13.4 million Italians (source data Italian Association for Sleep Medicine). This is the impressive number of people in our country who suffer from sleep disorders. But what are the factors that can affect the sleep-wake rhythm? Is it true that adults need only 5 hours of sleep per night? Is it better to sleep in the heat or in the cold? Is the afternoon nap suitable for those who have difficulty falling asleep?
These are some of the questions that are answered in Sleep and Wakefulness Return to Their Place, an articulate awareness campaign-signed by Polifarma (an Italian pharmaceutical company founded in 1919) and Pierpaoli Exelyas® (a company that develops, manufactures and markets dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products)-to promote sleep education, which plays a role, unfortunately often underestimated, in the health and quality of life of all of us. Every human being, in fact, spends about a third of his or her life sleeping, so it is not difficult to understand the importance of sleeping well to live better.
Sleep disorders: a problem underestimated by many but which, in reality, has devastating impacts. The numbers speak for themselves: a study published in 2020 and conducted by researchers from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Bocconi University and the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, in collaboration with the Doxa Institute, shows that sleep disorders in Italy are on the rise and are more frequent among the elderly and those with a low socioeconomic level: 30 percent of respondents sleep an insufficient number of hours and, for 14.9 percent, the quality of sleep is unsatisfactory. Among them, women outnumber men, while there is no gender difference in sleep time. As age increases, both insufficiency and the level of dissatisfaction increase (Source: Varghese NE, Lugo A, Ghislandi S, Colombo P, Pacifici R, Gallus S. Sleep dissatisfaction and insufficient sleep duration in the Italian population. Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 21;10(1):17943). 

In addition, it is estimated that more than 10% of the adult population with sleep disorders suffer from a circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder (Source: Kim JH, Duffy JF. Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders in Older Adults. Sleep Med Clin. 2018 Mar;13(1):39-50). 

Nighttime discomfort is often followed by daytime discomfort: decline in cognitive functions (concentration, attention, memory), repercussions on the psychoemotional sphere, and overall reduction in quality of life. Sleep disorders are also a risk factor for both psychopathological disorders and somatic and medical diseases, including those of an infectious and inflammatory nature. This is a very serious problem that, also due to the pandemic, seems to be exacerbating: Covid-19 has amplified the symptoms of sleep disorders, the frequency of which has reportedly even exceeded that of symptoms of anxiety and depression.

“Unfortunately,” Andrea Bracci, CEO of Polifarma, said, “we only worry about sleep disorders when we start, perhaps, to spend a few hours, during the night, awake or have considerable difficulty falling asleep. Actually, sleeping well means prevention and protecting our health. For this reason, we have initiated Sleep and Wakefulness Go Back to Their Place, a wide-ranging and multifaceted awareness campaign that is made up of a series of building blocks that, we hope, will help raise awareness of as many people as possible and create greater awareness of a disorder that is largely underestimated but which, as we have seen, can have major consequences, both personally and socially. In fact, there are many factors that can affect the sleep-wake rhythm and that, in one way or another, can affect many of us: time zone changes, rotating work shifts, the use of PCs and tablets at late hours or simply increasing age. From March 17, the date on which we celebrate Sleep Day, the website www.ciclosonnoveglia.it will be online and the trailer for a web series will be officially presented within the UCI Cinema circuit that will help us, thanks in part to the contribution of leading doctors and specialists, to open our eyes to sleep problems and, above all, to understand how to deal with them.” 

Sleep and wakefulness back where they belong: campaign details. Within the site, online from March 17, doctors and patients will find a 4-part web series, updated information, and scientific insights. These are indispensable tools for learning how to rebalance the circadian rhythm and get sleep and wake periods back where they belong.
Sleepless nights, the web series starring sleep. “Dear night owls also tonight if you don’t close your eyes, keep your ears wide open.” With these words, the Radio Morpheus DJ officially kicks off the sleepless nights of Valentina, Giacomo, Piero and Iolanda, four protagonists with different stories but united by one destiny: not to find peace from midnight on. By following their misadventures and the medical insights commenting on each episode, it will be possible to understand what sleep problems are and, above all, learn how to deal with them.
An ad hoc space for doctors. The site, which is constantly updated and enriched with new content, also hosts a section devoted exclusively to doctors and specialists to whom videos and in-depth articles are dedicated.