To preserve health, one should not only eat and exercise properly, but also sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. Unfortunately, an increasing number of people neglect this component of the right way of life, preferring to “save” the night hours, and those who want to sleep at night can not fall asleep due to stress, nervous overload or other reasons. According to sociologists, all residents of megacities and large industrial centers suffer from various sleep disorders. It is quite difficult to fight alone with insomnia, but it is much safer and more useful to take sleeping pills or other medications.
What is insomnia and why does it arise?
Insomnia is a disorder or sleep disorder that occurs regularly and interferes with a person’s habitual lifestyle and worsening the quality of his life.
From insomnia most often suffer women and older people, this is due to age changes and increased emotionality of the fair sex.
Periodically, sleep problems occur in everyone and are not considered pathological, you can talk about insomnia only if you regularly – at least 2-3 times a week for a month, can not fall asleep, constantly wake up or your sleep is too sensitive and restless.
Absence of proper rest not only negatively affects the nervous system of the patient, but can also be a symptom of the development of somatic diseases, therefore, one should not ignore persistent insomnia. But even before calling a doctor it is necessary to reconsider your lifestyle, diet and pay attention to other, the most common causes of insomnia:
Lifestyle
Incorrect way of life, habit to eat tightly at night and spend night hours at the computer monitor, the use of alcoholic or energy drinks before going to bed can cause sleep disturbances and after a while lead to a breakdown of the biological clock and to insomnia, when sleep “comes” only in the pre-morning clock;
Stress and Nerve Overexertion
In trying to do everything, succeed and make a career, more people stop paying attention to their own health, refusing to rest and calm themselves. Constant stress leads to an overexcitement of the nervous system, which does not allow a person to relax and recover during rest hours;
Food and drinks are a habit of dinning well, there are a lot of fatty, spicy or sweet foods before going to bed, and also drinking a lot of coffee and strong tea at night can not affect the health of a person for many years, but sooner or later, because of the constant tide blood to the stomach and tonic effects of drinks, there are problems with falling asleep or sleeping;
Hypodinamy
Absence of physical exertion, sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work and lack of fresh air cause overfatigue of the nervous system and, as a consequence, problems with sleep;
Chronic diseases
Seldom habitual insomnia signals about problems with health. Sleep disorders occur with neurological disorders, thyroid disorders, gastrointestinal tract, craniocerebral trauma and some other diseases. Most often, with pathologies of internal organs, insomnia is accompanied by pain, changes in behavior or other symptoms of the disease;
Pregnancy
When a child carries a child in the body, the hormonal background changes dramatically, which can cause sleep problems in the first trimester. And in the last months of pregnancy, the increased uterus and wiggling of the child is easy to sleep.
How to deal with insomnia at home
Before starting treatment for insomnia, you need to find out the reason for its appearance. If chronic diseases are excluded, then complex treatment should begin, which should include:
Correct diet
Oddly enough, you can often cope with the problems of sleep by simply changing your diet and diet. Excluding from their diet too heavy meals, seasonings, spicy and sweet, as well as alcoholic beverages, strong coffee and tea, you can avoid stomach overflow and digestive problems that prevent you from sleeping quietly in about one-fourth of all cases of insomnia. If you are used to eating before bedtime, replace baked goods, seeds, sweets, coffee, beer or shrimp with fresh vegetables and fruits, some nuts, green tea, milk or freshly squeezed juices.
Daily regime
Day regimen is one of the most effective means of insomnia. If your body gets used to falling asleep at the same time, sleep problems will be an order of magnitude smaller, but you’ll need to spend 1 to 3 weeks to develop a new habit. For this you need 2-3 hours before sleep to stop any active activities, do not watch TV, forget about smartphones, tablets and any other electronic devices and do something soothing and evoking only pleasant emotions. It is very useful to take a walk before going to bed for 30-60 minutes, take a bath and listen to calm music, for example, classics.
Ways of relaxation
If sleep, anxiety, anxiety and upcoming events prevent sleep, one must look for ways to cope with nervous overexertion. Today, there are many techniques for relaxation, therefore, it will not be difficult to find a suitable one. These can be breathing exercises or yoga, if there is no time and desire to attend sports clubs, you can find training videos on the Internet or read special literature. Helps to relax a warm bath with the addition of aromatic salts, listening to any music, watching your favorite movies, any creative activity or just talking with friends.
Sport activities
Moderate physical load will help get rid of excess weight, strengthen immunity and nervous system. If insomnia has arisen because of inactivity, you can cope with it with the help of regular sports activities – walking, running, weight training or any other active activities. Here the most important thing is the regularity of exercises, even if you do not engage in long periods, you need to exercise every day at least 30-40 minutes.
Reception of vitamins
Restoration of normal sleep and a decrease in the level of anxiety is facilitated by a sufficient level of B vitamins. If, in addition to insomnia, there is a general decline in strength, a decrease in working capacity and frequent colds, one should start taking multivitamins and, necessarily, taking vitamin B9 – folic acid, 5 mg daily, before eating. Vitamins should be taken within 30 days, after a break and repeat the reception.
Fresh air
Lack of fresh air leads to oxygen starvation, deterioration of metabolism, lack of energy and accumulation of degradation products in the body. To avoid this, you need to spend daily in the open air for at least 1 hour, for example, to walk before going to bed and 2-3 times a day to ventilate the room in which you are, even if air conditioners work in it.
Special rituals
This method is especially effective in treating insomnia in children, older people and those who are highly emotional. Performing certain actions before going to sleep will help calm down, relieve tension and set the body to sleep. It is not at all difficult to think up such rituals, the main thing is to repeat them daily, so that the subconscious mind begins to perceive them as a signal to fall asleep. You can start preparing for bed in 30-40 minutes – take a bath or a warm shower, turn off the TV, ventilate the room, brush your teeth, listen to music, check the alarm clock or write a list of cases for tomorrow. Rituals can be any – from a cup of warm milk at night, before embroidering a cross or reading a favorite fairy tale to a child.
Prepared bedroom
To quickly fall asleep and get enough sleep, you need not only to ventilate the room before going to bed, but also to properly prepare the bed. First, the bedroom and bed should only be used for sleep, you can not deal with paperwork, work on a computer or eat in bed. Also, there should not be a lot of extra items in the room – they not only accumulate dust, but they can also affect the subconscious mind, preventing sleep. Secondly, the light in the room must necessarily be muffled, and the air is fresh. Third, the comfort of the bed is important – for a quiet sleep you need a comfortable orthopedic mattress, not too warm or light blanket, a low pillow and natural bedding.
Image credit: Gellinger