Why is it difficult to fall asleep. How do we fall asleep and what are the consequences of insomnia? Scooping from the well of folk wisdom

A person spends a third of his life in a dream, because a full sleep is a guarantee of health. And if insomnia overcomes, then you need a quick, safe and reliable way to deal with it.

A person spends a third of his life in a dream. This is a blissful time of rest and recovery, a complex physiological process that ensures human health.

What the next day will be, the emotional state and active activity of a person depends on the quality of sleep and its duration. When problems arise with sleep, its duration is reduced, and the quality is poor.

Long falling asleep and heavy awakenings negatively affect health and mental state, but they themselves are a sign of some kind of mental or physical disorder.

Treatment of sleep disorders and insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that manifests itself in severe falling asleep, shallow sleep, and early awakening. As a rule, with insomnia, a shift in the rhythms occurs, when the night's sleep gradually disappears, and instead, a good rest occurs during the day. The causes of this disorder can be many:

stress and strong nervous tension
neurological diseases
mental disorders
somatic diseases

The treatment of sleep disorders involves determining the causes of its occurrence and their elimination. After all, having not solved the main problem, there can be no medication for insomnia. Below are the recipes and methods of alternative treatment for insomnia.

What is effective for a sound healthy sleep: folk remedies for insomnia

At the same time, while the main problem of insomnia is being solved (and this can be a long and difficult process), a person can not do without a good rest.

Taking sleeping pills is a dangerous activity that should be left in the end, when it is not possible to solve the problem of sleep disorders by other, more harmless methods.

There are some rules that should be followed to ensure a comfortable sleep, fast sleep, and easy waking up:

food should not be abused before bedtime and it is important to observe the golden rule: after eating there should be 2-3 hours of vigorous activity
those suffering from insomnia should exclude fatty and meat foods
before going to bed, you need to take a walk in the fresh air
bedtime should be spent in quiet classes, do not leave in the evening the decision of any important matters
if you feel a lot of tension before going to bed, you can relax in a warm bath

If the listed points of preparation for bed are met, and the long-awaited rest still does not come, then it will be useful to turn to harmless folk remedies.

Water with honey before bedtime: recipe

A wealth of folk wisdom offers a wide range of recipes for insomnia for every taste. Among the many recipes, the most simple to prepare and not requiring many ingredients recipe for honey water.

To prepare such a miracle of an elixir, simple distilled water and honey are needed, other components such as lemon juice or mummy can also be added.

Water with honey can be prepared immediately before use or in advance. To do this, you need a glass of warm water (in no case boiled). A tablespoon of honey (preferably May or lime) is added to it. Thoroughly mixing honey water, you can put it for a few minutes to infuse and then take it inside before going to bed.

Thanks to healing water with honey, it is possible to solve not only the problem of insomnia, but also to remove toxins from the body, relieve tension and stress, and drinking such a drink on an empty stomach will solve the problems in the digestive tract.

Lavender Oil Relief: Lavender Oil for Good Sleep

Lavender is a plant with an incredible aroma that not only pleases with a beautiful view, but also is an indispensable soothing remedy. Lavender is used as a relaxant, a tool that can calm the nervous system, protect against stress and cheer up. The use of lavender both in dry form and in the composition of essential oil is common.

Lavender essential oil - a tool that will help to cope with anxiety and quickly fall asleep. It can be used as an aid to massage by adding a few drops to massage oil or olive.

In addition, lavender oil can be added to the water when taking a bath, spray 1-2 drops per pillow or taken orally by dripping two drops of lavender essential oil on a piece of refined sugar.

Soothing motherwort: how to take motherwort to sleep?

Motherwort herb has a strong sedative - its calming effect is several times higher than the effectiveness of valerian. This magical plant can be purchased at the pharmacy, where it is sold in the form of herbal collection and alcohol tincture. The latter is more convenient to use, but the presence of alcohol in the composition is a minus, as this is unacceptable for many.

RECIPE: Tincture of motherwort is taken 30-40 minutes before bedtime, dropping 30 drops into a glass of water. If you purchased motherwort grass, then it must be brewed and insisted. For this, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of herbal harvest pour boiling water and stand for 24 hours.

You can also use motherwort herb as tea and not wait for a long time to insist, taking it hot immediately, but the effect of such a product will be significantly lower than that of a drink that will be saturated with useful substances.

Teas for good sleep - chamomile, mint, lemon balm tea: how to brew?

