Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for everyone. However, it is not always easy. There are different sleep disorders that prevent this rest: insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome…
Their origin is very varied. They can appear as a result of other diseases or be a risk factor for the development of certain pathologies.
In any case, long-term sleep deprivation affects health. And the consequences of not resting well are very varied: from having a weakened immune system to having memory problems, depression, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems, obesity…
In the case of the heart, “when we sleep, heart rate and blood pressure decrease. This is because During sleep our parasympathetic nervous system controls these parameters“, explains Dr. Irene Rubio, neurophysiologist and head of the Sleep Unit at the Quirónsalud Sur Hospital in Alcorcón (Madrid).
“This rest – he continues – prevents us from suffering from cardiac arrhythmias, arteriosclerosis, heart failure, coronary and cerebrovascular disease.”
However, sleep disorders that interrupt sleep and lead to poor sleep quality and reduced sleep quality mean that, as Dr. Rubio explains, “sleep cannot play its protective and anti-inflammatory role, so that the patient may develop cerebrovascular disease over time.”
And in the case of the arteries, “obstructive sleep apnea is the respiratory pathology that most affects them. The continuous desaturation of oxygen and respiratory pauses, as well as the persistent interruption of sleep produce a proinflammatory state in the organism with the consequent metabolic syndrome, which includes an increase in blood pressure,” Rubio explains.
This situation can influence the generation of a stroke. In fact, Between 20 and 60% of stroke patients have some sleep disturbance base. And after suffering a stroke, respiratory problems increase because the secondary upper airway collapses more.
Instead, “a restful sleep improves endothelial function and helps lower blood pressure. This relaxation causes a physiological lowering of blood pressure from among a 10 and 15%“, explains Dr. Berenice Keller, a cardiology specialist at the Teknon Heart Institute.
Insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnias, circadian rhythm disorders and periodic leg movements also damage the arteries by impairing the protective function of sleep.
A matter that is not exactly trivial. Thus, every year there are More than 120,000 strokes in Spainof which 15% die and almost half are left with serious after-effects. And that 90% of cases can be prevented with healthy lifestyle habits.
These include controlling hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes and arrhythmias, avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption, stress, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and getting a good night’s sleep.
And to be able to have a restful sleep, it is necessary to follow certain patterns “both during the day and at night so that our internal rhythms and external markers such as light are synchronized and the body can function correctly,” recommends Dr. Rubio.
As for time, “sleeping less than six hours a day is associated with a higher risk of developing obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and triglycerides. Studies have shown that people who sleep less than six hours a day on a regular basis and who do not have heart disease, have a higher risk of developing obesity, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides. up to 20% higher risk of heart attack and a greater chance of developing heart failure,” Keller says.
In this sense, it is recommended to sleep between seven and eight hours, given that sleeping less is harmful.
As for sleep quality, Keller continues, “it is possible for a person to sleep eight hours and still be sleep deprived” because it is interrupted several times during the night. In this sense, “sleeping poorly can cause a serious lack of sleep, which makes it as harmful as sleeping little,” he adds.
But just as sleeping little is bad for your health, Overdoing it has its consequencesas it can cause an alteration of the normal sleep-wake cycle and promote the development of other sleep disorders such as insomnia. And not only that.Sleeping more has also been associated with developing cardiovascular diseases.“, Keller says.