World Sleep Day is celebrated every March 17, in order to sensitize people about the importance of sleeping well. According to the Colombian Association of Sleep Medicine (ACMES), 59% of Colombians suffer from problems when sleeping. Therefore, it is important to develop sleep habits, which will allow you to lead a healthy lifestyle and a better mental performance.
Sleep is a vitally important biological function for most human beings. Studies have shown that a variety of highly relevant biological processes take place during this time, such as energy conservation, metabolic regulation, memory consolidation, elimination of waste substances, activation of the immune system, etc.
Sleep disorders affect the ability to fall asleep, sleep continuously or stay awake, or engage in unusual behaviors during sleep, such as sleepwalking. Sleep can be affected by many factors, including: irregular bedtime and wake times, activities performed before bedtime, stress, diet, illness, and the use of some drugs.
There are more than 100 types of sleep disorders, of very varied origin, however, the most frequent are:
- Insomnia
- excessive sleepiness during the day
When you have insomnia, it is difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, and when you wake up you have the feeling of not having rested. Due to this, symptoms such as irritability, fatigue, depression and risky behaviors can occur; so it is important to attend to it.
“Sleep deficiency changes activity in parts of the brain, causing people to feel irritable, fatigued, or unable to adapt to change, and sleep deprivation has been linked to depression and risk-taking behaviors.” Guadalupe Terán Pérez, president of the Mexican Society for Sleep Research and Medicine, said in a statement.
The treatment of insomnia should be based on its origin, its severity and its duration. Since most insomnia is secondary to a disease, the key to its treatment is to resolve the cause. While the cause is being treated, sleep can be improved with psychological and pharmacological measures.
TREATMENTS FOR INSOMNIA
Treatments include lifestyle changes, therapy, and medications
- Sleep hygiene habits
- behavioral therapies
- Stimulus control
- paradoxical intention
- progressive muscle relaxation
- Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy
According to the American Sleep Foundation, the recommended hours of sleep for people ages 18 to 64 are between 7 and 9, while for adults over 65, 7 to 8 hours is ideal.
However, globally, figures show that approximately 40% of the population sleep poorly, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This can directly impact the body through stress or anxiety disorders, among others.
Therefore, having a healthy sleep habit is essential for the intellectual and physical development of people. The quality of sleep depends on different factors, as has already been said, such as the minimum number of hours, body temperature, the degree of relaxation in which the body is and even the type of clothing that is used, but which is least he pays attention to it and it is essential, it is the mattress.
KEYS TO SLEEP WELL
- Mattresses are essential to measure people’s sleep quality
- Establish a rest schedule.
- Avoid exercise, at least three hours before bed.
- Avoid eating at least two hours before going to bed.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco close to bedtime.
- Avoid cell phone use before going to bed.
- Create a suitable environment.
The scientists highlighted that poor-quality sleep is associated with stress and anxiety disorders, with increased cardiovascular risk and with a greater chance of suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
To reach these conclusions, they followed more than 4,000 people in the Czech Republic over a period of three years, in which there were surveys and dialogues to relieve rest periods.
Quality of life was assessed using five parameters: satisfaction with life, well-being, happiness, subjective health, and work stress.
“Better sleep means a better quality of life,” they stressed. And they concluded: “The study suggests, with the exception of extremes, that sleep duration together with differences in sleep habits on work days and days off is not as important for quality of life as what is considered a Good night sleep”.