While an ideal night would be more than 7 hours of sleep, one in three people would sleep less than 6 hours per night. Sleep is a primary and essential physiological need for our health. Many teams have looked into the relationship between sleep duration and health consequences, constituting one of the richest fields of publications in recent years. It is crucial to recognize the importance of good sleep for health. What is the risk of sleeping badly or less? How to cure it ?
Everyone's needs differ. On average, an ideal night for our arteries would be around seven hours of sleep. The duration and quality of sleep have greatly decreased in our modern lifestyles due to the increase in working hours, shift work or screens and new technologies. It has been estimated that one in three people sleeps less than 6 hours per night.
A decrease in life expectancy
Numerous studies show a strong link between sleep and cardiovascular risk factors. Reduced sleep is associated with increased mortality. Sleeping less than seven hours for a child almost doubles their risk of being obese (2%), it's 89% for an adult.
Sleep disturbances or sleep deprivation contribute to the onset of cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Like many animals, our body lives differently day and night, it is the circadian cycle: a hormonal cycle that activates, repairs and maintains the organs according to the time of day. When sleep is shortened or of poor quality, this cycle is disrupted, hormones do not work effectively, which damages and disrupts organs or functions such as blood pressure or sugar regulation—uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause strokes or heart attacks. Resistance to insulin (the hormone that regulates blood sugar) increases the risk of diabetes, which damages blood vessels and nerves.
Other hormonal imbalances, such as ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite) and leptin (satiety hormone) lead to increased hunger, cravings for fatty or sweet foods and therefore weight gain.
In lack of effective recovery, the body suffers from permanent inflammation favoring cancers and autoimmune diseases. Fatigue and sleep disorders contribute to serious work accidents and to the consumption of sleeping pills and anxiolytics, opening the door to addictions and mental disorders.
These elements are sufficient to draw the attention of public authorities and the population to the risks and the social cost linked to lack of sleep and the danger of considering it a waste of time.
For a good sleep, some tips
– Heavy meals 2 hours before bedtime should be avoided.
– Pay attention to the consumption of caffeine and stimulants (tobacco, chocolate, sugar) after 17 p.m.
– Alcohol and drugs disrupt natural sleep cycles: sedation is not recovery.
– Stay hydrated during the day but avoid drinking large quantities before bedtime.
– Watch out for screens two hours before bedtime, blue light disrupts sleep hormones and falling asleep.
– Going to bed and getting up at a fixed time every day of the week and weekends is preferred. As with small children, the brain loves routines that will promote good sleep.
These tips may seem restrictive and difficult to implement, but they are the guarantee of better physical and mental health in the long term, better life expectancy and quality of life. Changing habits takes time, but you are responsible for your sleep. Only you can act on it.
If, despite this, you suffer from insomnia, permanent fatigue, snoring or feelings of suffocation and apnea during the night, talk to your doctor. _FS
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