7 rules for sleeping well

Sleep significantly affects the quality of our life: even if we often tend to neglect it, sleeping well ensures important benefits to our health.

On the occasion of the World Sleep Day 2022 we asked some questions to Professor Luigi Ferini Strambineurologist e Head of the Sleep Medicine Center of the San Raffaele hospital in Milan.

Sleep well: why is it important?

The first thing to keep in mind is that sleep covers different important functions for our healthmany of which are little known.

“The sleep it is the most important cortisol inhibitor, the stress hormone – explains Professor Ferini Strambi – this means that if we sleep well we can lower cortisol levels. If, on the other hand, this hormone remains high, blood pressure and heart rate do not drop and this translates into a greater risk of developing arterial hypertension. Not only that, sleep is also important because it allows the brain to clean up bad proteinssuch as Betamyloid, related to some forms of dementia ».

The health effects of night rest also affect the immune systema particularly important aspect in the era of Covid-19.

«Sleeping well helps us to produce those substances that protect the body from infections – explains the neurologist – If I sleep well, my immune system will be more powerful. Of the recent studies conducted in China on patients who tested positive for Covid showed that subjects who slept well had a better prognosis from the disease and above all had a lower need for intensive care ».

But that’s not all, because a good night’s rest is also a important ally in diets low calorie as it helps keep weight gain under control. “Not sleeping well leads to the release of ghrelin, or appetite hormone – explains Professor Ferini Strambi – which induces you to eat more”.

Not to mention finally the effects it can have on our mood there sleep deprivation

“Not sleeping well also means failing to rest those front parts of the brain important because they not only regulateattention and vigilance but also the ability to modulate their emotions and to control their anger – explains the expert – This is why there are often a lot of people who do not sleep irritable“.

When can we talk about insomnia?

The benefits of sleep are therefore different, yet for many people, sleeping well at night remains a mirage. “L’insomnia is a very common problem that affects 12% of the general population – explains Professor Ferini Strambi – But be careful, we are not referring to sporadic and contingent episodes. Let’s talk about insomnia like chronic disorder when present at least three times a week and for at least three months“.

How does sleep change with age?

To have effects on our sleep is undoubtedly the lifestyle but also factors such as sex and age: in fact, over the years our way of sleeping changes significantly. It is therefore no coincidence that the hours of rest a child needs are not the same as those needed by an adult.

“As the years go on, the sleep changes not only in terms of duration but also in characteristics – explains Professor Ferini Strambi – that is, the various stages of sleep change. With advancing age, for example, stage 1 tends to increase, that of entering sleep: it is a physiological issue, linked to the fact that awakenings increase during the night. The phase of deep sleep, on the other hand, tends to decrease significantly with age, more in men than in women, and the same is true for REM sleep, which decreases as the years grow older. The interesting aspect instead concerns theor stage 2, that of light sleepwhich accounts for 50% of the entire sleep and that remains unchanged throughout life“.

How many hours of sleep are needed in adulthood to feel good? Are the classic 7/8 hours of rest valid for everyone?

“In reality everyone has a need for sleep written in their genetics – clarifies the expert – there are also subjects, defined as gods short dormswho can sleep 4/5 hours and feel good, just as i exist long dorms who need to sleep even 9/10 hours “.

Does sleeping too much hurt?

We therefore know that little sleep can have important repercussions on health. But sleeping too much, on the contrary, what effects can it have?

“It has been seen that even sleeping too much can sometimes be counterproductive – explains Professor Ferini Strambi – Often in fact you sleep too much not as a result of natural sleep but because there is a pathology at the base. The classic case is that of people who snore and have sleep apnea: they are generally people who tend to sleep more because their sleep is disturbed. We can say that if a person has always slept a lot, the problem does not exist because, as we said, it is a genetically determined factor. If instead an individual has always slept normally and suddenly feels the need to sleep morethis can be a wake-up call that requires a clinical study ».

Is there an ideal temperature?

Another frequent doubt, which generally divides cold and warmis about what is the correct temperature to maintain in the bedroom.

«It must not be an excessively low temperature – explains Professor Ferini Strambi – we can however say that iaround 18 ° / 19 ° is the optimal temperature. The feeling of cooling can in fact facilitate falling asleep. Not surprisingly, an American colleague designed a cool helmet to wear in the evening with the aim of promoting sleep ».

Are there any correct sleeping positions?

There are those who sleep on their backs, those who fall asleep more easily lying on their side and also those who sleep on their stomachs. But there is one better position than the others to sleep well?

«This is certainly an aspect linked to a very strong individual predisposition – replies the expert – The first thing to keep in mind is that during the night you change position many times, to avoid pressure on the muscles and joints. We conducted a study on healthy subjects that revealed how on average we tend to change sleep position 5/6 times per hour. Having said that, it is worth pointing out that certain positions may be more at risk: that supine promotes the problem of snoring and apnea and therefore, especially in overweight subjects, it should be avoided. Not only that, a study we conducted with American colleagues clearly demonstrated how one exists correlation between supine position and neurological diseases. In fact, subjects affected by these diseases tend to stay in the supine position very often. Experimental data indicate that the supine position should also be avoided because it hinders our glymphatic systemthat is, the one in charge of cleaning the brain of bad proteins, a system that works best when the subject is on the side ».

So what are the strategies to keep in mind for sleep well at night? In the gallery below 7 golden rules!

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