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When we sleep poorly one night, we feel irritable the next day and can have trouble concentrating. However, when sleeping becomes a habit, other types of problems appear, from mental health disorders to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Sleep is important because it is the time when the brain not only rests but also works more.” Paula Cavanzo, a Colombian neurologist and neuroimmunologist, describes in these few words what our body does when we sleep: rest and work. Especially our brain, the orchestra conductor of our lives from the most basic activities like breathing to the most complex ones, like remembering, feeling or making decisions.
“(Sleep) is the moment in which everything that happened during the day is recycled, purged (…) The brain activates many functions during sleep so that we can function the next day, get up, take into account general terms a quality of life”, adds the doctor.
In addition, the different phases of sleep They also perform different tasks that help us, precisely, have that quality of life. The first phase of light sleep is the transition between wakefulness and sleep and sometimes lasts as little as five minutes. In the second, the body reaches a state of relaxation and brain activity decreases. The third phase consists of deep sleep, during which it is believed to be the most physically restorative stage, essential for our immune system to function properly.
Finally, we enter the REM stage, in which the brain does not rest but, on the contrary, activates. It is the phase in which we dream and there is increasing evidence that it serves to process all the emotions experienced throughout the day, in addition to selecting which parts we want to stay with and which to forget. The entire cycle, from Phase 1 to REM, is repeated several times throughout the night with some variations: being able to keep up with the repetitions is essential.
What happens when we sleep badly?
According to WHO figures, 40% of people report sleeping poorly, that is, sleeping insufficient hours or having a little restful sleep. Consequences vary, and the most worrying are the long-term consequences. For starters, there are many mental health conditions linked to poor sleep hygiene, including anxiety and depression. It can become a fish that bites its tail: these disorders cause worse sleep, in the same way that sleeping poorly can cause or aggravate these disorders.
But the link between sleep and health does not end here: “We do not always take it into account, but when we do not sleep well, cardiovascular risk increases,” says Cavanzo. That means an increase in hypertension, blood vessel problems or an increased risk of heart attacks.
Chronic pain is another ailment associated with poor or poor sleep, in addition to premature aging. “There is a very big link between not sleeping well and aging (…) It makes it faster, we see very young patients with diseases, comorbidities and skin problems,” recalls the doctor.
The neurologist also explains that “all these diseases that are correlated with not sleeping well” have in common the “inflammatory substances” that are generated “within the brain” when the body cannot rest and that “alter all the functions of the body”. This same inflammation can also occur when feeling stress or anxiety, something that “alters circadian cycles” (the regulation of sleep according to daylight).
How can we sleep better?
Sleep disorders are a true epidemic that lives in silence at night. According to Cavanzo, “it is a public health task to ensure that we have a better quality of sleep”, in the same way that there are public policies that focus on nutrition or exercise.
The pandemic, in fact, has exposed this problem, especially the pace of life, the overwhelming amounts of work or telecommuting and the economic demands that make many sleep poorly. That is why, in the first place, to solve this insomniac epidemic, it is necessary to achieve the social conditions that allow good rest.
While that is happening, however, we can worry about having better habits: for example, building a sleep routine that helps the body know when to rest and when to wake up. Adapt the space where we rest so that it is dark, quiet and with little noise and with a temperate climate. Staying away from screens and their blue light so we don’t disrupt our circadian rhythms can also help.
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