The psychologist named the reasons for lack of sleep during an eight-hour nap.

On March 24, Ksenia Vorotyntseva, a practicing psychologist and psychotherapist, told Izvestia about the key factors affecting sleep quality and explained how stress and daily habits can interfere with the full recovery of the body.

"Sleep quality is determined by the stability of circadian rhythms, cortisol levels before falling asleep, and the depth of slow-wave stages. Even if a person spends eight hours in bed, this does not guarantee recovery: the brain must undergo a sufficient number of deep phases and REM sleep. Non—obvious disorders such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and anxiety disorders can also reduce energy," the expert explained.

Stress, according to Vorotyntseva, directly prevents falling asleep by activating the sympathetic nervous system. In this state, the brain continues to "scan for threats", not allowing you to relax. In these conditions, the specialist recommends not trying to fall asleep by willpower, but using the technique of "planned anxiety" — a few hours before bedtime, write out disturbing thoughts on paper to reduce the level of tension.

Bedtime habits have a separate effect. Gadgets, as the psychologist notes, suppress the production of melatonin due to the blue light of the screens and shift falling asleep by 1-2 hours. Caffeine, even consumed in the afternoon, blocks fatigue receptors, making sleep more shallow and increasing the number of nighttime awakenings.

Vorotyntseva highlights the formation of stable rituals among the most effective ways to improve sleep. In particular, she advises sticking to a fixed wake-up time, not staying in bed for more than 20 minutes without sleep, and building a lighting contrast: bright light during the day and total darkness in the evening. According to the expert, these approaches are considered basic tools for cognitive behavioral therapy of insomnia.

Night break: almost half of Russians experience respiratory arrest in their sleep

Obesity, smoking, and anatomical features of the respiratory tract increase the risk of sleep apnea.

Elena Zubareva, a neurologist at the SM Clinic, warned on March 19 about the dangerous consequences that sleep deficiency can lead to. According to the doctor, prolonged lack of sleep leads to an imbalance in the functioning of all body systems, and above all, the nervous system suffers.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.