A folk remedy for insomnia at home. How to overcome insomnia and restore sound sleep? Remedies and tips to get rid of insomnia Solving problems with your eyes closed

Each of us suffers from sleep disorders from time to time. When a person is not sure about the future, is afraid of being left without work, or simply does not have enough money to live, he usually cannot fall asleep for a long time due to anxious thoughts. Although the cause of insomnia, scientifically called insomnia, can be not only economic crises and other stresses associated with difficult experiences, but also positive emotions overwhelming the soul.

If the day passed calmly, with pleasant chores, a person falls asleep without problems, and he dreams good dreams. And, conversely, everyday life full of troubles is fraught with disturbing dreams in the spirit of horror films.

Often, problems with sleep are observed in hyperactive children: they have difficulty falling asleep, wake up every now and then, startle at night, and have restless, anxious sleep. Such children must be treated by a neuropsychiatrist.

If herbs don't help

Insomnia can be episodic: let’s say you were nervous, didn’t sleep well, and when the stress passed, normal sleep returned to you.

If insomnia progresses to chronic form and continues for more than a month, action must be taken.

You can drink infusions of herbs that have hypnotic effect: valerian roots, lemon balm, motherwort, hop cones. If herbs do not help, you should consult a doctor - a somnologist. Unfortunately, there are few such specialists in Ukraine, so neurologists or psychotherapists deal with the problems of people with sleep disorders.

Insomnia can be caused by depression, schizophrenia, and some forms of epilepsy. When insomnia is associated with psychiatric diseases, then they are treated first.

Men with prostate adenoma sleep poorly and are forced to go to the toilet several times a night. In such cases, prostatitis should be treated.

Only true insomnia, which is not caused by anything else, is treated with sleeping pills that normalize the functioning of brain cells. In the area of ​​the brain responsible for sleep, there are cells that act like a switch, and a person falls asleep, and there are other cells that “turn on” the wakefulness mode in our brain. Their work just needs to be adjusted .

Typically, the course of taking sleeping pills lasts 20 days. During this time, sleep should normalize. But you need to take sleeping pills every evening for these three weeks. But tranquilizers and antidepressants instead of sleeping pills for people without mental disorders Doctors do not recommend taking it.

If you take sleeping pills constantly and for too long, you have to increase the dose. And over time, these pills themselves can cause insomnia and will have a stimulating effect.

Solving problems with your eyes closed

In especially severe cases, a patient with insomnia is prescribed a polysomnographic examination. It includes recording of an encephalogram of the brain. Whether a person is awake or asleep, his brain never rests. Depending on the amplitude of the oscillations - from the graph of recording brain biorhythms - one can even judge what kind of energy a person has this moment sleep phase: is he in deep sleep, shallow sleep, or has the phase already begun? REM sleep.

Deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night - about two to two hours. It is in the phase deep sleep long-term memory is formed.

At this time, the body replenishes the energy expended during the day and restores hormonal balance. If a person goes to bed too late and shortens the deep sleep phase, he exhausts his body.

The REM sleep phase lasts from two o'clock in the morning until the morning, when we dream and, as it were, solve problems that have accumulated during the day. If a person is forced to get up too early and thus shortens the REM sleep phase, he may develop neurosis.

Night body complaints

During the polysomnographic examination, the level of oxygen in the blood during sleep is also determined.

Ideally it should reach 92%. If there is little oxygen in the blood, this increases the risk of nighttime strokes, says doctor highest category- neurologist and somnologist Larisa Vakulenko - Very dangerous in this regard apnea syndrome when a snoring person stops breathing for a few seconds and the level of oxygen in the blood drops sharply, which can even lead to fatalities. Poor sleep can be a sign of any physical illness.

For example, if a person dreams that he is climbing a mountain and is suffering from shortness of breath, he should consult a cardiologist, since such dreams may indicate heart disease . During sleep, an arrhythmia may begin that a person is not aware of.

Menopause and melatonin deficiency are to blame

Women over 60 years of age suffer most from insomnia.

With the onset of menopause, the body experiences hormonal disbalance. When the amount of female sex hormones sharply decreases, the connection between the cerebral cortex, subcortex and genital organs is disrupted, which leads to malfunctions of the limbic nervous system, which regulates sleep quality.

In addition, with age, the body produces less and less of the sleep hormone melatonin. If older people are bothered by insomnia, doctors prescribe melatonin tablets, and patients sleep better.

