Harvard experts warn of the devastating consequences of lack of sleep

experts from Harvard, there Columbia University, university of miami there there university of massachusetts detailed the health implications of sleep in a conversation with the health reporter of the CNN Jacqueline Howard Thursday at Harvard School of Public Health TH Chan.

“Sleep is associated in many ways with mortality: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, brain health, immune function, respiratory disorders, and cognitive function and performance,” he said. Azizi Seixas, associate professor of Miller College of Medicine from the University of Miami.

He and other speakers discussed the health risks of long-term sleep deprivation and the fundamental role that sleep plays in memory. According Rebecca Spencer, Professor of psychology and brain science from the University of Massachusetts, “When you sleep, you take a movie from the day and play it back, which is a great mnemonic device. It’s a way to solidify the memories we’ve formed over the course of the day. .

These memories may include noise and other nuisances Which introduces a bigger challenge: While it’s important for everyone to get enough rest, the outside world can get in the way. The researchers focused on noise pollutionsleep disparities and how political decisions can tire us out and make us vulnerable.

“We know, for example, that underserved communities and minorities are more likely to live in socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods,” he said. Carmela Alcantara, associate professor of School of Social Work from Columbia University.

For the specialist, “this may include neighborhoods that could have a increased police surveillance neighborhoods that later have a increased exposure to noise pollution, nail increased exposure to light pollution, and all of these factors that we know of impact short-term sleep and then can have these long-term cascading effects on sleep.

Spencer recommended “controlling what’s controllable,” noting that while you can’t turn down your neighbors’ music or dim the streetlights, there are other strategies to get a environment most conducive to rest. An example is “expose yourself to the sun during the day, especially outside natural light, but keep the environment dark at night.

Another tactic: move. “Exercise is something you can do, if only to clear your mind,” says Spencer. “It’s part of the rumination problem that a lot of people have when they’re trying to fall asleep.”

“If it doesn’t work, don’t worry,” he said. Elisabeth Klerman, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. Instead, decide to catch up on lost sleep on a weekend or a day off. Your body will cooperate. “There’s no evidence that you can oversleep,” he said.

“Unlike chocolate cake, which you can eat when you’re not hungry, there’s no evidence that you can sleep when you’re not tired.” danger comes when a person loses long-term sleep: “There are effects on memory and on the risk of dementia.”

Seixas said that if one regularly loses sleep, it may be possible to adjust other aspects of your routine to mitigate the negative effects. “We were able to find different profiles and different recommendations of people who can get six hours of sleep, but who can make certain changes to their life and lifestyle. to balance your risk of cardio-metabolic health issues.

As for what lawmakers can do to help their constituents, panelists agreed that changing daylight saving time is not advisable. Instead, lawmakers should opt for solutions that prioritize sleep itself, such as postponing school start times and public health campaigns on sleep hygiene.

“I believe that a combination of science, public policy, public education and advocacy will be important in trying to solve the DST problem, as well as other issues related to structural inequalities. says Klermann.

And concluded: “We need science, but also communication.”

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