There is no doubt as to the importance of good habits for health. There are three pillars classically seen as having an impact: a balanced diet, moderate physical activity and emotional wellbeing. There is, however, another factor that is often downplayed or excluded: sleep.
A lack of quality sleep has consequences that go much further than just being tired the next day. If it persists over time, it is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and, even, cancer. It affects memory and attention span, and is responsible for a loss of productivity of roughly 2% of the Gross Domestic Product in some countries, like the United States. This is why several projects are starting to raise awareness of the importance of sleep, the need for timetable reform and, even, using new portable technology and big data to improve people’s habits.
In order to discuss all of these aspects, world-renowned physicians and scientists, as well as technology and social stakeholders, met for the debate ‘Sleep: the Fourth Pillar of Health’, organized by B·Debate (an initiative of Biocat and the “la Caixa” Foundation to promote scientific debate) in conjunction with the Global Sleep Observatory, Lleida Biomedical Research Institute (IRBLleida) and AdSalutem Institute.