Ideal bedtime

Before going to bed, it is advisable not to watch TV, not to smoke, not to drink strong drinks, including tea and coffee - such advice is given by somnologists. The bedroom should be well ventilated, the optimal temperature in it is 18 degrees. You should not take a tonic shower before bed and rub yourself with a hard towel - this is a morning procedure. You can take a bath, but not a hot one, but a warm one - relaxing. It is very useful to eat a spoonful of honey before bed, which relaxes and soothes. Everyone can develop their own bedtime ritual, which will protect them from insomnia.

Why can't you sleep sometimes?

The classification of insomnia developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine will help answer this question.

General insomnia- a person has difficulty falling asleep, sleeps poorly and wakes up too early. He was born that way.

Adaptive insomnia usually associated with stress. For example, many people have trouble sleeping in a new place at first. When stress goes away, sleep improves.

Behavioral insomnia appears in children if they do not have a strict bedtime routine. They are very difficult to put to bed. Only a strict sleep and wakefulness regime can save the situation.

Idiopathic insomnia- this is a lifelong diagnosis. Its reasons are unknown. However, there is an assumption that unexplained insomnia is caused by an imbalance in the body: too active system awakenings or an insufficiently active sleep system.

Insomnia associated with taking medications, alcohol, caffeine, or a specific product. You may have to give up all of this.

Insomnia caused by mental disorder . At the same time, both insomnia itself and the disease of the nervous system that caused it are treated.

Organic insomnia caused by some kind of disease, special physical condition or under the influence certain substances. To define it exact reason, serious medical examinations are carried out.

Paradoxical insomnia happens without objective indicators of poor sleep quality. It seems to a person that he cannot fall asleep for too long, or even did not sleep all night, although in fact this is not entirely true. This feeling of being awake during sleep causes hyperarousal. This is a serious disorder and a severe type of insomnia that needs to be treated.

Psychophysiological insomnia happens to those who are too afraid that they will not be able to sleep. Such people go to bed in nervous tension, thinking that due to insomnia they will again not be able to get enough sleep, and they will go to work not rested. How more people focuses on these thoughts, the more difficult it is for him to fall asleep.

On average, a person spends more than one third of his life sleeping, but the presence of sleep as such does not mean its quality. Lack of sleep, insomnia, stress, disrupted sleep and rest patterns - all these and many others negative factors prevent our body from functioning fully, placing additional stress on it even at night. Over time, these problems can lead to a number of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, obesity and of course to chronic fatigue. If you have problems sleeping or, on the contrary, think that you don’t have them, check out simple tips on how to improve your sleep and sleep like a baby.

Lights out

Not only children, but also adults should maintain a sleep-wake schedule. Determine for yourself optimal time“lights out” and strictly adhere to it, even on weekends.

Climb

Set not only the “lights out” time, but also the rise time. Otherwise the balance will be disrupted. Laid in bed an hour longer? Fall asleep in right time it will be very difficult.

Diary

One of the main reasons bad sleep– this is stress. We go to bed with a lot bad thoughts in my head. Because of this, we cannot fall asleep for a long time and sleep very restlessly. To improve the situation, keep a diary and at the end of the day “tell” him about everything that worries or upsets you. Psychologists have proven that keeping a diary helps you focus on the positive rather than negative aspects life.

Magnesium

Another factor that affects our sleep is magnesium. Its deficiency leads to sleep disturbances. This is why it is recommended to eat foods rich in magnesium. For example, spinach or pumpkin seeds.

First aid kit

Sometimes medications can cause poor sleep. If you are taking any pills and notice that you are sleeping worse, carefully study the instructions. Is there any among side effects insomnia?

Coffee

Caffeine reduces adenosine levels, which makes it difficult for a person to calm down and fall asleep quickly. A cup of coffee with dinner can lead to insomnia or poor sleep quality. Therefore, try to drink coffee only in the morning.

Technologies

To understand what exactly is preventing you from sleeping well, contact modern technologies. Exist mobile applications and special devices (Zeo Personal Sleep Coach, Wakemate and others) that help track the duration and quality of sleep. For example, there is a Sleep Cycle application for iOS, and SleepBot for Android.

Sleep norm

The optimal duration of sleep varies from person to person. But on average, it is believed that 7-8 hours are enough for normal life. Disturbance in sleep norms leads to increased levels of cortisol (the death hormone) and various serious illnesses. Therefore, try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a day.

Bonus

Having a tough week? Did you go to bed after midnight? Give yourself the bonus of an extra hour of sleep to rejuvenate and get back into your daily routine.