Stress from a long working day can be removed with the help of relaxing teas, which, in addition, will ensure a healthy and carefree sleep. A similar way to combat insomnia is simple and effective, drinking medicinal tea is a pleasant activity that relieves anxiety and anxiety. Most often recommended for taking teas:

Chamomile is a sedative, which allows you to relieve somatic tension and headache. Chamomile tea is brewed at the rate of 2-3 tablespoons per glass of water and drink up to 4 cups throughout the day

2. Mint - containing menthol, which calms the nervous system and makes it easier to fall asleep and provides good sleep. You can brew mint leaves like regular tea, pour boiling water and add sugar or lemon to taste. Reception of mint tea should be limited to 100 g at one time, no more than three times a day, since the intake of a large amount of menthol in the body can provoke genital diseases in both women and men

3. Tea from lemon balm - thanks to the special substances in the composition of this plant, it helps to get out of depression, relieve irritability, calm the nerves, which is very necessary for a good sleep. The recipe for making tea from lemon balm is quite simple: 2-3 tablespoons of mint leaves should be filled with 250-300 ml of boiling water, and then left to infuse for 20 minutes. Tea should be drunk half an hour before bedtime, adding honey and lemon

Apple cider vinegar with honey before bedtime: recipe

With chronic fatigue and insomnia, apple cider vinegar with honey will be an excellent remedy. This mixture has a lot of useful substances in its composition, which favorably affect the work of all body systems. A special influence is exerted on the nervous system, due to which a person becomes more balanced and calm, the feeling of anxiety, tension and fatigue disappears.

For a healthy sleep, take 2-3 tablespoons of this mixture before bedtime: 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar are added to 100 g of honey. It is possible to double the dose if the expected effect has not occurred.

How to apply hawthorn for sleep?

Hawthorn berries have a complex effect on the body: they improve blood circulation, calm the nervous system, relieve irritability and a sense of aggression. Equally effective are both tincture of hawthorn and dry collection.

Enough 20 drops of tincture three times a day for general calming and improving sleep. Berry picking must be boiled in boiling water for 15 minutes per 20 g of berries per 100 ml of water. The broth is taken before meals, one tablespoon.

Milk with honey at night for sleep: the benefits of milk with honey, a recipe

Drunk milk before bedtime with honey will allow you to forget about insomnia and sleep soundly, seeing positive dreams. This effect is provided due to the presence of a specific amino acid in milk - tryptophan, which enhances the production of the hormone of happiness. This completely eliminates feelings of anxiety, fear, anxiety and excitement.

At the same time, honey has a whole range of useful substances, among which are specific sugars of fructose origin, which satisfy hunger for a long time. Since such sugar breaks down for a long time, for a long time the body will not need food, and the resulting carbohydrates will improve the functioning of the brain and nervous system.

Among the multiple reviews of sleep aids, the most popular are:

peony tincture
dream grass
sagebrush
poppy inflorescences
pumpkin
valerian
cornflower

There are a lot of folk remedies to combat insomnia, but not all of them are effective and equally beneficial for the body. In any case, it is necessary to seek the help of a specialist if insomnia is systematic, and not episodic.

Video: How to get rid of insomnia folk remedies?

Sleep is needed to restore the body's strength, lack of sleep translates into mood swings, weight gain and increased blood pressure. In the afternoon, a person feels tired, he wants to eat high-calorie foods to replenish energy. Without proper sleep, it is impossible to maintain normal hormonal levels and metabolism. Scientists have proved that people who systematically suffer from lack of sleep have a higher body mass index than those who sleep eight hours a day. In order to maintain a figure, health and good mood, you need to get rid of several bad habits.

Drinking alcohol before bedtime

One of the most common misconceptions is that alcohol helps you fall asleep. Many people can really fall asleep very quickly after drinking, but their sleep will not be deep.

It seems to a man that he slept soundly all night, but the next morning he would wake up tired and in a bad mood. Alcohol strongly affects the nervous system, it is not only a sedative, but also a stimulating effect.

Using Bad Bedding

This especially applies to pillows, they must be changed once every several years, otherwise dust mites will become your bedmates. Old pillows poorly support the neck, which also affects the quality of sleep. If you are prone to allergic reactions, then use hypoallergenic covers for pillows and mattresses.

Continuous use of the phone

The habit of always being in touch is a threat to sleep, the effect of bright light from the screen on the eyes gives the brain a signal that it should be awake. Before going to bed, you need to dim the light so that the body tunes in to rest. There are many ways to occupy yourself before going to bed without a phone, for example, meditation or reading books.

Inappropriate temperature

In winter, when it is cold outside, people forget to ventilate the room at night, which deprives themselves of the necessary amount of oxygen. Heating appliances make the air very dry, the nose and throat dry out, discomfort prevents sleep. For this reason, you are sometimes very thirsty in the mornings, as if a lot of alcohol had been drunk the day before. The temperature in the room should be 18-20 degrees, it is better to hide in a warm blanket than to overheat.

The presence of hidden diseases

The habit of not going to the doctor, but being treated on your own, plays a very cruel joke with people. A constant desire to go to bed can be a sign of various diseases, for example, problems with immunity. With viral diseases, people also constantly want to sleep, in a dream the body is easier to fight the infection.

Are you trying to make yourself fall asleep for hours, even if you’re very tired during the day? Or do you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall asleep for several hours, looking anxiously at the clock? If so, then you have insomnia, which is by far the most common sleep problem.

Insomnia takes away our energy, negatively affects the mood and work during the day. Chronic insomnia can even contribute to the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system, increased blood pressure, and diabetes. But you should not put up with insomnia. Simple changes in your lifestyle and daily habits can put an end to sleepless nights.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is the impossibility of the body for one reason or another getting the necessary amount of sleep, which is required for the body to rest. Since all people are different, the amount of sleep that everyone needs will be different. Insomnia is characterized by the quality of your sleep and your well-being after it, and not by the number of hours you sleep or how quickly you fall asleep.

