Sleep and rest habits

| Despite some individual differences and that the required hours of sleep usually seem to decrease with increasing age, it is generally considered that people of adulthood should sleep between seven and eight hours each night.

In fact, it seems that with increasing age the required hours of sleep are not reduced; rather, what changes are the sleep patterns; thus, elderly people tend to sleep less at night, but require the intervention of. Thus, the total amount of sleep is the same, but not so is the hourly distribution. People who feel active during the day and do not feel sleepy are considered to have had enough sleep. It is generally considered that people with insomnia are not able to stay active and alert normally during the day.

The insomnia

Insomnia can be caused by multiple circumstances, some of which require. Often the appearance of insomnia coincides with a certain vital circumstance, but in many cases the triggering factor remains undetected or is the sum of several factors that cannot be elucidated with certainty. However, some circumstances related to sleep can help or hinder the development of a satisfactory night's rest. Thus, some practices or customs are considered that can help or harm the quality of nighttime sleep.

Recommended habits to rest and sleep well

• Regularity in the hours of going to bed and getting up: in this way, the body will adapt its daily cycles to a daily schedule that will give stability and regularity to the hours of sleep and.
• Develop some routines before going to bed: doing the same activities as a preamble to going to sleep warns and helps the body to start the processes that will lead to sleep.
• Do not carry out important physical activities in the last hours of the night: physical exercises such as gymnastics or sports should not be done shortly before going to bed.
• Do not eat stimulants or foods that can interfere with sleep: tobacco, caffeinated drinks should not be consumed in periods close to bedtime.
• Similarly, separate the main meals from the hours of sleep, so as not to try to go to bed while digestion is still taking place.
• If possible, use the sleeping room almost exclusively for sleep, not for reading, studying or eating: thus, the brain's reflex will associate the room with rest and upon entering the bedroom the brain's sleep processes will begin to prepare.
• Keep the bedroom dark and quiet, with the bed comfortable and at a comfortable temperature.
• If you cannot sleep in the first few minutes, do not perform any activity that may cause wakefulness, or become restless: maintain a comfortable and relaxed position, eyes closed and in silence. Usually the dream will begin in a short period of time.

Sleep hygiene may not correct an established insomnia problem, but it can improve conditions so that it does not appear or improves substantially with less intense treatment.

Family and Community Medicine Specialist Master in Clinical Gerontology