Sleeping is not a whim of the body

Sleep has to be seen as the body's daily repair stage.

Many mothers with teenage and young adult children complain that they stay up too late and hardly sleep, some fear that this behavior represents a risk to their health. To clarify any doubts about what not sleeping enough can do to the body in general, we spoke with Dr. Nelson Rodriguez, a specialist in Family Medicine.

According to Dr. Rodriguez, the problem is not so much staying up late, as there are people who function better at night and there are others who go to bed at one in the morning and get up at nine in the morning, that is, they sleep eight hours, and that is not bad.

More than staying up late, the problem is when people don't sleep. People who are in a productive age, who work or study, need to rest because sleep is not a whim of the human body, it is necessary to sleep in order to function well the next day. And between 6 and 8 hours of sleep are needed. What's more, the specialist indicates that there are proven studies that indicate that people who don't sleep properly have a higher increase in cardiovascular diseases, which is closely linked to stress, although it is also necessary to rule out the possibility of other diseases such as depression or anxiety.

INFLUENCES GROWTH
"Growth hormones are produced during sleep," says the specialist, and more so in children. These hormones are produced during deep sleep. Sleep goes through different cycles and during REM (rapid eye movement) many interesting things happen in the body, as it resets, lowers all revolutions and everything that needs to be repaired is done at night while in REM sleep. That is why it is important not to take two-hour naps at night because REM sleep usually occurs after two hours of falling asleep, when deep sleep begins and restorative sleep begins.

The specialist says that in his consultation he always asks patients how they wake up in the morning. If they feel tired, it means that their sleep was not restorative, it was not of good quality, even if they slept eight hours. And that is a sign that something is wrong.

If you are one of those who go to bed late, it doesn't mean that you are wrong, it depends. There are people who function well with few hours of sleep. The point is how long in their life they function well, because as time goes by, people become exhausted and after a few years, they can no longer lead the same lifestyle that they probably had when they were young.

It is important to have good sleep hygiene, as staying up late every weekend is not good.

LOW PERFORMANCE
People who don't sleep well are often in a bad mood. In the case of children and adolescents, the main cause of insomnia and poor performance during the day is staying up late glued to the Internet or playing video games.

ROTATING SHIFTS
Sometimes people get used to not sleeping much, and for those who work rotating shifts, it is harder and they are much more tired because the biological clock must be constantly changing. In addition, sleeping during the day is not the same as sleeping at night. Sometimes you have to create a special environment, close the windows and put dark curtains to make it look like nighttime conditions, but if the body is not used to it, sleep is not as restful.

When people do not sleep well, they even catch a cold faster because, as already mentioned, the body does not have the capacity to repair itself. Sleep has to be seen as the body's daily repair stage.

It should also be noted that cardiac activity works more precariously around one or two in the morning, says the doctor, who adds that what really happens is that since the body's demand is lower during those hours of the night, everything slows down, breathing is slower, the heart beats slower, the intestines do not move, the brain reduces the number of nerve connections, etc.

DOES IT HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
Not sleeping implies having bad habits in general, explains the doctor, because those who do not sleep well, do not eat well, do not exercise properly and probably gain weight, "but I have not heard of insomnia being a cause of weight loss or weight gain," he says.

It is important to understand that losing weight means eating less and expending more calories, and when a person is asleep, they do not expend any energy.

MOOD DISORDERS
"Insomnia is actually a symptom of depression, as are changes in weight, and that does need to be evaluated," says Rodríguez.

Sleep disorders are signs of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Beware of people who used to sleep very well and no longer do so. They now sleep too much or too little, which is a sign that the person may be dealing with a mood disorder.

It is important to have good sleep hygiene (sleeping the necessary number of hours, with a suitable mattress and pillows, with shade and not too strong light, etc.), since staying up late every weekend is not good, especially as the years go by.