Although insomnia is the most common complaint among patients, it may not be a result of sleep disturbance in all cases. The cause of insomnia can be a large amount of coffee drunk during the day, overstrain during the day, etc. Despite many factors contributing to the development of insomnia, in most cases it is treated.

Symptoms of insomnia:

Difficulty falling asleep despite being tired.
Frequent awakenings at night.
The problem of falling asleep after waking up at night.
Shallow sleep.
Use sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep.
Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, irritability.
Difficulty concentrating throughout the day.

Causes of insomnia:

In order to properly treat and cure insomnia, it is necessary to understand its cause. Emotional problems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression in more than half of cases cause insomnia. But your habits and physical condition also play an important role in the development of insomnia. It is necessary to try to consider all the possible causes of insomnia. Once you find out the cause, you can carry out the appropriate treatment.

Common mental and physical causes of insomnia.
Sometimes insomnia lasts only a few days and goes away by itself, this is especially true in cases of changing time zones, stress on the eve of the upcoming presentation, painful break. Chronic insomnia is usually associated with a mental or physical problem.

Problems of a psychological nature that can cause insomnia include depression, anxiety, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder. Another problem with insomnia may be the medications you are taking. Among them are antidepressants contained in alcohol, painkillers that contain caffeine, diuretics, corticosteroids, and thyroid hormones.

Various diseases, such as asthma, allergies, Parkinson's disease, hyperthyroidism (increased thyroid function), acid reflux (reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus), kidney diseases, and oncological diseases can also cause insomnia.

Disorders or sleep disorders that can cause insomnia: sleep apnea (cessation of pulmonary ventilation during sleep), narcolepsy (bouts of irresistible drowsiness), restless legs syndrome, which is characterized by unpleasant sensations in the lower limbs that appear at rest and force the patient to make movements that facilitate them , which often leads to a violation.

Anxiety and depression are the most common causes of chronic insomnia. Most people with anxiety disorders or depression have trouble sleeping. Moreover, lack of sleep can exacerbate these symptoms. If your insomnia is caused by a constant feeling of anxiety or depression, then the treatment will have a psychological focus.

The first step towards curing insomnia is its treatment, taking into account the physical and psychological problems of the patient. In addition, one should take into account the patient’s daily habits, which in most cases only exacerbate the problem (for example, drinking alcohol or sleeping pills, increased coffee consumption). Often, changing habits that increase insomnia are enough to solve the problem of insomnia in general.

Habits that exacerbate insomnia.

high caffeine intake
alcohol and cigarettes before bedtime;
sleep during the day;
irregular sleep patterns.

Some of our habits have entered our lives so tightly that we do not even consider them as possible factors contributing to the development of insomnia (nightly watching TV or the Internet). In order to determine the effect of your sleep habits, you need to keep a diary in which to record your behavior and daily habits that contribute to your insomnia. For example, it can be data about when you go to bed, when you wake up, what you eat and drink, as well as any stressful events that occur during the day.

What will help to fall asleep?

The bedroom should be quiet, dark and cool. Noise, light and heat interfere with sleep.
You should adhere to a regular sleep schedule. It is necessary to go to bed every day and get up at the same time in the morning, even on weekends and despite fatigue. This will help restore the regular rhythm of sleep.
Do not sleep during the day. Snoozing during the day can make it difficult to fall asleep in the evening. If you feel that you need a dream, you can limit it to thirty minutes and no later than three in the afternoon.
Avoid stimulating activity and stressful situations at bedtime. This includes energetic exercises, emotional discussions, TV, computer, video games.
Limit or stop using nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine. If life without coffee is not conceivable for you, then the last cup should be drunk no later than eight hours before bedtime. Alcohol can contribute to falling asleep, only the quality of sleep is deteriorating. Smoking at night is also not worth it, since nicotine has a stimulating effect on the body.

Preparing the brain for sleep.
In order to regulate the circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle), our brain produces the hormone melatonin. For example, with insufficient lighting during the day, our brain, under the influence of melatonin, gives a signal that we want to sleep, and vice versa, a large amount of artificial lighting at night suppresses the production of melatonin, as a result of which we have difficulty falling asleep.

To help naturally regulate the sleep-wake cycle and prepare the brain for sleep, it is necessary:

Provide adequate lighting throughout the day.
Do not abuse artificial light at night. To increase the production of melatonin, you can use lamps with low power, and also not turn on the TV and computer at least an hour before bedtime. If you cannot provide darkness in the bedroom, you can use a special eye mask.

Insomnia: medicines and treatments.
The more sleep problems you have, the more you think about them. You knowingly do not go to bed at a certain time, because you know that you can’t fall asleep right away and you will toss and turn. Your thoughts are preoccupied with how you will look at an important meeting tomorrow without having enough sleep. Expectations of insomnia, studies have shown, only exacerbate it. Thoughts about insomnia do not let you relax at night. Here are some behavioral strategies that will prepare the body for sleep, and your brain will associate the bed with a place to sleep.

