We are in full dinner timereunions and late nights with a lot of partying involved. The logic of the average ‘party animal’ in these cases is infallible: “I sleep four hours today, but I’ll have a sleep marathon on Sunday to compensate”, but although it seems like a perfect plan on paper, science has a very different opinion on the matter.
Our habits. Luis de Leceaneuroscientist at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading authorities in the study of sleep, has just thrown a bucket of cold water on this custom in El País: he metabolic stress of Sleeping poorly is not cured with a long nap. In fact, with our modern habits, we are taking away the most pleasant phase of rest.
The myth of accumulating sleep. There is a belief that sleep works like a real bank account: if you take out hours during the week, you can make a massive deposit on Saturday to balance the balance. However, science has been pointing out for years that our brain is not an accountant that understands the amounts and income of hours of sleep.
And this is something that makes a lot of sense, because lack of sleep generates metabolic stress in our neurons. It is not just tiredness, it is an alteration in the consolidation of memory and in the neuronal repair. In this way, when we try to compensate on the weekend, we can alleviate drowsiness, but the biological markers of inflammation and cognitive performance do not recover in the same way.
The nest protocol. One of the most fascinating points of De Lecea’s recent research is the importance of the pre-sleep phase. In the animal world, there is what is called the “nest preparation protocol”, which is a series of instinctive behaviors that prepare the brain for disconnection.
In humans, this process depends on a delicate chemical balance: the dopamine inhibition. A necessary process to enter a deep and restful sleep, causing dopamine levels to drop so that we are not constantly on alert.
The problem. It is quite common to hear that our habits cause alterations in the sleep-wake cycle. In this case, exposure to screens with blue light and the infinite flow of information keeps dopamine high, such as constantly watching TikTok.
But the number one enemy is stress. The stressed brain interprets that there is danger lurking, which blocks the natural transitions between wakefulness and sleep.
The science of delta waves. Not all dreams are the same, something that De Lecea himself has been revealed in different studies which analyze how the brain uses delta waves even during the REM phase, which is when we are dreaming. These slow waves, typical of deep sleep, are essential for the clearance of metabolic waste and synaptic plasticity.
That is why if we sleep little and poorly (even if it is for a good cause, like a New Year’s Eve party), we break this spatiotemporal dynamic of the brain. 2023 research on vigilance states suggests that the brain needs a continuity that “weekend binge eating” cannot provide.
It’s not just tiredness. The immune system also has a lot to say with this. In these days of cold and respiratory viruses, skimping on sleep to party is, literally, disarming our defenses. In this way, we must remember that sleep is not a passive state, but rather an active process of maintaining the body.
Images | Dmitry Ganin Michael Discenza
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