We live our lives at a hundred miles an hour. We do a lot of things in a day and sometimes we forget to do one right when it’s so important to sleep. When was the last time you fell asleep peacefully without thinking about work, the worries of everyday life, or without feeling sore? In this article, we will explain how sleep is vital for everyone. Good sleep is everyone’s ultimate dream! Yet, we tend to neglect this precious moment because of many factors such as going on social media before going to bed, or worrying about upcoming events…
Are we the victims of the culprits of sleep deprivation?
Our sleep cycle gets messed up because we sleep poorly. But whose fault is it ? Is it the many external elements that impact our health, or is it us and our struggle to manage our sleep time ? The answer is both !
On the one hand, we are victims of sleep deprivation:
Normally, 41% of French people report having a sleep disorder. According to Larousse, sleep disorders represent “a disturbance of the duration or quality of sleep; which occur in three forms: insomnia, parasomnia and hypersomnia”. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder that can be caused by poor lifestyles (environment, diet), a stressful event that took place during the day, or a psychological disorder, diseases, etc.
Sleep disorders can develop stress and anxiety in some people; as well as some feelings that can be harmful to our sleep. Our emotions also have an impact on our sleep. The limbic system is the part of the brain that handles emotions such as fear, anger or pleasure; it also takes care of our memory. This area of the brain influences our sleep because the negative thoughts we feel because of these emotions, ultimately prevent us from sleeping well.
Before we go to sleep, we are supposed to clear the air and relax to have a good night’s sleep, but in some cases we end up thinking about ourselves…
On the other hand, we are also responsible for our own lack of sleep.
We have seen that our emotions can impact our sleep rhythm, but we must not forget one major factor : exposure to screens. Exposing yourself to screens before sleeping is very harmful to our sleep. An INSV/MGEN survey conducted as part of the Sleep Day 2016, revealed that 91% of French people use their computers, tablets and smartphones in the evening (before or after dinner) and in their bed (on days of rest and holidays). The more time we spend in front of a screen, the more we expose ourselves to blue light which is emitted by screens and disturbs our sleep rhythm.
Could sleep deprivation have a relationship with age?
The older we get, the lighter our sleep becomes. Age is something that can have an impact on our sleep. In healthy senior citizens, sleep is more fragile, making it more difficult to fall asleep. From the age of 50, seniors wake up more often during the night and feel the urge to take a nap.
Young people are also affected by lack of sleep. In 2018, an INSV/MGEN survey conducted by OpinionWay during the 18th Sleep Day revealed information you may not be aware of. Did you know that 36% of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 admitted to drowsiness during the day and that 88% of them think they lack sleep on weekdays or weekends ? What’s interesting about this generation is that they recognize that sleep is vital and are looking for solutions to address it. For example, 29% of young people take at least one nap a week, of which 15% take one of less than 30 minutes.
It is important to implement a healthy lifestyle from an early age. It is from birth that the human learns to implement their need for sleep into their life. In children, a newborn cannot yet tell the difference between day and night until the age of 3 months. In one day, the baby goes through several periods of sleep that last from 2 to 4 hours. It is only after 4 months in general that babies take naps (3 in a day). We must remember that a baby’s sleep is specific to each one and regulates itself naturally since it is not yet aware of its existence.
From 3 to 6 years, the child’s nap time disappears and the length of his nights is reduced; they also take more time to fall asleep which can be explained by everything around them. Note that if the child constantly encounters problems with falling asleep and wakes up several times at night, they can develop behavioral disorders.
The bottom line is that
Sleep is essential in our lives because it allows us to be in shape to face the following days and is beneficial when mixed with a healthy lifestyle. No one is excluded from a bad night, however, a permanent lack of sleep can be dangerous for your health: soreness, lack of concentration and motivation, bad mood, weight gain, increased fatigue, etc. It’s never too late to take care of yourself and your sleep!
