According to doctors, recently people have begun to use sleeping pills more often. But you should not use this invention thoughtlessly if there are no medical indications or serious reasons for this. They are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. The pills can cause serious damage to the body. In addition, in most cases they are addictive. American psychiatrist Kripke says that one sleeping pill is comparable in its effect on the body to a pack of cigarettes. But you can improve your sleep without resorting to drastic measures. If sleep problems are systematic, you will have to visit a doctor or change your lifestyle; few people are ready for this. You can also use the following tips to normalize your sleep.
Get ready for bed properly
Most sleep problems arise because people do not consider it necessary to somehow prepare for it. At least half an hour before going to bed, you need to turn off the TV and put away your phone and tablet. Before going to bed, you should get rid of thoughts, and not add new “food for thought” to yourself. Be sure to ventilate the room; stuffiness is a common cause of poor sleep. You can read a good book, but not a detective story with an exciting plot, otherwise you won’t fall asleep until you finish reading it. It’s best to turn on some nice, relaxing music. It will help you forget about troubles, you can quickly fall asleep.
When the reason lies in the past
It often happens that the cause of insomnia is an event that happened months or even years before the onset of symptoms. Most often with acute anxiety disorder caused by the death of a loved one. In the first time after loss, insomnia does not occur due to stress and regular adrenaline surges. But when, six months or later, a person relaxes a little, then chronic sleep disorders appear.
Dr. Kolchina says: “A woman over 80 years old encountered the problem of insomnia 3 years after the death of her husband. She tried to regain sleep with the help of alcohol and tranquilizers, although she had never drank before. It was still not possible to get enough sleep, and the patient had problems during the daytime, including impaired motor functions and even falls. In this case, combined drug and psychotherapeutic treatment helped.”
Obese people often complain about the quality of their sleep. They fall asleep easily, but experience breathing problems during sleep due to pulmonary hypoventilation syndrome. Fat tissue puts pressure on the chest, the lungs breathe only due to the diaphragm. As a result, the body receives insufficient oxygen, which aggravates obesity by inhibiting metabolic processes. That's why overweight people often wake up in the middle of the night and don't get enough sleep.
White noise
White noise is a great alternative to music. Use any sound effects. Again, a number of conditions must be met. The noise should not be loud and uniform. You just need to focus on it, try not to think about anything else. If you have small children, you probably know about this technique. Maybe you have even tried it without success. Try it for yourself, a child often cannot fall asleep not because of the thoughts that visit him, unlike an adult. If you manage to relax, you won’t even notice how you fall asleep. It is not necessary to listen to white noise; it could be the sounds of flowing water or the noise of fans.
Color sequence method
This method is similar to meditation with elements of self-hypnosis. If you can't sleep because you're worried about tomorrow, try this method. Close your eyes and promise yourself that you will fall asleep as soon as you see all the colors of the rainbow. First imagine the color red. It can be any object, concentrate your attention only on it. Next, move on to orange and yellow. When it's blue's turn, tell yourself that when you see the last color, you'll fall asleep. Present it exactly the same way as the previous ones. As soon as you create an imaginary purple picture, the dream will come to you.
How is insomnia treated?
Treatment for insomnia is carried out if a person, even having enough time and suitable conditions for comfortable sleep, still cannot sleep normally. Treatment methods are chosen by the doctor depending on the reason for which insomnia developed.
First, therapy is aimed at relieving nervous tension, relaxing the body, normalizing work and rest, and daily routine. The person is prescribed sports, walks in the fresh air, massages, and physiotherapeutic procedures with a relaxation effect. Often, a change of job, a change in familiar surroundings, and the purchase of quality bedding help in the fight against insomnia.
If you cannot restore sleep using these methods, then the doctor prescribes medications - sleeping pills or tranquilizers. At the same time, the patient can attend physiotherapeutic procedures, xenon therapy, and engage in light physical exercise.
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COST OF TREATMENT
If the cause of insomnia is a psychological factor, then it is necessary to work through the problem with a psychotherapist or psychologist. Cognitive and imagery therapy is considered the most effective in treating insomnia. These methods make it possible to convey to the patient the need and importance of healthy, full sleep and its impact on human health. The psychotherapist eliminates the cause of anxiety and nervous tension, works with the patient on internal conflicts, which are the cause of increased tension.
