Insomnia that has persisted for years without finding a remedy, but also the difficulty of sleeping caused by Covid-19, together with sleep apnea, are the sleep disorders that make the moment of rest a real nightmare for the Veronese. This is the picture that emerged during the individual interviews with the experts of the Sacro Cuore Don Calabria hospital in Negrar, which were held yesterday morning, March 19, at the Sacro Cuore Diagnostic Therapeutic Center on the occasion of World Sleep Day.
The initiative saw the participation (by appointment) of about thirty Veronese, young and old, whose daytime life is heavily conditioned by a low quality of sleep. “They are people who have been battling insomnia for years and finally, thanks to this open day, have decided to turn to an expert – underlined Dr. Gianluca Rossato, head of the Sleep Medicine Center in Negrar – So far they have tried to offer you remedy with the “do it yourself”, with the only result of adding to the sleep disturbance also the worry of having taken for a long time a drug that is not indicated if not harmful. A lady confessed to using a well-known anxiolytic, without a doctor’s prescription, just because her friend also took it and she “felt fine”. Never undertake similar initiatives ».
Chronic insomniacs were also joined by those who became so due to the pandemic. “On average a year we carry out 1,500 visits and a thousand instrumental examinations, but since the beginning of the pandemic we have recorded an increase of at least 30% in requests – said Dr. Rossato – The cause is the stress due to the fear of infection. for oneself and for family members; smart working which in many cases has led to an extension of working hours; excessive use of electronic devices (smartphones, computers and tablets) whose luminescence can lead to an alteration in the production of melatonin; the worry before losing your job and now the fear, returning to the office, of not knowing how to resume everyday life “.
However, the complications left by the virus also affect the quality of sleep: «Some people recovered from the disease complain of being afraid of falling asleep because they remember the breathing difficulties that occurred especially at night. One man, for example, told our psychologist that he is forced to get up and open the window every night because of the sensation of breathing badly – said the doctor of the Negrar hospital – But other people report that after the infection, even mild, they struggle to fall asleep or wake up frequently. It is hypothesized that the involvement by the virus of the nerve cells, which we have seen with the disturbances of taste and smell, also affects sleep ».
The possible remedies recommended by Dr. Gianluca Rossato are: «If the problems have emerged recently, it is useful to take melatonin. The Sacred Heart Don Calabria also carries out the salivary dosage of this chronotropic hormone, that is, capable of orienting the rhythm between sleep and wakefulness. If, on the other hand, they persist, it is necessary to inform your doctor of the problem who will prescribe a visit to a specialist if this is the case “.
Finally, in young people, insomnia “may be due to the bad habit of going to bed very late and the excessive use of electronic devices – concluded Rossato – But it can also hide a depressive state caused by the pandemic situation that deprived them of long of their daily life and social relations with their peers “.