Eduard Estivill, sleep expert: "The obsession with sleep is terrible, and this leads many to self-medicate."

The war against insomnia has become a long-distance race, with more and more Spaniards turning to pills. Neurophysiologist and pediatrician Eduard Estivill, a pioneer in sleep medicine , has just issued a stark warning: "The obsession with sleep" is driving thousands of people to self-medicate.

The Catalan specialist reminded us on the podcast Mejor que Ayer that “sleep has to be natural,” and that chasing sleep with a stopwatch only exacerbates the problem, generating more anxiety and a dangerous dependency on drugs.

With 55 years of consulting experience under his belt , Estivill has seen it all: from executives who sleep with their alarm set so as not to go over eight hours, to young people who combine supplements and benzodiazepines without medical supervision.

“Sleep is a ladder,” the doctor explains. We descend steps from the light phase to deep sleep and, finally, to REM sleep, where the brain archives memories and cleanses toxins . Skipping these cycles—or shortening them—is, according to Estivill, the perfect recipe for waking up tired.

In his speech, he warned of the risks of benzodiazepines, particularly for the elderly: "If you get up to go to the bathroom three hours later, you're still groggy, you fall, and you're guaranteed to fracture your hip," he laments. The number of falls among elderly people who take sleeping pills supports his concern.

As we age, our sleep becomes lighter : more micro-awakenings, less deep sleep, and more dream recall. This is normal, the expert emphasizes, and should not be treated with pills unless prescribed individually.

Remembering all your dreams isn't a dream talent but rather a sign of fragmented sleep, Estivill clarifies. If you relive your own dream every night, your sleep is likely plagued by micro-awakenings that compromise your memory and mood.

The doctor's recommendations include simple habits such as "natural light in the morning," early dinners, moderate exercise, and putting your cell phone away an hour before bedtime. When the day is good, the night, he says, tends to be on our side.

Sleep, Estivill reminds us, begins when we open our eyes : our daytime routine determines our nighttime quality. That's why he insists on regular schedules and on not staying in bed if sleep persists; it's better to get up, read for ten minutes, and go back when your body demands it.