GRU method
If anyone doesn’t know, the GRU is the main intelligence agency. But let's not go into details. This technique is used by serious men when they need to fall asleep as soon as possible. After all, special forces soldiers don’t have a lot of extra time, and in order to do their job well, they must rest well. This method is quite simple. You need to lie on your back and relax. Then you should roll your pupils up. This is the normal position of the eyes during sleep. This way, you can trick your brain into sending certain signals to your body. Soon you will be able to fall asleep.
Folk remedies
The best way to fall asleep quickly is to work hard. This method is time-tested. When a person gets tired, he literally falls off his feet. But if this method doesn't suit you, there are many others. A very tasty remedy for insomnia is honey water. Place a teaspoon of honey in warm boiled water and drink it 15 minutes before bed. You can replace water with boiled milk. Herbal infusions and decoctions are good for helping you fall asleep. Mint, lavender, valerian, chamomile. These herbs are harmless, but will help you calm down, relax and get ready for sleep. If you don't like herbal infusions, put dried herbs in bags. Place them at the head of the bed. You can also use essential oils.
Breathing and relaxation
These methods are based on exercises that allow you to quickly relax your muscles and establish proper breathing.
Breathing technique 4-7-8
This breathing method was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. Its essence lies in the ability to independently regulate your breathing and relaxation.
Cycle of 4-7-8 breaths:
- You need to place your tongue behind your front teeth.
- Then, allowing your lips to lift slightly, exhale with a slight whistle through your mouth.
- Next time, inhale through your nose (count to 4 to yourself).
- Then hold your breath for a couple of seconds, 7 to be exact.
- After this, exhale through your mouth again, making a whistle (this stage should take 8 seconds).
Complete four complete cycles of these exercises and feel your body fall into sleep. There is no need to worry if you lose track a little while mastering the method; this will not cause any trouble.
Progressive muscle relaxation
This method is based on deep muscle relaxation, leading to quick and comfortable sleep.
How to use it:
- Tighten the muscles in the eyebrow area for 5 seconds, then relax completely, wait 10 seconds.
- Then smile broadly, relax again and pause for 10 seconds.
- Squint your eyes for 5 seconds, relax your eye muscles, pause for 10 seconds.
- Raise your neck slightly so that your eyes are directed at the ceiling, look there for 5 seconds, then lower your head to the starting position. Take a 10 second break.
- Continue down the rest of your body, from your triceps to your chest, from your hips to your legs.
These exercises will help you overcome relaxation and fall asleep.
Reverse blink method
This technique is calming. At first glance it may seem strange, try it, you will not regret it. Take a comfortable position, close your eyes and start blinking. Blink every 10 to 15 seconds. But try not to pay attention to the wallpaper, curtains, ceiling. Concentrate on the process of blinking, open and close your eyes. Despite some of the absurdity of the advice, this method is very effective. Don't dismiss unconventional methods of falling asleep without trying them.
Visualization
Many people say visualization is a great way to do it. You just need to imagine a dynamic picture. You will say that you imagine something every evening. But vivid fantasies of your ex crying and begging you to come back, or your boss giving you a bonus in the amount of your salary, will not do. You can imagine a pendulum that swings from side to side. Or the surface of a river or lake into which a stone was thrown. The main thing is that the paintings do not arouse interest. Your brain will get bored and you will fall asleep.
Take a walk in the fresh air before bed
The benefits of walking are enormous. It has a good effect on the body. This gentle cardio exercise will help you not only bring your figure back to normal, but also improve your emotional state. A leisurely walk before bed will relax you and help you rethink the information you received during the day. According to statistics, people who regularly walk before bed have an easier time about life. They are calmer and more balanced. Of course, some conditions must be met. You should finish all your work, prepare your bed, and only then go outside. You shouldn’t take a player with you, rather listen to the sounds of nature. It’s good if there is a park near your house, if not, choose small streets, do not walk along busy and noisy streets.
Benefits of sleep before and after drinking alcohol
Normal sleep is the main generator of vitality, energy, health and beauty. No one will argue that sleep is vital for the entire human body. After a healthy sleep, a person has additional strength to counteract harmful environmental factors.
This also applies to drinking alcohol. A person who has had a good night's sleep can drink more alcohol than someone who has not slept well and still feel much better and fresher. The power of normal sleep cannot be overestimated.
