Sleep hygiene is a set of habits and practices that are essential to ensure quality sleep and, consequently, good physical and mental health.

Sleeping is a huge task. But very few people pay attention to it. Just as it can be considered a habit, so is sleeping little or suffering from insomnia. Sleep disorders are more common than we think, and that is precisely why people started talking about “sleep hygiene” just a few years ago, with the global trend that led to reducing the number of hours of sleep.

The reasons for these great sleeplessness suffered by between 30% and 48% of adults?

Screens, more screens, devices connected to the human voice, WiFi, and constant exposure to white lights that cause eye irritation.

Over time, much research has been done on sleep, revealing curious and surprising facts about how many hours we should sleep, the risks of sleeping too little or too much, and the disorders that can affect our rest.

There are many basic recommendations for taking care of sleep hygiene and they can vary, although most experts agree on these points:

• Get up and go to bed every day at the same time
• Rest in a quiet, tidy, dark space with a pleasant temperature
• Do not talk about work or problems while preparing to sleep
• Avoid using electronic devices in the bedroom
• Repeating a series of steps before going to bed can serve to tell the body that it is time to sleep (shower, read, meditate or any activity that induces a state of relaxation)
• Practice some physical activity: exercise should be more intense in the morning to finish releasing toxins and more relaxed towards the evening
• Avoid consuming drinks, foods or substances that are considered stimulants such as drinks with excess sugar, energy drinks, caffeine, cocoa, nicotine, coffee, mate, spicy condiments

How many hours should we sleep? The amount of sleep needed varies by age and within these parameters:

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours per day.
• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours per day.
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours per day.
• Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours per day.
• School-aged children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours per day.
• Adolescents (14-17 years): 8-10 hours per day.
• Adults (18-64 years): 7-9 hours per day.
• Older adults (65+ years): 7-8 hours per day.

Sleeping less than these recommendations on a regular basis can lead to various health complications, while sleeping too much can also be indicative of underlying problems.

Getting a good night's sleep reduces the frequency of illness and the risk of serious health problems, reduces stress, improves mood, allows you to think clearly, perform better in school or work, avoid injuries and make better decisions.

What is the maximum and minimum amount of sleep recommended?

• Maximum: Sleeping more than 9 hours regularly in adulthood can be associated with health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and increased risk of premature death.
• Minimum: Although it is possible to survive with less hours of sleep for a few days, sleeping less than 6 hours per night consistently can seriously affect cognitive and physical health. Extreme sleep deprivation, such as sleeping only 3-4 hours per night for several days, can lead to hallucinations, concentration problems, and even accidents.

Lack of sleep can trigger a number of health problems, including:

• Cognitive deficit: Difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, and retaining information. During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the brain processes and consolidates memories, making it easier to learn and retain information.
• Emotional problems: Irritability, anxiety, and increased risk of depression.
• Health problems: Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes. Lack of sleep can disrupt hormonal balance and increase levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger, while decreasing levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite. This can lead to increased caloric intake and difficulty losing weight, increasing the risk of obesity.

Sleep Disorders: Sleep Apnea and Night Terrors

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. This disrupts the sleep cycle and can lead to poor sleep, daytime fatigue, and health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Night terrors, on the other hand, are episodes of extreme fear during sleep, which usually occur in the first half of the night. Unlike nightmares, night terrors are more intense and the individual often wakes up disoriented and agitated, without remembering the episode.

Another fairly common disorder is periodic leg movement syndrome. People who suffer from it flex and extend their legs while sleeping. Sometimes, this condition is linked to restless legs syndrome. Restless legs syndrome generates an uncontrollable need to move the legs when the person is awake, usually at night or at bedtime.

Sleep study using nocturnal polysomnography:

Polysomnography is a diagnostic test that monitors sleep to identify disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome. During this test, various bodily functions are recorded while the patient is sleeping, such as brain waves, blood oxygen levels, and heart and respiratory rates.

In addition to serving as a diagnosis, the sleep study can help establish a treatment plan when a sleep disorder is diagnosed.

Sleep has a positive impact on our health, causing the body to initiate a whole series of biochemical processes that make us perform physically and mentally when we wake up. It is no secret that a restful sleep makes us regenerate at night; and so the less we sleep, the less healthy we are and, the less healthy we are, the less we sleep.

This is why acquiring good sleep hygiene should be a priority, since it will improve our health and our mental state.

The Frenchman Michel Siffre was one of the founders of human chronobiology:

Time plays a fundamental role in our lives and that is why even the oldest civilizations sought a way to measure it, using the sun as a reference.But what if we didn't know when it was day and when it was night? And we didn't have a device that kept track of time?

Siffre, who died on August 25 at the age of 85, was a speleologist who, at just 23 years old, carried out one of the most famous experiments in the history of human chronobiology, a field he helped found, dedicated to understanding the mechanisms of biological rhythms.

During his research, Siffre lived for two months isolated in a cave without access to natural light or clocks. This experiment demonstrated how the human body regulates its sleep and wake cycles in the absence of external factors, "our bodies seem to have an internal clock that works approximately on a 48-hour cycle" he explained at the time. Michel Siffre's legacy continues to be a source of inspiration for scientists who study biological rhythms and human behavior in extreme conditions. His work not only contributed to the creation of chronobiology, but also influenced current research on the effects of isolation, sleep and circadian cycles on health.

Through his experiments in the darkness of caves, he opened a window to a deeper understanding of how our body and mind respond to the absence of time and light, leaving an indelible mark on science. .