The main culprit that affects sleep is actually this! How is your sleep?

Sleep is a highly conservative life phenomenon, closely related to biological evolution, species reproduction and individual survival and development. In order to draw people's attention to the importance and quality of sleep, the International Mental Health and Neuroscience Foundation launched a global event in 2001, designating March 21 of each year as " World Sleep Day ". This year's World Sleep Day theme in China is " Healthy Sleep, Shared by Everyone ".

The overall sleep quality of Chinese residents is poor, and the post-00s have become the main force of staying up late

On March 16, 2024, the China Sleep Research Society released the "2023 Chinese Residents' Sleep White Paper". Data showed that the overall sleep quality of Chinese residents is poor . They fall asleep after midnight on average, and their sleep duration at night is generally short, with an average sleep duration of 6.75 hours and an average of 1.4 times of awakening.

According to a joint survey by the China Sleep Research Society, 75% of respondents in China have or have had sleep problems such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up easily, insomnia, snoring, dreaming, sleepwalking, and hypersomnia. In recent years, young people's sleep problems have become increasingly serious, especially the long-term use of mobile phones that leads to difficulty falling asleep. The survey shows that the incidence of sleep disorders among Chinese teenagers is 26%, and the "post-00s" have become the main force of staying up late.

Recently, Lu Lin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Peking University Sixth Hospital, emphasized at an event: "Sleep is indispensable for maintaining life. Good sleep quality is crucial for children's growth and development as well as the recovery of energy and physical strength. Sleep can maintain the normal functioning of the brain, help learning and memory, and regulate emotions, and ensure physical and mental health. At the same time, good sleep can reduce the risk of infection."

Electronic products have become an important factor affecting sleep quality

A survey shows that about 90% of people use electronic products before going to bed at night. The short-wave light emitted by electronic products will affect the normal biological rhythm of the organism and cause sleep problems. Data show that 23.9% of college students in the country will suffer from insomnia, and the main reason is the long-term use of electronic devices . Lu Lin pointed out: "The light emitted by the screen of electronic devices will inhibit the secretion of melatonin in the body. Melatonin has the functions of promoting sleep and adjusting jet lag, but it is particularly sensitive to light." Researchers at Harvard Medical School compared the differences in the effects of reading e-books and printed books on sleep before going to bed. Compared with the subjects who read printed books, the subjects who read e-books had difficulty falling asleep, reduced sleepiness at night, delayed biological phases, and reduced melatonin secretion. The survey shows that playing with a mobile phone for 8 minutes before going to bed will keep the brain excited for 1 hour. Using a mobile phone, tablet or other electronic products that emit light for more than an hour in bed will reduce the total amount of melatonin generated by about 22%.

We should fully understand the impact of sleep on health

1. Relationship between sleep disorders and mental illness: A cross-sectional study involving 89,205 people showed that different mental illnesses showed changes in sleep. Among them, depressive disorders were more related to sleep efficiency, and patients with depressive disorders had lower sleep efficiency.

2. The relationship between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease: A study involving 404,044 people found that when sleep time is longer, the incidence of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism and chronic ischemic heart disease is lower. It also suggests that if sleep duration is too short (≤6 hours), it may increase the risk of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism and chronic ischemic heart disease.

3. The relationship between sleep disorders and diabetes: The rhythmic secretion of insulin is regulated by the circadian rhythm. Sleeping too long or too short, as well as sleep disorders caused by other reasons, may increase the risk of diabetes. At the same time, diabetic patients may suffer from pain caused by peripheral neuropathy, and may also suffer from other diabetes-related sleep disorders such as nocturia, which reduces sleep quality. Both sleep disorders and diabetes can induce cognitive impairment, and the co-morbidity of the two may further aggravate cognitive impairment.

4. The relationship between sleep disorders and dementia: Meta-analysis shows that people with sleep disorders have a significantly higher risk of all types of dementia compared with normal individuals. Insomnia is likely to increase the incidence of Alzheimer's disease, and sleep apnea is more likely to lead to all types of dementia. Sleep disorders and the cognitive impairment they may induce should receive more attention.

