Sleep hygiene was the focus of the conference organized by our Dr. Mosqueira Clinic, in which various doctors and professionals participated to raise awareness of the importance and measures for its care, in addition to the health problems it can cause.
Around a hundred people packed the 'Sala Cubo' (Cube Room) of the Málaga Medical Association and didn't want to miss the 1st Sleep Hygiene Conference that our Dr. Mosqueira Clinic organized on November 15th. The poster announcing full capacity, before the conference began, already indicated on social media what was going to be a reality. The event began with the A close and emotional presentation by the Director of the Clinic, Sonia PeñaHe took us on a tour of the clinic's first steps after forging his friendship with Dr. Bernardo Mosqueira.
From there, "the most important, and at the same time difficult, thing was finding people like him, approachable, professional and at the same time humane, to create a decent work environment," said our director, serving at the same time to introduce the doctors and speakers who accompanied her that afternoon. “Great professionals with a big heart,” is how our neurosurgeon Bernardo Mosqueira defined them.
History and myths of sleep
Once introduced, Dr. Jesús Romero Imbroda took the floor to introduce us to the topic under the title Why don't we sleep well? The neurologist covered the term sleep in general, the disorders that can occur, and some recommendations and advice for improving sleep health and quality.
Romero Imbroda, recently appointed vice president of the Andalusian Society of Neurology, clarified that during sleep "a purification of thoughts occurs as substances that originate in waking times" and We must analyze what factors prevent us from getting a good night's rest, since sleeping well is synonymous with health and quality of life."Watching TV in bed helps you sleep, sleeping through the hours, dozing on the couch contributes to falling asleep in bed, or looking at your phone in bed is harmful... these were some examples of myths the neurologist explained to dispel popular beliefs.
Psychological causes of insomnia
The intervention of psychologist Estefanía Villanueva could be summarized in these words: “Realize that sleep is not something trivial, it is something fundamental in our lives, equally or more important than breathing and eating.”Today's society is immersed in constant stress and anxiety, and many factors affect our sleep habits.
All of this can often lead to psychosis or schizophrenia, among other illnesses: "Entire nights without sleep are an apparent cause." Among some sleep hygiene measures to raise awareness about and that will lead to an improved quality of life, according to Villanueva, are not taking stimulants or depressants, not engaging in highly motivated activities together before bed, being faithful to daily bath-dinner-bed routines—as he asked the room, "Why do we do it with the children and not with us?"—and if I'm awake, I don't stay in bed."
“Lack of sleep can kill”
This headline provoked a surprising reaction from the public. Dr. Fernando Biguria wanted to emphasize the importance of self-care, "both because of the impact of a lack of sleep and even too much sleep, and specifying sleep times is important on a physiological and circulatory level." Poor sleep habits affect health, and poor health leads to serious problems, hence "Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world".
The cardiovascular surgeon reviewed various studies in which sleep is linked to diseases such as hypertension, heart attacks, and diabetes. He stated that men who sleep less than six hours a day are at greater risk of suffering a heart attack and developing diabetes, as are those who, in certain cases, sleep too much. In this regard, he also highlighted that men who are sleep deprived or sleep deprived tend to have testosterone levels similar to those of a man 10 years older than them.
Another aspect mentioned by various doctors and professionals was the reluctance to resort to sleeping pills, arguing that this is not the solution and that many doctors prescribe them as an easy measure, but not a solution, since it will not improve our sleep quality. "Anything that creates melatonin secretion is better than that," Biguria explained. This is a hormone that, among its functions, is primarily responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle.
Neurophysiological study of sleep
Joining Romero Imbroda, Villanueva, and Biguria was special guest speaker María Fernández-Fígares, who delved into the different stages of sleep and the study of sleep, a task the neurophysiologist is responsible for, with special attention to recording normal and pathological sleep.
Fernández-Fígares stated that "we sleep in order to be awake." When we close our eyes, it contributes to physical recovery, memory processing and consolidation, regulation of body temperature and hormonal mechanisms, and the elimination of cellular waste from the brain. How can sleep be studied? The doctor responded that there are different ways, ranging from the simplest, such as recording the time you wake up and go to sleep each day (sleep diaries), to records that modern mobile applications can keep, to medical tests such as a polysomnogram.
"Sleep is a complex process that involves the entire body. The polysomnogram measures everything: brain, eyes, muscles, heart, breathing, and leg movements." Neurophysiologists record brain activity during sleep and subsequently study it. The last part of the conference discussed the existence of four phases in non-REM sleep, "when the brain acts slowly and rests," while in REM, the fifth, "memory consolidation occurs and the brain acts just as if you were awake. From here, we get a response when we wake up one day and remember what we dreamed. This happens when you wake up during the night in REM sleep."
Dr. Mosqueira Clinic thanks everyone for attending the event and is already working on new conferences that will be of interest to our friends and patients. For any information, please contact us at 951 00 66 38.
Vere Álvarez N.
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Photography, Javi Arán.
