“Sleep disorders can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases and reduce the quality of life”, according to the clinical neurophysiologist of Hospiten in Tenerife and Hospiten Lanzarote, Dr. Txomin Navajas Carasa.
Until the end of the last century, no classifications of sleep disorders were made, it was not until 1980 that medicine recognized that not sleeping well is a disease. "50% of the adult population and 24% of the child population do not have quality sleep", they acknowledge.
In Spain, around 40% of the population has spent sleepless nights (acute insomnia). Of these, up to 15% develop chronic insomnia and only 2.5% go to the doctor, they report.
In the words of the Hospiten specialist, “insomnia disorder is considered to be dissatisfaction with the quantity or quality of sleep for 3 nights/week for more than three months”. “These disorders may be due to psychological factors, stress, fear of not sleeping or dysthymic episodes.”
In order to identify them, symptoms such as "irritability, fatigue or tendency to sleep, lack of concentration and inability to work and family life" must be taken into account, he makes clear. “These symptoms should alert us and go to a specialist doctor, for a good diagnosis and to avoid chronic lack of sleep and its consequences”, explains Dr. Navajas.
Sleep disorders are classified into three types of insomnia depending on their duration: episodic, when their duration is one to three months; persistent, when they last more than three months; and recurrent when the episodes last more than two years, they point out.
Therefore, lack of sleep can cause hypersomnia disorders, such as narcolepsy, breathing-related disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAHS), heart rhythm disorders of sleep or wakefulness-sleep or parasomnias, such as nightmares, he adds.
Dr. Navajas advises that, “sleep must be treated with the importance it has, therefore, we have to know that there are habits that we must do whenever possible, that is, they are non-negotiable habits, such as: not drinking stimulating drinks, maintaining the wakefulness-sleep rhythm, having a good diet and doing physical exercise and reducing activity in the hours close to going to sleep", he confirms.
On the other hand, he has also pointed out "the importance of maintaining schedules that are as less variable as possible, trying to have an optimal temperature and a ventilated room away from noise".
“Sleeping is not a waste of time", he clarifies. "It is a stage or period of the day in which neurotransmitters, receptors are replenished, we order the memory, we restore cardiovascular function, therefore, sleeping well increases the quality of life."
"Our goal is for sleep to be of quality and restorative”
"We spend 33% of our lives sleeping and our goal is for it to be of quality and restorative”, concluded the specialist in clinical neurophysiology and sleep disorders.