Siesta

A short afternoon nap is very good for your health. But only short - no more than 30 minutes. If you doze longer, your body will fall into deep stages of sleep - it will be difficult to wake up and return to business.

Yula

Can't sleep? Don't turn from side to side like a spinning top. Instead, get out of bed and do some quiet activity. For example, read or listen to lounge music.

Pets

Many people like to sleep with their favorite cat or dog. But, from the point of view healthy sleep, This bad idea. You can fall asleep cuddling with Barsik, but then it’s better to send him back to his place.

Alarm

Many people keep an alarm clock on the bedside table (and if its role is played by the phone, then right under the pillow), which is actually a mistake. Constantly keeping an eye on the time means being on edge. And stress, as you remember, equals poor sleep.

Curfew

Also, many spend the evening staring at a computer monitor or sitting in front of the TV. Then they turn them off and “fall” into bed. But if you strive for truly healthy sleep, then set a curfew for all gadgets two to three hours before bedtime. The time before bed is a time for relaxation.

Bedroom

Your brain should automatically associate the bedroom with relaxation. Therefore, please use this room for its intended purpose. You need to relax in bed. The bedroom is about sleep and sex, not work and the Internet.

Comfort

For good night need to create comfortable conditions: buy a comfortable mattress, hang thick curtains on the windows, eliminate sources of noise that interfere with sleep. Don't you sleep alone? Discuss with your partner what factors affect your and his sleep, and create an environment that is comfortable for both of you.

Temperature

16-24ºС – this should be the temperature in the bedroom. In a stuffy and too hot room, a person often wakes up and falls asleep more poorly.

Light

Bright lighting, and sometimes even the “harmless” light from the TV, can also create problems with sleep. If it is impossible to eliminate light sources, then so that they do not interfere with your rest, use a sleep mask.

Workout

Exercise not only builds strength and endurance, but also improves sleep quality. It's about, in particular, about aerobic exercises that saturate the body with oxygen.

Everything has its time

Sport improves the quality of sleep, but you should end your workout at least 2 hours before bedtime. After all physical exercise saturate the body not only with oxygen, but also with adrenaline, which is a bad “sleeping pill”.

Muscle relaxation

Before going to bed, it is better to do so-called muscle relaxation. It consists of alternately tense and relax various groups muscles. We tensed our leg muscles, counted to five, and relaxed; tense your abs, one-two-three-four-five, exhale, etc. This procedure can be done directly while lying in bed. Meditation also helps prepare your body for sleep.

Walks

Another secret to good sleep is evening walks. Even if it’s not very warm outside and you’re too lazy to get ready, overcome yourself. You'll be surprised how much better you'll sleep at night if you walk for half an hour before bed.

Hot shower or bath

Before going to bed, the body needs to relax, so before going to the kingdom of Morpheus, treat yourself to SPA treatments. A hot shower or bath can help relieve stress and make you feel sleepy.

Music

Besides a bath, music has a very calming effect on the body. Classical, folk or jazz - each has its own melodies that give harmony. Find music that brings you peace and listen to it before bed.

Lavender

Fragrances also affect the quality of sleep. Lavender – excellent remedy from insomnia. Use aromatherapy candles or essential oils to fill your bedroom with the scent of lavender before bed.

Warm

As you already know, it should be cool outside, but inside, on the contrary, warm. Have a glass before bed warm milk, cocoa or tea, and you will immediately want to sleep.

Chamomile tea

By the way, about tea. This is “grandmother’s” remedy for sound and healthy sleep. Chamomile has a calming effect, which means it helps fight main reason poor sleep - stress.

Sleep is one of the most important human needs. In this article we will look at simple but effective ways improve the quality of sleep and thereby the state of health.

How to improve night sleep?

Experts have long determined that if the human body produces sufficient quantity estrogen hormones, then the process of falling asleep is not difficult. If the production of the above-mentioned hormone is insufficient, sleep disturbance occurs. Waking up, a person feels irritated, constant fatigue accompanies you all day.

Simple methods and easy good habits, will improve your sleep.

