Currently there is a belief that sleep is a waste of time; but, as we have said on numerous occasions, it is a vital function that our brain performs during the night and it is the most important function that we perform throughout our lives.
What causes poor sleep?
People who sleep little, or sleep poorly, have clear daytime consequences. They may complain of lack of concentration, memory loss, tiredness and irritability, and all this is noticed because usually at the end of the day, they reach a state of tiredness and bad mood that makes them have a bad life.
Sleep is basic and we cannot, in any way, underestimate sleep. In fact, all animal species sleep, even plants are known to change their state between day and night. The function of sleep works as a repair and restitution of what we spend during the day and also as a memory.
Why are the hours of sleep underestimated?
Many people, and especially young people believe that sleep takes time away from them; there are many Whatsapps to answer, many Instagrams to upload… We use time for these kinds of things and we take it away from a primary activity, which is sleep.
In fact, today’s society, being subjected to many external stimuli, makes us lengthen our waking hours and logically we have fewer hours to rest.
We must emphasize, especially the experts, the importance of sleeping before any other activity the next day. Without sleep we could not be awake, therefore, school performance, physical performance, intellectual performance are totally linked to a good rest.
We have to emphasize teaching children to sleep from an early age, insist that adolescents sleep the necessary hours, remind adults that they should sleep the hours they are supposed to sleep, and remind older people that they have to sleep at the necessary times.