Use the bedroom only for sleeping and sex. You cannot, while in bed, read, watch TV, work on a computer. Your brain should associate the bed with a place to sleep, giving the body a signal that it is time to sleep when you go to bed.
If you cannot fall asleep, you should not be in bed at this moment. Do not try to force yourself to sleep. Grunt in bed only contributes to the development of anxiety. In this case, you need to leave the bedroom and do something relaxing, for example, take a warm relaxing bath, drink a warm cup of decaffeinated tea, you can even read or listen to quiet quiet music. After you begin to overcome a dream, you should return to the bedroom.
Do not put the clock in the bedroom in sight. If it is impossible to fall asleep, we look at the clock with alarm, knowing that the alarm will ring soon. Anxiety increases over time, from which insomnia intensifies. You can use the alarm, only it should be out of your sight.

To combat insomnia, you should direct your negative thoughts about insomnia into a positive key.

The thought “I must sleep every night to be in good shape” is replaced by “Many people are effectively struggling with insomnia, I can too.”
The thought “Every night I suffer from insomnia” is replaced by “not every night I get insomnia, some nights I sleep better.”
The thought "If I do not get enough sleep, then tomorrow an important event at work will be in jeopardy," we replace it with "despite my tiredness at work, everything will be fine. Even if I cannot fall asleep, in the evening I will be able to relax and rest. ”
We replace the thought “I can never sleep fully” with “Insomnia is treated. If I stop worrying so much and focus on the positive, I can defeat her. ”
The thought “It will take at least an hour before I can fall asleep” is replaced by “I don’t know what will happen tonight. Maybe I can fall asleep. "

Of course, the ability to replace negative thoughts that do not let you fall asleep with positive ones is not easy and it will take time and practice. You can make your own list yourself, taking into account the negative thoughts that arise in you, and their positive counterparts.

If you feel that you are not able to relieve stress at the end of the day, you can use various relaxation techniques to help relieve tension throughout the body. Relaxation methods will help you fall asleep faster and fall asleep when you wake up at night. The benefits are obvious. There is no need to use medications.

Various relaxation techniques will help you achieve relaxation:

deep breathing;
progressive muscle relaxation;
meditation;
visualization;
yoga;
tai chi;

Regular practice is required to use these methods to relieve stress.

Relaxation techniques that make falling asleep easier:

Relaxation before bedtime. To have a good rest at night, you need to do something calm and relaxing in the evening. For example, read, listen to quiet music, do knitting. Make the lights dim.
Abdominal breathing. Most of us do not breathe as deep as it should be. When we breathe deeply and fully, involving not only the chest, but also the abdomen, lower back, chest, this helps our parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the relaxation process. Close your eyes and try to take a deep and slow breath, each subsequent one should be deeper than the previous one. Inhalation should be through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Try each exhale longer than inhale.
Progressive muscle relaxation. Take a comfortable lying position. Starting at the foot, tighten your muscles as hard as you can. Count to ten, and then relax. Continue doing this exercise with each muscle group, from the legs to the crown of the head.

Dietary supplements for insomnia.
As a rule, those who sleep poorly at night begin to independently use various medications that help with insomnia. Before drinking them, you should know that there are many dietary and herbal supplements that have sleeping pills. Despite the fact that their natural origin may be indicated on the package, they can have a lot of side effects and have a negative effect in combination with other medicines or vitamins that you take. For more information, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

To date, two drugs have proven their effectiveness against insomnia - this is melatonin and valerian. Melatonin is a natural hormone that the body produces at night. Melatonin is also available as a food supplement. Although melatonin does not help everyone, it can be an effective treatment for insomnia if, for example, you are an “owl” with a natural tendency to go to bed and get up much later than others. Valerian has a mild soothing effect that will make the process of falling asleep easier.

Sleeping pills for insomnia.
Although sleeping pills help to fall asleep, it’s important to understand that they are not a cure for insomnia. The constant use of sleeping pills and its large doses lead to an aggravation of the problem of insomnia in the future. It is best to use sleeping pills in exceptional cases and a short period of time when no other method helps (change of sleep mode, daily routine, attitude to sleep). Experience has shown that changing lifestyle and behavior improves sleep and facilitates the process of falling asleep.

If none of the above methods helps you, you should contact a specialist.

When to seek professional help with insomnia:

If insomnia does not respond to self-help strategies.
If your insomnia is causing serious problems at home, at work, or at school.
If you experience severe symptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
If insomnia has become a daily problem for you and the trend only worsens.

Have you encountered such a situation? You have to sleep, and you have a condition - I can’t fall asleep at night. Yes, I agree, hard and unpleasant. And most importantly, we know that it will be difficult to get up in the morning. The head is heavy, it barely comes off the pillow, a feeling of brokenness, lack of attention and the ability to concentrate, legs are "wooden", the mood is "fig." What to do?

The long-known truth says: "Life span also depends on how well you sleep."

Unfortunately, the state when you cry can't sleep at nightis quite common. What to do?

If insomnia began to torment you, then first you need to make an effort and help yourself regain normal sleep. With this you can well cope on your own.

Conditions for sleeping.

Record the time when you go to sleep.

Is it permanent or depends on situations? It can be gatherings with a good person, interesting TV shows, a book read at night, sitting at the computer and much more according to your mood.