5. The relationship between sleep disorders and adverse pregnancy and childbirth events in women: Premature birth is one of the main causes of infant mortality. Researchers from the University of California, USA, observed 3 million pregnant women for 6 years and found that sleep disorders during pregnancy significantly increase the risk of premature birth. Among them, the risk of premature birth in patients with insomnia increased by 30%, and the risk of premature birth in patients with sleep breathing disorders increased by 50%.

Nature magazine published a special commentary, calling for attention to the sleep problems of pregnant women, a special group of people, and suggested developing more sleep intervention methods suitable for special groups such as pregnant women.

What to do if you can’t sleep well ? Academicians give you some advice

Academician Lu Lin gave the following suggestions for people with sleep problems.

1. Self-training to achieve a regular work and rest schedule: No matter how long you slept the night before, try to get up at a basically fixed time. Don't stay in bed or take a nap. Don't make a big difference on weekends. Just sleep until you can recover your energy the next day. Don't force yourself to sleep too much. You can rest during the day, but don't lie down or doze off.

2. Avoid overstimulation before bedtime: Stop active mental activity at least an hour before you attempt to lie down to sleep. Consider learning a relaxation technique and practicing it before you lie down to sleep at night.

3. Establish a strong connection between the bedroom/bed and sleep: Do not lie in bed watching TV or playing with your phone. Go to bed only when you feel visibly sleepy. If you can’t sleep, get up and go to another room.

Academician Lu Lin said that in the face of the increasing incidence of sleep disorders and the trend of younger people, we should master scientific and reasonable sleeping methods, including sleeping equipment, sleeping posture, sleeping time, sleeping environment and other aspects.

Sleeping equipment: The mattress should be relatively firm and not too soft or sagging. Choose a comfortable pillow based on your preference, preferably about 10 cm high.

Sleeping posture: It is best to sleep on the right side. If you have pain in your limbs, you should avoid sleeping with pressure on the painful area.

Sleep time: Generally 7 to 8 hours, but it depends on individual differences.

Sleeping environment: The bedroom should be dimly lit and the curtains should be drawn. The bedroom should be cool but not cold. For most people, 18.3℃ is the ideal temperature.

4. Countermeasures for sleeping disorders: When it is difficult to fall asleep, consciously use those beautiful scenes that make you feel comfortable, warm, and peaceful to imagine. Use positive words to encourage yourself, eliminate negative words, and look at the things that cause troubles from a different perspective. Don't have the thought of "I must fall asleep quickly" or "I can't sleep again today". The compulsive idea of ​​having to sleep will hinder the body from entering sleep mode.

5. Regulate negative emotions: Correctly understand insomnia, eliminate anxiety about insomnia, relax, reduce psychological burden, pay attention to physical and emotional state, and use medication and psychological counseling to ensure physical and mental stability when necessary.

6. Scientific and reasonable diet: Diet affects the quality of sleep, and scientific diet helps sleep. First of all, you should pay attention to eating three meals on time, especially breakfast, so that you can adjust the body's operating mechanism and have a good effect on sleep. Secondly, it is best not to eat before going to bed. Dinner should be finished 2 to 3 hours before going to bed, and don't eat too much at night. Don't consume stimulant substances, such as alcohol, coffee, strong tea, etc.

7. Cognitive behavioral therapy

Sleep restriction. Strictly limiting the time spent in bed to the time it takes to actually fall asleep increases sleep pressure and thus promotes a faster onset of sleep.

Stimulus control therapy. Go to bed only when you feel sleepy, get out of bed when you can't sleep, only do things related to sleep in the bedroom, get up at a fixed time every day, and don't have the habit of napping or taking a nap.

Relaxation training. Practice progressive muscle relaxation or meditation.

Seek professional treatment. To facilitate people who cannot go to the hospital for medical treatment, many domestic hospitals have responded to the national call and built an online psychological counseling platform to provide professional and scientific psychological counseling services to the public. If you have sleep or other problems, you can seek professional help on the online platform.