The Importance Of Sleep In Maintaining Good Health

Why Is A Good Night’s Sleep Important?

Sleep is essential to recharge our batteries. Sleep gives us the energy we need to face the day ahead. But it’s not just about getting a good night’s sleep; it’s also about getting a good “good night’s sleep”. For this, it must be quiet hours of sleep, without nightmares, and in a row.

For example, if sleep is achieved, but the person wakes up hours before his real wake-up time or wakes up several times during the night, the sleep will not be as restful. The consequences of not sleeping well can be very varied: stress, anxiety, tiredness, drowsiness, and fatigue during the day, poor ability to concentrate, slowness of response, lack of reflexes, etc.

Concerning when to sleep, although it is true that it should always be simultaneously and that it should be at night, scientists and doctors are more and more in agreement in advising a short nap to reactivate our body and our brain. Naps in adults should be approximately around half an hour.

Disturbances That Prevent Sleep

Nowadays, people do not sleep as much as they should; the TV, the computer, or video games are the new “sleep vampires.” Headaches, dizziness, excessive tiredness, etc., are the side effects of not sleeping well.

But many times, the problems that we find to sleep hide other pathologies or diseases that are the ones that make the individual sleep deprived. For example, trauma or stress or nervousness, anxiety, breathing difficulties or problems, etc.

We will list some of the most common disorders that prevent restful sleep:

1. Stress
2. Anxiety
3. Breathing problems
4. Heart problems
5. Noise (noise pollution)
6. Muscular or skeletal pain
7. A lousy mattress and an inadequate pillow. Consider changing your mattresses at least once in 10 years.
8. Bad habits: exercising before going to sleep, having large dinners, drinking alcohol, tobacco, coffee before bed, etc.
9. Not being regular in the schedules: going to sleep and getting up. A bad habit that causes the human body not to adapt to these alterations.

Diseases Associated With Sleep

There are certain diseases that are associated with sleep. Some of them hinder a beneficial and correct sleep so that our body and mind can’t be at their best.

1. Narcolepsy

It is a sleep disorder with a low prevalence in the population. It is an extremely rare sleep disorder which affects only 0.02-0.16 percent of the population. It affects both sexes equally. It is characterized by sleep onset at any time of the affected person’s daily life.

The patient with narcolepsy may have difficulty sleeping during the night. However, during the day, he has acute attacks of drowsiness, which make him fall asleep in any situation, making it particularly dangerous.

Muscle weakness, hallucinations, etc., are some of the symptoms that can also occur with this disease.

2. Apnea

Apnea refers to the halt of respiratory signals while we are asleep. It is essential to detect it. To do so, a sleep test is performed. If a person suffers from sleep apnea, they might suffer from headaches, pulmonary hypertension, heart problems, etc.

During sleep, the airway is obstructed, so that the person who suffers from it is at least 10 seconds without breathing. The person suffering from apnea can see signs of this disease in their snoring, in that they wake up during the night as if they were suffocating, and by tiredness that is repeated after each awakening.

There are different treatments for this disease that include drugs, surgical operations, or a connected device at night that helps to clear the airways.

3. Insomnia

Insomnia is the difficulty that a person has in sleeping.

It can be of three types:

1. Difficult for a person to fall asleep.
2. That a person wakes up several times during the hours of sleep.
3. That a person wakes up sometime before they had planned to.

Insomnia is most often due to stress. Continuous stress over time can cause severe or chronic cases of insomnia.

To end insomnia, there can be several treatments. Drugs or medicines should be prescribed under severe condition. But the right thing to do is to carry out behavioral therapies and see what is causing the nervousness that prevents us from sleeping. In addition, the patient should carry out sleep hygiene (habits that help you have a good night’s sleep).

4. Bruxism

In times of stress or nervousness, what is known as bruxism is produced during the night. This is nothing more than “grinding” the teeth. Some people even have bruxism while awake.

Bruxism burdens the jaw and is especially harmful because it wears down the teeth and molars. Those who suffer from bruxism should wear an “unloading splint” to not “grind” their teeth.

There are different treatments:

1. Based on drugs or sedatives, sleeping pills.
2. With relaxing infusions.
3. With behavioral therapies. To achieve habits that make it easier to fall asleep.
4. Advice to sleep well

Both little sleep and much sleep can be harmful to health. The experts recommend that children sleep about ten hours, and in adults, about 7-8 hours.

Tips for good sleep (and good sleep hygiene) are as follows:

1. Do not overeat before going to sleep. Eat a light dinner.
2. Always go to sleep at the same time, and also get up at the same time.
3. Do not have cold feet to sleep because that makes us not fall asleep. Remember the typical “hot water bottle” of the grandmothers, and it is not in vain that they are the wisest.
4. Try to be in an environment that is neither cold nor too warm.
5. Avoid noise and light.
6. Before going to sleep, do not: exercise hard, play video games, or use the computer. Avoid insects in the room.
7. Do not keep clocks or clock noises nearby.
8. Close the door to problems and digressions.
9. Do not smoke, drink alcohol or coffee before going to sleep.
10. If you still are unable to sleep, you can take a relaxing infusion (linden, lemon balm, orange blossom).

In case of persistent sleep problems, go to your doctor to confirm the cause of the disturbance.