1. Fresh air is very good for wellness, and certainly promotes sound sleep. If you get a dog, then walks will involuntarily become regular and will definitely have a good effect on falling asleep.
2. Also, you should pay attention to the bed linen. During the hot summer months, a linen set may be the best choice; natural materials will keep you cool and give you a feeling of comfort. As for cold autumn or winter evenings, preference should be given to woolen products in dark shades. Such linen will warm you up and create a state of calm, warmth and comfort. Feeling comfortable, laying down in such a bed, your body will be set up for relaxation and restful sleep.
3. It has also been noted more than once that amethyst has a beneficial effect on general state and falling asleep quickly. If you have jewelry with this stone in your precious arsenal, then put it on before going to bed.
4. A good way is to warm up. Alternatively, before bed, you can take a relaxing warm bath or simply steam your feet. You can also use a heating pad to warm your feet in bed. After getting into bed, you can open up for a while so that the body cools down a little; after covering up, a natural desire to sleep should arise. Try drinking warm milk or tea with honey, which will also help warm you up.
5. The advice to count imaginary objects is not new at all. Try to imagine the numbers written in chalk and erase them in reverse order.
6. Very often our thoughts about constant daily activities do not allow us to sleep peacefully. To distract yourself from endless thoughts, focus your attention on your breathing. Try to take slow, even breaths in and out. This will help you relax and get ready for sleep.

Preparation for sleep

• The best room for sleeping is the bedroom. The air in the bedroom should not be filled with strong aromas of flowers or anything else, and the presence of animals is also not desirable.
• Before going to bed, the room should be well ventilated. Be sure to close the windows at night to prevent extraneous sounds did not interfere with your rest. If there are industrial enterprises nearby, then it is at night that harmful fumes are released.
• Use curtains in your bedroom to prevent outside light or moonlight from entering your bed.
• We should not forget that the last meal should be 4-5 hours before the planned rest.
• After going to bed, you can pray, drive bad thoughts out of your head, and ask for protection.
• It has long been believed that it is not good to place the head of the bed towards the corner, as they absorb force. Best choice will place the bed closer to the wall, thereby creating a feeling of support and protection.

The best time to wake up in the morning is considered to be 6-7 am. It is during this period that the body best awakens and tunes in. fruitful work. Meet each day with a smile and an open soul.

Insomnia is a real scourge of our time. This is not surprising - bad ecology, constant stress and the frantic pace of life entail a decrease in the duration and deterioration in the quality of sleep. But without a full night's rest, a person quickly becomes exhausted and cannot maintain high performance throughout the whole day. Therefore, modern scientists are sounding the alarm and are constantly looking for new ways to improve the quality of sleep.

What affects sleep

To solve any problem, you must first get to the bottom of the reasons that provoked it. The easiest way is to first remove all the negative factors that prevent you from sleeping well at night. This alone will significantly speed up falling asleep and lead to improved sleep quality.

Here are the main factors that negatively affect an adult’s sleep:

1. Bad habits: alcohol, smoking, drugs. Violate normal work brain, impair blood circulation, disrupt the natural alternation of sleep phases.
2. Abuse of coffee and energy drinks. It's overstimulating nervous system, increases arterial pressure, provokes overwork.
3. Strong and/or long-term stress- increase the concentration of adrenaline in the blood, do not allow the brain to disconnect from solving current problems and interfere with normal sleep.
4. Electrical appliances. All gadgets that create electromagnetic radiation and all electrical appliances that are not disconnected from the network negatively affect the functioning of the brain.
5. Failure to comply with the regime disrupts natural The biological clock human, and the sleep hormone melatonin is not produced at the right time.

But that is not all. To a large extent, the deterioration or improvement of sleep is also influenced by: lifestyle, frequently consumed foods, medications taken, environmental conditions and the presence/absence of chronic diseases.

Some of the factors we cannot significantly change. Many people know that the air in big cities heavily polluted, but having Good work and comfortable living conditions, it is unlikely that anyone will want to move to the village to sleep better. But even in this situation, you can take certain measures to protect yourself from negative impact environment and thus improve your sleep.

About the same with existing chronic diseases. They cannot be cured in one day or even in one month. But you can do everything to prevent them further development and ensure the absence of severe exacerbations.

Therefore, if you set out to improve the quality of your sleep, start right now by reviewing and changing your usual lifestyle.

Lifestyle

Nothing affects sleep more than lifestyle. With proper organization, a person quickly falls asleep and rests peacefully throughout the night. But if you don't take this into account important factor, then first you will start dreaming disturbing dreams, which no dream book can interpret correctly. And there it is not far from more serious sleep disorders and all the problems associated with chronic insomnia.

Here's what you need to pay special attention to to improve your sleep:

Many people don't believe that they are like this by simple means You can noticeably improve your sleep. But those who change their lifestyle to a healthier one unanimously say that the results appear very quickly.

Instead of the usual 20-30 minutes for immersion in deep sleep 10-15 will be enough, and after 7-8 hours of sleep a person will wake up on his own with a feeling of vigor and a surge of vitality.

