Somnologists have revealed the important essence of insomnia and brain aging

Short naps and proper rest can help prevent sleep problems

Experts say there are several factors that can deprive a person of sleep, which is crucial for the body to function well. In their opinion, many people sleep too little, and there are also a number of factors outside of them that cause sleepless nights.

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Everyday life is too busy for many, the need for time to relax can be overwhelming, and when evening finally arrives, you want to relax after a long day — but many still do not pay enough attention to sleep.

“According to the general data, “We tend to sleep too little,” says clinical neuropsychologist Thomas Myklebust, who is also a sleep expert. He found that many people preferred to sit on the sofa and watch TV — while updating information on their mobile phone.

Thomas Myklebust explains that our night's sleep is affected by the fact that we have so much to do before going to bed, as opposed to «the old days when we went to bed when it got dark.» He believes that the brain and body initiate a number of processes when a person is asleep that are not put into practice when we are awake.

“Most people notice this when they've had one or two bad nights. But in the long run, it will seriously affect your memory. You lose your ability to learn. Sleep is essential for memory and learning, says sleep specialist.

Therapist Tonje Oord says good sleep improves health, but it also has a number of other benefits.

“When we get more sleep, we're also better able to regulate our emotions, we're more creative, we're better problem solvers, our ability to concentrate is enhanced, and we're better at work,” she reports. Oord has discovered that many of the people she interacts with are getting too little sleep.

“Some people really value the time of day when they can finally be alone and calm down a bit, and they find it difficult to prioritize sleep. Or perhaps they go to bed on time but have a hard time falling asleep because they have so many racing thoughts, or their body is tense and activated due to stress and worry,” she explains.

Thomas Myklebust notes that it is especially important for young people to get enough sleep, but he believes that very few people do it. According to a public health report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, teenagers sleep on average just under 6.5 hours on weekdays, which is about two hours less than recommended.

“If you sleep on average seven hours every night — because sometimes you sleep less and sometimes more — then you seem to be in good shape, but in fact your brain ages faster,” he warns.

Tonje Oord emphasizes that we can also tolerate periods of poor sleep. For example, when you have children who keep you up at night, or when you are going through stressful life events. During times like these, the therapist says, it's important to lower expectations of ourselves.

Myklebust also points out that there's a lot of good rest involved in many of the activities we already engage in—and something that most people probably don't consider rest: “For example, picking up clothes, vacuuming, a lot of people think that, “Oh, that's tedious,” and that's what they do anyway. But these are wonderful forms of relaxation.”