government had said that it would study the issue of 24-hour restaurants. The matter is not as complicated as it is made out to be.
The issue is simply the growing influence of business interests on us. Some people have the perception that this influence has somehow affected government policy-making. The public is told that late nights are inevitable in modern life.
At stake is the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and society. Consider the noise and air pollution from late night revelry, speeding vehicles and litter.
There is medical evidence that irregular sleep brought about by shift work, damages health.
Night shift work increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It disrupts the body's circadian rhythms — our 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep and wakefulness.
Studies have also shown that eating at night alters the body's metabolism. Night work should, therefore, be limited or avoided, not encouraged.
What is natural is for people to rise with the sun and go to bed soon after it sets. Allow us to start the day early and finish it early. The most productive hours are in the morning.
Late-night entertainment are mostly at pubs/clubs, often associated with binge drinking and drugs. Late night restaurants offer post-revelry supper, a non-essential extension.
That is the time when most responsible adults are or should be at home.
Looking at this another way, responsible enterprises involved in night work will make arrangements for the nourishment needs of their staff, like in-house cafeterias.
The need today is for a healthy society with a sustainable culture of work, play and rest. Traditional societies understood this and organised themselves to balance these three human needs.
GEORGE THOMAS
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
