ALMERIA.- From Monday to Wednesday, in the Castle of Santa Ana in Roquetas de Mar, a complete review of the keys that relate the health that is enjoyed with the way of life of each person has been carried out. This has been the first of the 24 seminars programmed in the XXIII Summer Courses of the UAL, marking a great start to this summer cycle that will continue until the end of the week in the same venue, addressing other topics. In fact, it has given the witness to three more, while it has come to an end with the satisfaction of its directors. These have been Antonio Granero, secretary of CEINSAUAL and professor of Didactics of Corporal Expression, and José Manuel Cimadevilla, professor of Psychobiology at the University of Almería, who has stated that “all expectations have been fulfilled”.
One of the main arguments in which he has sustained this affirmation is that it has facilitated “a close contact between the speakers and the participants, who at all times have shown their interest in the topics developed”. Regarding these, he has highlighted that “the course has had an excellent number of attendees, 34, who have enjoyed and participated in the different talks”. Going into detail regarding them, “it is worth noting the importance that has been given to physical activity in the ‘Lifestyle’: the physical and cognitive benefits of sports practice have been highlighted, prescribing it as one more treatment in the approach of different pathologies; Doing sports or not is no longer the question”.
Cimadevilla continued to review the perspectives contained in the seminar with “the approach to the hormone-happiness relationship and mindfulness as an exercise in paying attention to oneself in a spatial and temporal context limited to the here and now.” On this issue, she added that “they point to the fact that psychological variables constitute a central axis in the search for a healthy ‘Lifestyle'”. Furthermore, “even in decision-making, balance and mental well-being are aspects that can condition them,” and he has not forgotten other topics “that have also fueled the interest of the audience, such as sleep, sexual health, the importance of pay attention to caregivers, the guidelines for coping with an extremely serious illness in childhood and the need for timely family intervention”.
He has finished his assessment of the development of the course with the achievement that it has clearly confirmed that “the ‘Lifestyle’ is continually reflected in Health”. Within the different points of view that have been raised, one of them is widely assumed by the population, ‘Sleep and Health: a relationship of interdependence’. That has been the title of the conference given by Paloma Villalobos, a specialist in Neurophysiology at the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, who has lectured on the functions and pathophysiology of sleep, the reciprocal relationship of sleep with different pathologies, the current situation, insomnia and general measures to improve our quality of dream
Thus, he has established the close link between sleep and “the proper functioning of multiple organs and systems”, to later “give brushstrokes of the neurophysiological tests available to us for the study of sleep”. Once the general framework was established, it has gone on to delve into “the relationship of sleep with the functioning of specific systems of the organism”, and this has led to linking “sleep disturbance with various highly prevalent pathologies in society, as well as the inverse, the alteration that these diseases produce in the quality of sleep”. Finally, he has put on the table “the current situation in our sleep health society”, abounding in one of the “most prevalent” disorders such as insomnia, closing with a series of recommendations “to improve our sleep and ensure that be sufficient and of quality”, literally.
Paloma Villalobos has recalled that “sleep is an indispensable biological need to maintain the essential physical and psychological requirements to live”. And it is that “while a person sleeps, his body carries out multiple processes that are essential for life and for the proper functioning of multiple body systems.” Once once more, she has insisted that “it is essential to have sufficient and quality sleep in order to enjoy good health and achieve healthy aging, since it is scientifically proven that its alteration is a causal mechanism of multiple diseases”.
This specialist from the Torrecárdenas University Hospital has expressed her support for an initiative like this: “I think it is very appropriate to hold a summer course on lifestyle and health, since we are observing that in today’s society the lifestyle we lead is not always the most appropriate to enjoy good health, and certain risk factors for the development of multiple diseases are not taken care of, which are modifiable and, therefore, would prevent their appearance”. Regarding the perspectives contained in the seminar, “this year’s program has been of the highest level, with highly prestigious speakers, all of whom are leaders in their fields, experts in such important specialties as Psychology, Neurology, Neurophysiology, the Digestive System, Ophthalmology, Anesthesia, Physiotherapy… addressing current issues and above all practical issues that will undoubtedly help change our lifestyle patterns to improve our health in the short and long term”, he said.
It has sought “teaching to adopt healthier life patterns that can be applied forever”, or in other words, and emphasizing that the latest advances in research have been emphasized, “providing useful tools that serve to modify our daily habits that help us improve our state of health and prevent certain diseases or alterations of our well-being”, verbatim. He has considered “a great success to frame this subject in the Summer Courses of the UAL”, since, already in terms of the subject in which he is a specialist, “the current way of life, with its rush, its demands and its rhythm frenetic, has meant that in recent years we have observed an increase in sleep disorders, with specialized units dedicated to the study and treatment of these disorders becoming increasingly important.
He recalled that “sleep disorders are related to the pathophysiology of diseases as serious as degenerative ones (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s…), having been established in recent years as a causal factor for them”. In addition, “scientific evidence tells us regarding the increase in morbidity and mortality caused by sleep disturbances in pathologies as prevalent as cardiovascular disease, psychiatric diseases (anxiety, depression…), and metabolic diseases (obesity, diabetes, hypertension…) ”. Hence “the importance of having quality sleep as a protective factor once morest these diseases and as a determining tool for a better quality of life, since poor sleeping habits will affect important spheres of our daily life.” In short, “a good sleep will allow us to enjoy better health, a better mood and a better life, and vice versa, good health, a good mood and a better life will allow us to enjoy quality sleep”.
Along with Paloma Villalobos, Diego Ruiz, emergency care manager at the Hospital de Poniente and professor at the University of Almería, and Isabel María Carmona, PhD researcher in Psychology, also from the UAL, participated in the closing session. The first presented the talk ‘Identification of Assets in Health’, while the second rounded off the course with a conference entitled ‘Decision-making in situations of uncertainty: the modulating role of altruism and emotional well-being’.