Did you know that in 2022, the American Heart Association included sleep as one of the eight essential factors for a healthy life? Poor sleep doesn’t just cause fatigue: it also affects the immune system’s response, disrupts metabolism, impacts emotional regulation, and hinders DNA repair.
With the aim of raising awareness within the university community about the importance of good sleep, during a session of the Health and Society Chair, the interdisciplinary team from the Instituto Neumológico del Oriente, led by sleep medicine specialist Dr. Leslie Katherine Vargas Ramírez, along with professionals in physical therapy and psychology, engaged in a dialogue with the university community about fundamental aspects of mental and physical health that are often neglected in academic life.
According to experts, sleep is the physiological function most sacrificed in the pursuit of academic performance, leading to consequences such as irritability, low frustration tolerance, and difficulty concentrating.
According to experts, sleep is influenced by various social factors such as family background, culture, socioeconomic status, and nighttime screen exposure. They also noted that poor sleep affects the immune response, metabolism, emotional regulation, and DNA repair.
In turn, Bernardo Useche, a psychologist from the National University of Colombia with a master’s degree and doctorate from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Human Sexuality, reiterated the importance of having an informed, consensual, and satisfying sex life, which contributes significantly to emotional balance and overall well-being.
The third part of the session was led by Jorge Andrés Niño García, a psychiatrist, who addressed mental health from a psychoanalytic perspective, focusing on the intrapsychic conflicts we face daily. Finally, he invited the students to actively identify and process their conflicts, thereby expanding their capacity for emotional well-being.
The three sessions left a clear message: holistic health requires addressing sleep, sexuality, and the management of internal conflicts as fundamental pillars. The Health and Society Lecture Series continues to establish itself as a space for reflection and learning for the entire university community.
