After the pandemic, poor sleep quality affects half of adults
Fernando Camacho Servin
Newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday March 15, 2023, p. 13
Due in large part to the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic, sleep disorders have grown significantly in Mexico, to such an extent that after the health emergency, rates of insomnia or poor quality night rest affect half of the adult population, specialists in the subject pointed out.
In a forum organized yesterday by the UNAM –in the context of the 25th anniversary of its Sleep Disorders Clinic (CTS)–, Ulises Jiménez, a member of the technical area of said specialized center, indicated that the confinement and the changes in the rhythms of work significantly altered the rest rhythms of many people.
The prevalence of insomnia before the pandemic was 18.8 percent, but two years later, the figures for poor sleep quality reached 50 percent of the adult population.
while in many young people and adolescents the phenomenon of delaying the start of night rest for many hours and getting up after noon intensified, warned the expert.
Rafael Santana Miranda, head of the CTS, highlighted the existence of a kind of contempt
due to sleep, related to various factors, including the excessive use of electronic devices, poor eating habits and consumption of stimulating substances, and even the distance from study and work centers.
Aftermath
After highlighting that large segments of the population do not sleep well -including some children-, he warned that among the main repercussions of insufficient rest are mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, as well as a higher rate of accidents, poor school or work performance, irritability and metabolic or cerebrovascular diseases.
Gabriela Millán, a professor at the UNAM School of Medicine, agreed that sleep is essential to relax the mind and body, as well as to regulate processes such as heart and respiratory rates, memory consolidation and learning, hormone synthesis and appetite regulation.
According to data from the 2016 Medio Camino National Health and Nutrition Survey, he added, the Mexican population sleeps on average less than the eight hours it should.
