March arrives and along with it, International Sleep Day, a date that calls us to reflect on our rest. There is more and more news stating that we sleep little, that we sleep worse than before, and that another of the consequences of the pandemic is the increase in sleep disorders. And why do we care so much regarding our rest? Is it really that important? The answer is yes. As the theme for this year’s proposed International Sleep Day states, “Sleep is essential for health.”
Just like eating healthy and exercising, sleep is critical to our physical, mental, and social well-being. Why is it essential for our health? Sleep is related to various physiological functions. During it, memory and learning are consolidated, the waste that accumulated in the brain is eliminated, favoring the health of this tissue, and the activity of the immune system is regulated. In addition, sleep helps eliminate pathogens, helps replace old cells, and restores our physiological functions and regulates energy levels.
Therefore, this means that not sleeping well can have a negative impact on our health, in the short and long term. In the short term, poor sleep the day before or in the last few days can result in a decrease in our reaction time and attention, impair our judgement, generate demotivation and changes in our mood, and affect our relationship with the people who around us.
It has been shown that the deterioration of cognitive functions related to lack of rest generates the same consequences in our concentration as those produced by a breathalyzer of 0.05 g/d. That is why it is as dangerous to drive with alcohol in the blood as having slept badly in the last hours. Multiple studies have observed that, in the long term, lack of sleep is related to the development of obesity, diabetes, different types of cancer, coronary diseases and cardiovascular disorders. In addition, poor sleep can weaken the functioning of our immune system and in this way we can be more susceptible to the development of infections.
In addition, many sleep disorders are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, seizures, stroke, and dementia. For all these reasons, in 2006 the Institute of Medicine belonging to the US National Academy of Sciences declared sleep deprivation and disorders as a public health problem. While the European Academy of Neurology has recognized the importance of sleep for brain health, and in 2022, the American Heart Association added sleep to its list of eight essential factors for cardiovascular health.
And finally, what do we mean by sleeping well? Healthy sleep is not only related to sleeping the 7 or 8 hours recommended by the World Health Organization for an adult. In addition to acquiring enough sleep to feel good and be alert to carry out our activities, we have to pay attention to how we sleep, that is, to the quality of our rest. Ideally, sleep periods should be continuous, without fragmentation; that is, we should not wake up during the night. In addition, sleep must be deep enough to be truly restful.
We have enough evidence of how important it is to have a good rest. Therefore, it is time that we stop seeing sleep as a waste of time and start giving it the place it deserves, not only to feel better but also to have good health. Happy dreams!