But there is a clear pattern - it is better to fall asleep and get up at about the same time. When we abide by this rule, the body develops a skill and it already seeks to fulfill it. In this case, he is easily immersed in sleep.

Organization of a place to sleep

What is your pillow and mattress, is it comfortable for you to sleep on them?

You see, the cry of the soul can't sleep at night, often associated with the convenience of a bed. Anatomical or orthopedic mattresses have proven themselves very well. They provide comfortable conditions for relaxing the spine, which relaxes the muscles and makes it possible to quickly fall asleep.

The pillow also matters. Ideally in width, it should be equal to the width of your shoulders, but the shape is no longer important, it’s to your taste. The stiffness of the pillow depends on how you prefer to fall asleep. If on the side, then stiff, if on the back, then less rigid.

The quality of bedding also matters. It is better if there are no seams passing at the place of your lying. That is, bedding should be from a single piece of linen and from natural fabrics. It is better not to use synthetics. And if, no matter what allergen, then forbid yourself to use synthetic fabrics in general.

Doctors believe that even the pose in which you sleep is important for falling asleep and sleeping. But here advice is unlikely to work, because you can not argue with nature. But I quote:

"They say that kings sleep on their right side, the sages on their left, the saints on their back, and the devil on their stomach."

So choose how you feel better. Personally, I'm as hell.

It is desirable to have good fresh air indoors. It helps to fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly. What means to apply for this is up to you. You can ventilate or flavor the room. Only one condition, aromatization must be of natural quality. These are natural essential oils or just twigs of living plants that can be hung in the bedroom or put under a pillow.

There should not be bright light in the room. So the creator ordered, but the hormone melatonin, which regulates the process of falling asleep, will not work in the presence of light. You must take note of this and resolve the issue by any means.

Creating a calm mindless mood.

Your condition when you say can't sleep at night, often provoked by your own actions right before bedtime.

Avoid conflicts and stress.
Do not get involved in unpleasant discussions and conversations before going to bed. Scary movies or ours, especially now, news on TV is better not to watch. They excite the brain. He is like a boiler, digesting all this mess, trying to shove it on the shelves. Everything would be fine, but his actions do not let us fall asleep.

To the cry of the soul - can't sleep at night what to do, expert advice is as follows

We finish watching TV two hours before going to bed. It’s something calm, relaxing: music, reading, talking.

It is great to take a bath with natural essential oils or a relaxing massage.

Exercise

I remember how my daughter, in infancy, could not fall asleep until I carried her outside. This is the method. Get dressed and take a walk. In order to sleep well, even half an hour's walk is enough.

Food and drink. How they affect the state - I can’t fall asleep at night.

Backfill question - Can I eat before bed?

The answer is yes, but not everything you want, but only special.

This includes turkey meat. It is dietary and has the ability to calm and tone you to sleep. It will be very nice to eat before going to bed a sandwich of cereal bread with a slice of turkey meat. Moreover, the grain bread itself helps to reduce excitement.

Sour-milk products work well for falling asleep.

Bananas, due to their potassium and magnesium content, relax the nervous system.

I can not help but remember the herbs.

Herbal teas with a variety of excellent help to fall asleep. These include motherwort, lemon balm, chamomile, lavender, mint, hawthorn, oregano, Ivan tea, jasmine, valerian, hops.

It is also wonderful to eat a teaspoon of honey before bedtime.

Vitamins and minerals. Do you use special complexes? The absence in the body of B and D vitamins, trace elements - magnesium and calcium leads to disruption of the process of falling asleep.

What about coffee and alcohol

The position of doctors and researchers is clear - these are two sleep disturbers.

Coffee helps to open your eyes in the morning, but it is important not to overdo it with its amount during the day. It is desirable for everyone, and only for those who are experiencing a state- can't sleep at night, Be sure to give up coffee, at least 5 hours before bedtime.

Alcohol. Sometimes people think that it helps to fall asleep. Maybe the truth. (For example, I immediately fall asleep from a glass, even champagne). But the reality is that alcohol reduces the quality of sleep and the body does not get proper rest. If this happens rarely, then of course we will survive. But taking alcohol as permanent helpers to fall asleep is not worth it.

Here are some useful tips from a connoisseur. Use them and sleep comfortably, soundly and healthy. Well, if they don’t help you. Since these are not complicated installations, then of course you need to go to the doctors for medicines.

In my reserve there is another way to do without doctors and medicines. In the next article about insomnia, I will definitely talk about it !!

I wish you good sleep and good health!

Probably, every person at least once encountered insomnia - vain attempts to fall asleep can last for hours, an endless stream of thoughts covers a tired consciousness, at such moments you just want to turn off your brain, but you can’t do this. “I can’t sleep at night,” people often turn to the Internet with such a problem in search of a solution that will help them fall asleep. If you are reading this article for this reason, stay with us.

