Celmiņa expressed that the amount of time people spend sleeping now does not differ much from the data collected several decades ago, despite the introduction of technology into people’s everyday life.
“I think the plus/minus is exactly the same. I was looking at various studies recently, and we at the Center for Epilepsy and Sleep Medicine looked at how much sleep young people get – little. But that’s no surprise. The oldest study I’ve seen on this topic found, it is from the 70s, and there are no surprises. Although there were not so many affordable telephones and televisions, young people did not sleep more anyway,” said Celmiņa.
She reasoned that it’s probably exactly the same with the amount of sleep that adults get – people don’t get enough sleep, but that’s nothing new.
Technologies, interests and specifics of work change, but the fact that many things are done at the expense of sleep does not change.
“I think we’ve all done it, and I’m one of those typical ex-poor sleepers. Now I try not to be a cobbler without shoes. Knowing what sleep deprivation can do to the brain, to the hormonal system, to weight, and everything, I really think about so as to sleep enough,” Celmiņa explained.
An average adult should sleep from seven to nine hours, but there are people who can sleep for six or 10 hours and feel good, but this is a minority, Celmiņa reminded. For the most part, people who don’t get enough sleep are not even aware of the impact it is having on their minds and bodies. They seem to feel good, but in reality they are constantly tired.
“Those who sleep for those five or six hours and say: ‘Oh, that’s enough for me’, are very likely overestimating their abilities. They are used to it and don’t even know that it can be better,” said Celmiņa.
Therefore, the best solution is to organize your daily rhythm and learn to sleep at least seven to eight hours, but this does not mean immediately resorting to sleeping pills.
“It’s a band-aid for a huge, huge hole,” emphasized Celmiņa, explaining that the cause of the problem must be addressed first, rather than fighting the consequences.
For example, if sleep is greatly affected by stress and anxiety, you need to think about how to deal with these aspects, rather than just taking sleeping pills, because sleeping pills alone do not solve the problem. It would be the same as not putting the bones back together with a broken leg, but only using painkillers, Celmiņa explained. “If we don’t do the surgery, if we don’t put the bones back together, the leg won’t heal. It’s the same with sleep. We can give sleeping pills, but they’re like painkillers – if we don’t treat the cause ourselves, nothing will be good for us in the long term.
We need to prioritize our health. There won’t be one magic pill that will cure everything,” said Celmiņa.
Of course, people who have been getting six hours of sleep for a long time will not be able to sleep for nine straight away every night, but the change can be achieved by adjusting your sleeping rhythm in small steps. For example, you can go to bed 15 minutes earlier every day or week. Even though it requires planning, discipline and patience, you have to start with something, urged Celmiņa to change.
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