World Sleep Day: "Insomnia is a problem that affects many university students and cannot be underestimated"
Having dedicated her life to the study of sleep, Helena Rebelo Pinto, Guest Full Professor at UCP’s Faculty of Human Sciences, does not hide her "great concern with the lack of quality sleep of the Portuguese". On the World Sleep Day, the researcher highlights that "the problem has been underrated and this has worrying effects on public health", adding that "in Portugal, working hours are excessive, commuting is long and the need to carry out domestic chores is causing sleep deprivation which is harmful to health and affects mostly women".
Despite stressing that the poor quality of sleep affects people of all ages, Helena Rebelo Pinto says that "in children and teenagers it is especially serious because their development is at stake". And if in this age group "it is urgent to take measures", says the professor, "when young people reach the University, the problem is even bigger".
"The Hypervigilance to which university students are often subject to, alters the sleep/vigilance cycle and creates a state of anxiety and stress, which affects sleep."
An example of this, says the lecturer, "are the academic demands on students that often force them to stay awake all night (not recommendable) or do long hours of study to accomplish the proposed work."
"We must not forget that there are more than a hundred identified sleep disorders, but the most frequent among students and young adults is insomnia, which manifests by difficulty in falling asleep, maintaining sleep throughout the night, or waking up too early,” adds the researcher.
Besides, she points out, "university life has problems with insomnia, associated with diseases such as depression, which is why it should not be treated in an uncontrolled manner, that is, without resort to specialized sources”.
And one of the places where students can seek help is at the University itself, says Helena Rebelo Pinto, stressing that "the whole academic community should be aware of these issues, creating activities oriented to the development of the student as a person”.
In this regard, the professor draws attention to the Post-Graduation in Sleep Psychology taught at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidade Católica, for health, education, and social professionals, which is very important to raise awareness about the importance of sleep”.
"And if for some people sleeping seven hours is enough, others need 10 hours. It all depends on their individual characteristics", stresses Helena Rebelo Pinto, who takes this opportunity to give an advice for students.
"Sleep well because you will get better results, you will certainly be more competent as professionals and you will be much happier and healthier as people".