Instead of fighting the symptoms of insomnia, tightly clenching your eyes, counting the sheep and struggling to fall asleep, you should first deal with its causes. After all, having eradicated the cause of difficulties with falling asleep, the ability to fully relax will come by itself. So, what can cause insomnia:

Stress. This is the most frequent accompanying insomnia - constant emotional stress prevents you from relaxing even at night, negative thoughts, fears and worries do not let you fall asleep. As a result, instead of proper rest, a person receives an additional dose of experience.
Excessive physical activity. Despite the fact that physical activity in general has a positive effect on our body and night rest, if you overdo it a little, you can get a backlash.
Improper nutrition. Late meals and too heavy meals - fatty, floury, smoked and fried - negatively affect the ability to have a fruitful rest. Instead of gaining strength at night, the body is engaged in the digestion of food.
Lack of oxygen. Often, many people forget to ventilate the bedroom before going to bed, but meanwhile, this is one of the most important conditions for a healthy sleep.
The Internet. Scientists have proven that the ubiquity of the Internet has reduced the duration of human sleep by an average of an hour. This is due to attachment to social networks, games and other things, forcing us to constantly spend time checking a phone or laptop, especially in the evening.
The condition of the body. Often people cannot fall asleep due to pain, for example, in the joints or in the teeth. In this case, of course, you need to look for ways to solve the main problem of pain. After that, insomnia will pass by itself.
New decor. For many, a dream is a rather intimate thing, and a sharp change of scenery, such as a business trip or spending the night with friends, can complicate the process of falling asleep. This is a psychological problem, and it must be eliminated with special relaxation techniques.
Bad habits. Alcohol and nicotine interfere with comfortable falling asleep, as they cause tachycardia and overexcite the body. A cup of coffee before bedtime is also not the best solution, the effect of caffeine on the body has long been known to everyone.

What to do to fall asleep faster

As mentioned earlier, the best way to avoid insomnia is to eliminate the cause of its occurrence. If you are under stress, try to get out of it - solve pressing problems as they arise, go for a massage, take a warm bath with sea salt and relaxing oils. Avoid conflict situations, take care of your nerves.

If you are a sports enthusiast, control your workload, especially before bedtime. Do not train at night, the training should end at least 3 hours before bedtime. Do not forget to ventilate the bedroom in the evening, it is better to even leave the windows open if the weather allows it. Eliminate night overeating, and it is better to refuse a heavy dinner altogether. The best option is a meal 3-4 hours before bedtime, the food should be light, with a predominance of protein - fish and vegetables, for example.

Give up the habit of checking social networks before going to bed. Put the phone away, turn off the computer and do not watch TV for a long time. Better read some book. If you are away from home, take care of comfort - make sure you have all the necessary bedding, if you are in a hotel - hang a Do Not Disturb icon on the room door. Turn on relaxing music, it helps to plunge into the atmosphere of relaxation.

If you smoke, try to smoke the last cigarette a few hours before bedtime. And do not drink coffee or strong tea before bedtime - the caffeine in these drinks will interfere with comfortable falling asleep. Instead, it's better to take a walk before a night's rest - a fifteen-minute walk will perfectly prepare you for bed, and if you do it in a pleasant company, you will also improve your mood.

Painful insomnia, forcing a person to toss and turn all night long from side to side and wake up in the morning, broken and not at all rested, is a problem familiar to very, very many. It’s even more offensive when you need to fall asleep during the day, but it doesn’t work, or when a tired person after a work shift feels that he needs a healing rest, but the dream does not go to him. However, you can help a person suffering from sleep disturbance - you just need to understand the causes of its occurrence, understand how to restore a healthy sleep and gain determination to defeat insomnia.

Causes of Insomnia

To begin with, it would be nice to understand - is a person ready to do something to get rid of insomnia? This is not a simple matter, and the entire success of the enterprise depends on how strong the motivation is.

Think about it - scientists have found that insomnia shortens a person’s life 1.6 times! This means that if you planned to live 100 years, lack of sleep will reduce this figure to 62. It is also known that melatonin, produced in a dream, protects the body from cancer. It is also important that lack of sleep provokes obesity and many diseases, and also accelerates the aging of the body.

It is also known that after just one sleepless night, the body recovers for two weeks. Is this enough motivation? You decide. Perhaps the fight against insomnia will be the turning point that will help you find a new quality of life.

As you know, to find a solution to a problem, you need to find its cause and only then sort through the options for getting rid of it. The factors of sleep disturbance can be very different, but all of them can be attributed to several of the most common reasons.

External factors

For a full and comfortable sleep, a person needs a suitable environment: a warm, quiet and dark room, a comfortable bed and fresh air. Check if you are making one or more of the following errors:

Sleep in the light. You need to sleep in the dark. In light, the body stops the production of melatonin, which is responsible for sleep and awakening, and also protects the body from the formation of cancer cells. Therefore, it is very important to turn off all light sources and pull the curtains so that nothing interferes with healthy sleep.
Sleep while working on a TV, computer or stereo system. Providing yourself silence, you will not only fall asleep faster, but also avoid a headache in the morning. In addition, noise disturbing sleep can make a person nervous and irritable. The same applies to watches - if they prevent you from sleeping with a tick or a fight, rearrange them in another room. It is advisable to turn off the mobile phone, not only so that no one wakes you up with a call, but also in order to reduce the electromagnetic effect on the body and give it rest.
Tension in the neck. If you are tormented by excessively tense neck muscles, try to give up pillows and sleep on a flat surface - this is very useful for relaxing the muscles of the body.
A stuffy and hot room. Do not forget that ventilation is not only very good for health, but also extremely important for falling asleep. Also, in order to improve sleep, you can take evening walks in the fresh air.
The chill in the room. Make sure the bedroom is warm and comfortable. The ideal temperature is 18-20 ° C. If necessary, get a convenient and safe heater.
Inconvenient pillow. Use a moderately stiff pillow, the height of which should be 10-16 cm - the smaller the better.

