Have you ever had the feeling of waking up and feeling like you weren’t getting enough sleep? According to experts interviewed by Valor, in many cases, people sleep for eight hours and still wake up tired to go to work, which can trigger a warning sign. This fatigue, explains pulmonologist and sleep doctor Rodolfo Bacelar, is called “non-refreshing sleep”.
“It occurs due to the inability of the night’s sleep to provide one of its main functions (but not the only one), which is to be a period of ‘renewal of energy’. The reasons can be multiple: from insufficient sleep time for our demands, often due to bad habits and an inadequate routine, to the presence of sleep diseases, such as Sleep Apnea (better known for the presence of snoring), which prevent the adequate physiological flow of this important function of our bodies”, explains the doctor.
Complaints related to sleep have been common in the population. 45% of Brazilians report some sleep problem, reaching 80% depending on the time and scope of the complaints, according to the Sleep Week 2024 booklet, made by the Brazilian Sleep Association, Brazilian Association of Sleep Medicine and Brazilian Association of Dentistry of Sleep.
Also according to the booklet, among the main complaints that alert about the presence of a sleep disorder are:
• Persistent difficulties in starting or staying asleep;
• Fatigue or low energy, with difficulty paying attention and reduced concentration;
• Mood disturbance;
• Memory changes;
• Impairment in occupational or social functioning.
Ideal time
Experts explain that there is a difference between quantity of sleep and quality of sleep and that, to wake up feeling satisfied with your sleep, you need to have both. According to Márcia Assis, neurologist and vice-president of the Brazilian Sleep Association, there is a great question about the number of hours for adequate sleep, but quality, she says, also needs to be taken into consideration.
The ideal time, as in any biological situation, varies between individuals. Therefore, not everyone needs to sleep for eight hours to wake up “satisfied” with their sleep. While for some, six hours will be enough, for others, seven will be inadequate and they will need more hours of sleep. Normal, considered by experts consulted by Valor, varies between five and nine hours.
Furthermore, the need will vary depending on several individual factors, including age. According to Márcia, elderly people tend to sleep earlier and wake up earlier, as well as having more awakenings during the night. “And this is necessary for understanding ‘normal’”.
The neurologist also points out that some sleep disorders may be more frequent with age, including insomnia and sleep apnea, and that more attention needs to be paid to the signs (lack of energy, drowsiness during the day, pauses in breathing when sleeping, etc.). ). In these cases, the best option, says Márcia, is to seek medical help.
Even with the variation in the number of hours needed for each person, the quality of sleep, including the mood when waking up, should not vary, experts explain. “Disposition is linked to quality. Waking up feeling unwell, with the feeling that the night’s sleep didn’t provide what you wanted, should be a sign to seek medical help”, says Bacelar.
More disposition
Check out eight tips below for waking up more willing to work:
• Maintain regular bedtimes and wake-up times;
• Stop using screens at least one hour before going to sleep;
• Reduce sounds and put your cell phone on silent;
• Maintain physical activity, which improves sleep quality, but avoid physical exercise two hours before bedtime;
• Seek natural light during the day, especially when waking up. “This can make you more energetic and of course reduce stimuli at night, including artificial light. Close to bedtime, try to do a more relaxing activity, such as a breathing technique, reading a page of a book, listening to music, meditation”, says Márcia.
• Give preference to a light diet at night and stop using caffeine around 4 pm;
• Have the habit of recording appointments in an agenda or planner, as this helps the brain to relax before bed, avoiding the “alert against forgetting”;
• Avoid naps during the day. If you doze off, do not sleep longer than 30 minutes, as it “steals” hours of nighttime sleep.
