Definition of sleep, what is sleep?
Sleep is a reversible state of reduced perception, reduced motor activity, and reduced metabolism. In fact, we do not only observe it in humans, but it is a phenomenon that is observed in all animals in some form. This universality suggests that the act of sleeping probably has some evolutionary significance as well as demonstrating how important it is to life in general.
Humans spend about a third of their lives, or about eight hours a night, asleep.
But why do we sleep? Have you ever wondered? What does it benefit us, what does it offer us?
The real purpose of sleep is poorly understood and there are many theories. One theory suggests that our bodies repair and rejuvenate during sleep. When we wake up from a good night's sleep, we usually feel refreshed. On the contrary, insufficient sleep leads to worse performance during the day, causes a feeling of fatigue or drowsiness, and even has an impact on the functioning of our immune system. Furthermore, it is known that the secretion of growth hormone peaks during sleep. This can contribute to muscle growth and cell regeneration. The brain's metabolism also probably reboots during sleep to remove neurotoxic waste (much like we reboot a computer). Finally, empirical and experimental data show that sleep plays a role not only in the maintenance but also in the formation of new synapses that promote learning. This is why people clearly learn and remember less well when they don't get enough sleep. Thus, sleep seems to have an impact on memory, concentration and generally all higher cognitive functions.
How many hours should we sleep?
But how many hours is enough, how many hours should we sleep? Adults, from 18 to 60 years old, should sleep seven or more hours a night on a regular basis. While infants, children and adolescents need significantly more sleep than adults.
Sleep disorders - insomnia
A good quantity and quality of sleep is very important. In various observational studies that have been done, insufficient sleep has been associated with a variety of adverse conditions, including cardiovascular disease, obesity and generally increased mortality from various causes. The lack of sufficient good quality sleep first leads to drowsiness during the day. In addition, it also causes other symptoms, such as irritability, reduced concentration, attention deficit, fatigue, malaise, lack of energy, restlessness, etc.
But why do we sleep less? What is the problem?
The reduction in the quantity and quality of sleep is most often referred to as insomnia. It is important to remember that we should not confuse true insomnia with simply shorter sleep durations. Many people who think they have insomnia simply need less sleep and can function without difficulty with those hours, do not have a real sleep problem. Needing less sleep does not necessarily mean that you have insomnia.
So what are the symptoms of true insomnia? When do we really have a problem?
Besides obviously feeling like we are sleeping less, we also have:
● Feeling tired or sleepy during the day
● Forgetting things or having trouble thinking clearly
● Having a change in behavior and mood, becoming eccentric, restless, irritable or depressed
● Having less energy or interest in doing things
● Making mistakes at work or getting into accidents more often.
These symptoms can range from mild to so bad that they affect a person's relationships and professional life. Furthermore, they can even occur in people who seem to sleep for several hours, meaning they may be getting enough sleep but not getting good quality sleep. We often see this in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome for example, where patients do not get enough rest during the night and have symptoms of insomnia.
Treatment
But how can we improve the overall time and quality of our sleep? Unfortunately, it is not that easy, some lifestyle changes are needed first, which for most people is difficult and a challenge.
First, we need to organize our daily lives and habits so that we have good sleep hygiene, which is vital for achieving adequate and quality sleep on a continuous basis. How is this achieved? By following some rules:
● Keep a consistent sleep and wake-up schedule, even on weekends. This consistency makes it much easier to fall asleep and wake up easily.
● Create and maintain a bedtime routine. Just as a baby needs preparation first (to bathe him, drink his milk, tell him a story), we should do something similar as adults. For example, two hours before going to bed, we prepare a relaxing drink, drink it while reading a book or listening to some music, take a warm bath if we want, in general we create a sleep routine. This whole process is very important, because our brain enters the sleep process, preparing to sleep.
● Avoiding midday naps
● Daily exercise. Various studies have shown that exercise has a beneficial effect on the overall duration of sleep and helps it come faster and be of better quality.
● Creating an environment conducive to sleep. The bedroom should be cool, dark, quiet (the use of earplugs is recommended in noisy environments). A comfortable mattress and pillow are also very important.
● Smoking, caffeine, heavy meals should be avoided in the evening close to our bedtime. Also, while alcohol consumption does not significantly affect the duration of sleep, it seems to drastically reduce its quality and is certainly not recommended.
● Finally, the use of electronic devices should be avoided at least thirty minutes before our usual bedtime and in the middle of the night, obviously if nocturnal awakenings occur. The blue light emitted by computer screens and portable devices can suppress the natural production of melatonin, the substance that promotes sleep in the brain, resulting in difficulty sleeping.
Medication
There are some pharmaceutical preparations that can help in cases of true insomnia, but they should be chosen after attempts to improve sleep conditions and habits have failed. This is because sleeping medications should not be taken every night and for long periods. Otherwise, they can cause dependence and stopping them later is particularly difficult. These drugs also cause tolerance, meaning our brains get used to them and need increasingly larger doses to have any effect. Finally, as we described, insomnia may be due to another underlying disease, such as depression or anxiety. A treatment oriented to the basic problem will obviously be a better and more effective solution than hypnotics in these cases, since the cause and not the symptom will be solved in essence. There are also some antidepressants that improve sleep architecture and are preferred in mental disorders that coexist with insomnia.
It is important to It should also be noted that there are certain groups for whom sleeping pills should not be used, or at least require special attention, such as:
● Pregnant women, due to an increased risk of birth defects
● People with alcoholism, because their combination with alcohol is particularly dangerous
● People with kidney, liver or lung problems
● People with sleep apnea
Therefore, various sleeping pills are not always the best solution, and although unfortunately they are now even given as a first choice, it is advisable to avoid them, at least until alternative methods are tried first. There are also various herbal preparations that can be tried, or melatonin preparations that can help in some cases. Finally, there are other alternative solutions that seem to have excellent results, such as acupuncture, for example, which seems to have a substantial effect in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders.
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