Improving bedroom hygiene

If you suspect that not too comfortable conditions for him are to blame for sleep disturbance, or if you just want to make an oasis of peace and relaxation from the bedroom, think about how you can improve your bedroom:

An orthopedic mattress and comfortable bedding made of natural material are a great help for a good sleep.
Aromatherapy very well helps many people in the fight against insomnia. Essential oils of lavender, chamomile, frankincense, juniper, cedar or bergamot will save you from restless sleep and relieve nervous tension.
It is recommended to sleep on linen sheets in summer and on dark woolen sheets in winter.
If you are a believer, it’s useful to put an icon in the bedroom and pray before bedtime.
Fans of indoor plants will be pleased to know that the smell of geranium is soothing. If you like the smell of this plant, put a pot of blooming geraniums next to the bed.
Make a "dream trap" - this is a monotonous lesson for several evenings, which will set you up in a creative way. Hang a "trap" over the bed and it will become another cute piece of home comfort. If you get involved in the manufacture of such crafts, you can not only provide them with all relatives and friends, but also make a habit of leisurely evening needlework before bedtime.

The power of emotions and stress

Very often, stress or emotional stress becomes the cause of insomnia. This especially affects business people who are forced to solve many problems every day. Here are some tips to help ease the power of stress:

Follow a clear work schedule and solve business issues only at work. As soon as free time comes, forget about work and devote it to rest and pleasant business.
Dressing in home clothes, imagine that with a work suit you take off all the worries and worries of a working day.
Never discuss work problems with your loved ones if you know for sure that they will not be able to help you with anything. So you will avoid unnecessary stress for yourself and your family.
If obsessive thoughts about anxieties and worries overpower you, give yourself a little time to think about them, weigh everything and draw conclusions. Such a "meeting" should occur 2-3 hours before bedtime. And now, at any attempt of your thoughts to wallow in anxieties and problems again, switch to something that pleases you and pacifies. After some time, you will notice that you have not learned how to focus on anxieties and worries and have become accustomed to rest your head.
Get rid of an overabundance of information, which is another cause of stress: watch on TV only what you really need, read only the most important thing - it’s impossible to “embrace the immense” anyway.
Do not watch scary and too exciting films before going to bed, so as not to make your psyche overexcited before going to bed.
It’s better not to play computer games and not surf the net before going to bed - this will “mess up” your brain, and you will not be able to fall asleep for a long time.
To learn how to relate more easily to problems and create your own “inner core” that will help you always feel confident and calm, try to master the technique of meditation, learn auto-training or turn to religion. Life attitudes, affirming a positive and relaxed attitude towards life, as well as understanding how everything is transient in the world, will help you find peace of mind, improve your health and get rid of insomnia.

And it’s better to get rid of these habits:

Workaholism. Work is late or overtime, the habit of overworking yourself and the inability to plan your day correctly - all this leads to overwork and interferes with the mood for relaxation.
Fitness in the evening. If you exercise before bedtime, you get a boost of energy when you need to relax and rest. Training should take place no later than two hours before bedtime.
The habit of falling asleep on weekends. This is very, very harmful! For too long lying in bed, you not only knock down your biorhythms, but also with a high probability get a "weekend migraine." What can you do if you want to learn how to get enough sleep, you will have to observe a strict sleep regimen even on weekends, and also remember to spend this weekend as actively as possible. The reward will not be long in coming - your dream will normalize, and life will sparkle with new colors!

Bad habits that develop insomnia

Of course, for many, alcohol, cigarettes and excessive drinking of coffee have become a familiar and integral part of life. However, not every psyche can withstand such a “pressure”, and sooner or later almost every person suffering from bad habits will experience insomnia. Let's see what are bad habits dangerous:

Three cups of coffee or a few glasses of cola per day can cause sleep problems. Depending on the susceptibility of the person, the dangerous rate of use of these drinks can be reduced to just one cup. Those suffering from insomnia have to choose - coffee or a healthy sleep.
Alcohol and smoking can completely destroy the ability to sleep healthy. Nicotine causes an increase in pressure, speeds up the heartbeat and activates the brain. There is no time for sleep!
Alcohol at bedtime is a guarantee that sleep will be intermittent and superficial, and the state in the morning will be painful and nervous.
Late dinners with plenty of fatty and heavy foods can also cause insomnia. Try the last time to eat a few hours before bedtime and dine as lightly as possible, for example, vegetables or dairy products.

Scary and disturbing dreams

From time to time, any of us may have a bad dream. Nightmares exhaust, make you wake up in a cold sweat and prevent you from falling asleep again. However, there is some benefit in them - scientists believe that with the help of nightmares, the brain adapts, playing frightening and unpleasant events in a dream.