But even after drinking alcohol, doctors recommend getting a good night's sleep . If a drunk person does not sleep for a long time, his condition worsens, brain function slows down, strength and energy disappear. Moreover, it is recommended to sleep as long , because even 9 hours may not be enough for a person in a drunken state to get 100% sleep.
Relaxing bath
A bath will replace not only sleeping pills, but also sedatives. It will relieve tension and help unload the brain. You will forget about all the problems and troubles that happened to you during the day. If you do a lot of physical work, warm water will help relieve muscle tension. But this method cannot be used more than 3 times a week. If you take a hot bath every day, your skin will dry out and become more sensitive. The water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees. To make taking a bath doubly pleasant and beneficial, use various additives. This could be sea salt, herbal infusions, bubble bath. You can use essential oil. Just make sure first that the product you choose has a calming effect. Some supplements, on the contrary, lift your spirits and tone you up.
What to take for sleep disorders: principles of pharmacotherapy in adults
All medications used for insomnia can be divided into several groups:
- tranquilizers of the benzodiazepine group (Phenazepam, Oxazepam, Lorazepam, Diazepam, etc.);
- synthetic analogues of melatonin;
- GABA receptor agonists;
- antidepressants (Trazodone, Amitriptyline, Mianserin, Mirtazapine, Agomelatine, etc.);
- H1-histamine receptor blockers;
- sedatives based on herbal components (Persen, Novo-Passit, valerian extract, etc.).
Benzodiazepines
For a long time, medications in this group were the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. The mechanism of their action is associated with increased activity of the main “inhibitory” neurotransmitter of the central nervous system, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). They have a pronounced therapeutic effect, but currently their practical use is limited due to the following disadvantages:
- long half-life (up to 12 hours), which causes severe daytime sleepiness;
- muscle relaxant effect, which limits their use in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome;
- development of addiction and tolerance with long-term use: to achieve the desired result, the patient requires an increasingly large dose of the drug, which often becomes the reason for the development of drug dependence.
To avoid adverse reactions, benzodiazepines are prescribed for no more than 4 weeks, and their sale from pharmacies without a prescription is prohibited.
Nonbenzodiazepine GABA receptor agonists
They are often called the Z-group by the first letters of their names: Zopiclone, Zolpidem, Zaleplon. These medications are also available by prescription only and are prescribed for 3-4 weeks. But they are distinguished from benzodiazepines by their relatively short half-life: from 1 to 5 hours. In this case, the duration of falling asleep is reduced by 20–25 minutes, and the duration of sleep increases by an hour on average.
Histamine receptor blockers
This class of fairly effective and safe medications includes Donormil tablets and Valocordin-Doxylamine drops. The advantages of these medications are the rapid development of the therapeutic effect (after 15–30 minutes), while the hypnotic effect persists for 7.5–8 hours, which allows you to avoid extremely unpleasant daytime sleepiness.
Therapy with H1-blockers occurs without the development of tolerance and without addiction. Contraindications to their use include pregnancy and lactation, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and angle-closure glaucoma.
Synthetic analogues of melatonin
Melatonin is a pineal gland hormone that regulates biological circadian rhythms. The sedative and sedative effect of drugs that contain artificially synthesized analogs of this substance is very weak, and the effect lasts up to 30 minutes to 2 hours. Therefore, they are prescribed when insomnia is caused by a violation of circadian rhythms, which often occurs during long-distance flights and time zone changes. But the use of melatonin does not replace the need to observe the rules of sleep hygiene and daily routine.
Antidepressants
Indicated when insomnia is combined with manifestations of depression, and it is often very difficult to establish which of the diseases arose first: either sleep disturbances provoked a depressive disorder, or vice versa. In such cases, antidepressants with a sedative effect are used. They are also prescribed for insomnia that occurs against the background of concomitant somatic pathologies.
Massage
A massage will relieve you of pain and help you relax after a hard day at work. If you know a massage therapist who will agree to give you a massage before bed, you are very lucky. Most likely, there are only a few such people. In this case, self-massage can help out. There are a lot of techniques, choose the one that suits you and get started. Remember that the massage should not last longer than 8 minutes. Still, if you do not live alone, ask family members to help you. You will be able to calm down, relax and fall asleep quickly.
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