Experts Link Sleep Quality and Memory Management to True Happiness and Mental Health
Experts highlight how quality sleep and forgetting negative memories are essential for sustained happiness and mental well-being.
- • Happiness depends on interpreting experiences and having a balanced personality, says Enrique Rojas.
- • Forgetting negative memories is crucial for mental well-being as per psychiatrist Enrique Rojas.
- • Most individuals do not get the recommended 8 hours of sleep; only genetic 'short sleepers' function well on less.
- • Sleep deficits cannot be recovered by weekend oversleeping and affect brain detoxification and overall health.
Key details
Recent expert analyses shed light on the critical roles that sleep and memory management play in mental health and happiness. According to Spanish psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, happiness is not merely about experiencing pleasure but fundamentally about interpreting life’s experiences. He stresses that happiness stems from a balanced personality and a life project based on love, friendship, work, and culture. Central to maintaining mental well-being is the human brain's ability to forget negative memories, a natural protective mechanism that prevents toxic recollections from causing suffering.
Complementing Rojas’s insights, recent studies on sleep emphasize its indispensable importance for brain health and overall well-being. While the recommended sleep is eight hours per night, many people report sleeping less, sometimes as few as five hours. Only a small percentage labeled 'short sleepers' can function well on reduced sleep due to genetic factors. High cortisol levels resulting from stress inhibit the production of melatonin, which disrupts restorative sleep. Moreover, experts dispel the notion that sleeping more on weekends can compensate for lost sleep during the week, likening it to trying to recover from a missed meal.
The brain’s critical detoxification processes occur during sleep, and chronic sleep deficits may lead to cardiovascular problems, mental health issues, and conditions like bruxism. These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing good sleep hygiene alongside managing negative memories effectively to promote sustained happiness and mental health.
This article was translated and synthesized from Spanish sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