Do not be afraid of bad dreams - this may be another reason for insomnia.
Try to treat bad dreams as a natural process of releasing inner tension and negative thoughts. If such dreams recur frequently and overshadow your life, consult a somnologist or psychotherapist.

Effective ways to deal with insomnia

A warm bath with the scent of lavender, valerian or rose will help calm down and relax - just add a few drops of the essential oil of one of these plants to the water.
Massage can also help soothe. For you, someone close to you or you yourself can become a masseur.
A soothing drink - warm milk with honey or a lemon balm decoction - is another great way to get rid of stress.
Milk cocktail with banana helps to fall asleep better. Grind a ripe banana and a glass of warm milk in a blender, adding a little honey if desired.
An hour before bedtime, you can enjoy a delicious sleeping pill - a tablespoon of chopped almonds, mixed with two teaspoons of honey. The mixture can be washed down with warm water or herbal tea. Tryptophan in almonds and fructose in honey will help calm the nervous system and tune in to rest.
If in the morning you are tormented by an acute hunger, be sure to eat a small amount of high-calorie food at night, for example, a glass of milk and a slice of bread or some fruit or vegetables.
A sachet with dry lavender (a tissue bag in which the grass is placed) next to the pillow will envelop you with a bewitching aroma and provide a good and restful sleep.
It has long been known that fresh air improves falling asleep, so it is very useful to take a short walk before bedtime or even sleep with an open window. Of course, you should consider the time of year and the weather.
For many people, a great way to relax before going to bed is to listen to soothing music or read a book with a leisurely story. Spend the evening at home in a measured and comfortable way - you will not only forget about the problems, but also fall asleep with a sound and healthy sleep.
If you decide to give up bad habits, make sure that this change is pleasant. Replace harmful addictions with harmless interesting things, for example, hobbies or needlework, which you have long dreamed of doing. It does not hurt to visit a therapist to prescribe multivitamins and mineral supplements that relieve stress and soothe the psyche.
Do not focus all your thoughts on the desire to quickly fall asleep and do not be upset if the dream does not come to you. Often, such experiences exhaust a person more than insomnia itself.
If possible, give up daytime sleep, which contributes to the occurrence of insomnia.
Sheep counting is not the best method. The count makes the person concentrate. Better use your imagination in order to feel in some pleasant place. For example, imagine yourself on the lake, imagine a light pleasant breeze and a whisper of waves - it will pacify you and help you fall asleep.
Try the paradoxical method - decide not to fall asleep in any case, do not allow yourself to sleep. You will see, yawning and a desire to take a nap will immediately overcome you.
Come up with your own ritual of falling asleep. For example, every evening dream of a trip to the sea, see photos with views of your future vacation, listen to pleasant relaxing music. And you can also write down every joyful event of the day every evening, praise yourself and smile with satisfaction while watching the sunset of such a wonderful day.
If you work in shifts and you have to sleep during the day, make sure that the room is dark and quiet enough, ask your family not to bother you and make yourself comfortable. Using the above methods will help speed up the result.

Sleeping pills against insomnia

When all methods have been tried and there is no more strength to endure insomnia, the hand itself reaches for a life-saving aid - sleeping pills. But are the drugs against insomnia so harmless?

Most of them are addictive and "breaking" after the termination of their reception, and refusal of sleeping pills can cause nightmares, neurosis or aggravation of insomnia.
In some cases, memory loss, suffocation, dizziness is possible.
It is also proved that all sleeping pills negatively affect the work of internal organs, provoking their diseases.
It should be remembered that you can use sleeping pills only if their doctor has prescribed you. Appointing them yourself is self-medication, which is always dangerous.

Doctor's insomnia treatment

Modern doctors are trying to avoid the medical treatment of sleep disorders. They resort to sleeping pills only as a last resort, because these drugs give only temporary relief. They do not restore normal healthy sleep, but inhibit consciousness and inhibit reactions.

Surprisingly, sleeping pills, which can be bought without a doctor’s prescription, are most often a “dummy”, i.e. create a placebo effect. You can fall asleep with the help of such means only thanks to your belief that sleeping pills will help you fall asleep.

As a rule, the doctor tries to determine the cause of insomnia and prescribes appropriate measures. In some cases, the patient is referred to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Insomnia Prevention

As you know, the most reliable method of dealing with insomnia is to warn it. Doctors recommend the following preventative measures:

Strict adherence to the regime of the day, as comfortable as possible for you. Make it individually for yourself and ask loved ones to respect your daily routine and not to disturb during your vacation.
Alternating physical activity and relaxation. Do not overwork!
Physical activity and small walks to the best of your ability and with pleasure. This point is enough for many people to get rid of sleep problems.
A complete and varied diet in which proteins, fats and carbohydrates are balanced. Remember that protein food tones the body, while plant food calms and helps to fall asleep better.
Avoid sleepless nights that knock down your sleep patterns.

Insomnia is an extremely unpleasant and exhausting condition that can deprive a person of vivacity, energy and a taste for life. However, sleep disturbance can and should be fought. After analyzing your life and identifying the factors that cause sleep disturbance, you can not only get rid of insomnia, but also take your life to a new qualitative level, create the right regime of the day and make life sparkle with new colors.