How often do you stay up late? Sleep is a very important process that shouldn’t be overlooked, especially at a young age. This physiological mechanism may be the key to avoiding neurodegenerative diseases in the future, in addition to fulfilling essential functions to help our bodies function.
In anticipation of World Brain Day, neurologist and Sleep Medicine specialist Oscar Sánchez Escandón explains why sleeping well protects the brain from Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
What diseases are caused by poor sleep?
July 22nd is World Brain Day. One of the processes vital to proper brain function and health is sleep, as sleeping activates a “cleaning system.”
The brain is the central part of the nervous system. Despite only representing 2 percent of our body weight, it consumes up to 20 percent of our total energy by controlling cognitive activities and body reactions, according to the Institute for Health and Wellbeing.
Getting a good night’s sleep is vitally important for maintaining brain health and helping us avoid developing neurodegenerative diseases that can affect our quality of life.
According to the Institute, the main diseases that attack our brain are cerebrovascular diseases, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, migraines, and multiple sclerosis.
What are the functions of sleep?
The deep stages of sleep are essential for good sleep; it is during these phases that the cleansing process takes place in the brain.
“During these stages of sleep, the brain’s cleansing system, or glymphatic system, is carried out through the fluid that forms in the brain (cerebrospinal fluid). This, combined with adequate circulation in the small cerebral vessels, regulated by the heart and cerebral arteries, leads us to a daily “sweeping and washing” of the substances that accumulate in this important organ,” the doctor explained.
This process is important because if complete cleansing is not achieved, the toxic substances produced daily in our organs can accumulate, which can damage neurons until they die.
Among the main functions that sleep has in our body and in life are:
Replenishment and management of the body’s chemical energy.
Memorization and consolidation of what we have learned while awake.
Regulation of hormonal function.
Elimination of harmful substances produced by the brain.
Repair of body tissues.
Brain plasticity.
Prevention of diseases.
The Time We Spend Sleeping
The specialist explained that humans spend 30 percent of their lives sleeping, but this time varies depending on age.
Newborns sleep up to 20 hours a day, preschoolers up to 16 hours a day, school-age children up to 12 hours a day, but only 7 to 8 hours as adults.
How to get good quality sleep?
The Health for Wellness Institute recommends eating well, staying mentally active, exercising regularly, managing stress, anxiety, and depression, and maintaining social interaction to maintain a healthy brain.
“Without a doubt, an organized life that includes that basic 30 percent sleep can ensure better health conditions when we reach middle age and older adulthood, and achieve a more satisfactory maturity by maintaining our brain health,” the specialist concludes.
Source: milenio
