Lack of sleep causes depression and anxiety
Did you know that a person who lives between 75 and 80 years will have spent about 25 years of his life asleep? The truth is that we have to sleep a considerable proportion of our existence because the lack of sleep and inadequate night rest causes fatigue, drowsiness, decreased attention and concentration, slow thinking and irritability.
From the psychological point of view, the fHigh chronic sleep often promotes the development of depression and anxiety, according to Dr. Juan Pareja Grande, head of the Sleep Unit of the University Hospital Quirónsalud Madrid.
How is normal sleep
It is of little use to sleep eight hours if it is frequently interrupted by alarms that fragment it and, in short, make it unrefreshing, says Dr. Pareja, who assures that a quality dream is continuous, without awakenings and without interruption along the way. night.
A restful sleep helps to recover what was spent throughout the day: "During sleep, metabolites consumed during wakefulness are restored and, in addition, hormones are secreted, such as growth hormone, of great metabolic importance and for the development of the individual. important synaptic circuits are activated for the consolidation of memory and learning and to maintain the synaptic competence of deteriorated or little used systems during wakefulness ".
Tips to improve sleep quality
1. Try to match the time in bed with the time of sleep.
2. The bed is for sleeping, not for being awake and doing wakeful activities (watching television, reading or eating). The reason for this recommendation is that if you stay in bed awake, not only increase frustration and nervousness, but the brain learns that in bed you can be awake and, therefore, insomnia is amplified.
3. Avoid alcohol and stimulants (coffee and others) at night.
4. Maintain stable sleep-wake schedules.
5. Practice sports before 19 o'clock
6. Procure favorable conditions of the room and the bed, both in terms of ambient noise and temperature, as well as the comfort of a mattress, mattress and pillow.
Chronic rest deprivation also has other consequences. For example, apnea is the most frequent cause of nocturnal sleep fragmentation, an important risk factor for hypertension, myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular diseases.
Alberto Bartolomé
Advice: doctor Juan Pareja Grande, responsible for the Sleep Unit of the University Hospital Quirón Salud Madrid.
