The Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) has warned that the obsessive search for an ideal rest, called orthosomnia, can generate the opposite effect to what is expected, by favoring anticipatory anxiety, worsening quality of life and, consequently, triggering difficulties sleeping or insomnia.
"A recent study conducted with more than 500 adults estimated that between 3 and 14 percent of the participants met different criteria for orthosomnia," the coordinator of the SEN Study Group on Disorders of Wakefulness and Sleep, Celia García Malo, has said, who has pointed out that these data do not allow prevalence to be established in the general population.
Although orthosomnia is not yet listed as a formal diagnosis in the main classifications, it is being detected with increasing frequency in consultations, which could lead to including it as a new diagnostic category in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-3).
This phenomenon is linked to 'sleepmaxxing', a trend that emerged on social media and promotes the idea of optimizing sleep through strict routines, devices and products to improve rest, such as watches and rings that score sleep quality, supplements, or tapes to keep the mouth closed.
As García Malo has explained, paying attention to rest is beneficial, but when it turns into an "obligation to perform and produce," it forces people to "control every minute" and to "reach a score and perfect routines," it becomes a "problem."
Risks of practices that are becoming increasingly widespread
Among the aspects that require particular caution, the neurologist has mentioned consumer devices that record sleep. She has stressed that, although they may be useful for observing general patterns, their measurements do not serve to diagnose insomnia nor to rule out the presence of a sleep disorder.
"Some specific functions have validation or health authorization, but this does not validate all of the device's metrics nor replace clinical evaluation," she said.
Regarding the use of adhesive tapes to seal the lips and promote nasal breathing, a practice known as 'mouth taping', he has indicated that the available scientific evidence is "limited", so it should not be recommended in a generalized way. "From a medical point of view, if there is nasal obstruction, taping the mouth can make breathing difficult, in addition to causing irritation and discomfort. Snoring or breathing through the mouth may require studying its cause", he has asserted.
In relation to supplements, he has pointed out that melatonin "is not a universal solution and has no clear indication as a treatment for chronic insomnia", and he has warned that "it can cause residual drowsiness and interact with medications". Regarding magnesium, he has indicated that the evidence for insomnia is "insufficient", and that it "can cause digestive discomfort".
Another typical behavior in people with orthosomnia is setting extremely rigid schedules to reach a specific number of hours of sleep, getting into bed very early without feeling sleepy or staying in bed for too long, which "can reinforce insomnia", according to the specialist.
"In any case, this does not mean that 'sleepmaxxing' as a whole is harmful to health: the risk depends on each practice and above all when it creates or maintains a sleep disorder or delays its treatment", he has clarified.
Recommendations for healthy rest
As an alternative, García Malo has stressed that it is possible to care for sleep sensibly. Among his recommendations, he has cited setting aside sufficient time to sleep, maintaining reasonably regular schedules tailored to each person, being exposed to natural light during the day, doing physical activity, and ensuring a dark, silent and comfortable bedroom.
He has also suggested avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and very stimulating content at night, and he has reminded that sleep needs are individual, so it is not advisable to impose a fixed number of hours or pursue a specific percentage of deep sleep.
"Having a one-off bad night, or a stretch of worse sleep, does not by itself imply having a sleep disorder. In addition, sleep is not mathematical: there are moments in life when we sleep in one way and others in another; even each night naturally has a certain variability in hours and quality of sleep, without this implying a health problem", he has explained.
From the Spanish Society of Neurology, they have stressed that, if difficulties sleeping persist over time and affect daytime performance, it is necessary to see a specialist and not allow the problem to become chronic. Likewise, they have insisted that snoring with pauses, awakenings with a feeling of choking, and excessive daytime sleepiness should also be assessed by a professional.