Food

Remember the saying: “We are what we eat”? In this case, it can be paraphrased: “We sleep the way we eat”! Some foods help to significantly improve the quality of sleep, and there are others that can completely interfere with your sleep. falling asleep quickly. So the menu, especially the evening one, cannot be ignored either.

Keeping in mind that dinner should be light and finish 1.5-2 hours before bedtime, try introducing foods that improve sleep into your diet:

But what foods should be limited in the daily diet for people who care about the quality of their sleep: spicy seasonings, sugar, coffee, black tea, chocolate, carbonated drinks, pickles and smoked foods, too sweet or sour fruits, starchy vegetables.

For such an adjustment, your body will especially thank you for a significant improvement in overall well-being, and, possibly, weight loss.

Medications

Many people mistakenly believe that the simplest and most effective method, how to improve your sleep - these are medications. In some cases, their use is indeed justified and necessary, but only if you have been diagnosed with insomnia and a doctor has prescribed a remedy for it.

Buying and drinking sleeping pills on your own is strictly contraindicated. Many of them quickly become addictive, and after withdrawal, insomnia returns again.

Harmless when correct use are only natural and multivitamin preparations that regulate the normal functioning of the entire body and thus improve the quality of sleep:

• Multivitamin complexes. Normalize vitamin and mineral balance, increase physical activity, help fight chronic fatigue.
• Magnesium preparations. With a lack of magnesium in the body, a person becomes nervous, easily excitable, and has difficulty falling asleep. But its overdose is also harmful. Therefore, before taking magnesium supplements, it is better to do a detailed blood test.
• Melatonin. Now on pharmacy shelves there are preparations containing the ready-made sleep hormone melatonin. They help you fall asleep quickly, but you can’t use them all the time. By receiving melatonin from the outside, the body will stop producing it on its own.
• Plant extracts: valerian, motherwort, mint. They have a calming effect and promote the rapid onset of deep, sound sleep.

Important! Special attention We urge you to turn to barbiturates. They are banned in most developed countries, but are still widely used and sold without prescription.

These drugs (Barboval, etc.) cause rapid addiction and degeneration of brain cells. In fact, they can be classified as narcotic drugs. If you continue to take them, stop immediately!

Folk remedies

Many additionally strengthen sleep folk remedies. This is the simplest and safe way do night rest better quality and longer lasting.

The most popular way is herbal teas, which include chamomile, mint, hop cones, hawthorn, linden, pine buds and others useful plants. It is easier to buy ready-made preparations in pharmacies - their composition is carefully selected and balanced, and the quality of the raw materials is checked by specialists.

Has a relaxing effect on the body and a calming effect on the psyche water procedures: warm shower or bath with the addition of essential oils or herbal decoction. A relaxing massage is useful, especially if it is performed by the hands of a loved one.

Sometimes a light influence on correctly chosen acupuncture points so that a sound sleep does not keep you waiting.

No less popular and effective means To improve the quality of sleep is aromatherapy. Essential oils juniper, cedar, lavender, lemon balm, mint will help you calm down and fall asleep faster. And the main thing is that all these methods will only bring health benefits and teach you to fall asleep on your own, without the use of medications.

How to normalize sleep - this question was asked by every person who at least once encountered any sleep disorders. If the disturbances are random in nature, then in order to normalize sleep it is necessary to establish the cause and eliminate it.

Often, in order to normalize sleep, it is enough to adjust the schedule, that is, go to bed and wake up at the same time. At the same time, you should relax and throw all disturbing problems out of your head.

In order to normalize sleep, many experts recommend taking long walks in the air, and before going to bed you can drink a glass of sweet water.

In addition, a warm ten-minute bath with essential oils will effectively relieve tension and relax.

It should be remembered that taking sleeping pills is an extreme radical measure, as they say, if nothing else helps. You cannot immediately get hooked on sleeping pills, as this can cause addiction, and a person without drugs will simply stop sleeping altogether.

Medications to correct sleep in young children are usually not used at all, since in many cases the use of sleeping pills can lead to the child becoming nervous and irritable. The use of medications to correct sleep is reasonable only in extreme cases, for example, if the child experiences severe pain and therefore cannot sleep.

In case of sleep disorders in elderly and elderly people, normalization of sleep consists of several simple recommendations, which are very easy to follow:

- You should always go to bed at the same time. Moreover, the time should be familiar to the person;

- it is necessary to get ready to go to bed when you first feel sleepy;

- you should only sleep in bed, not use it for other purposes;

- if you are bothered by night awakenings, then you should not suffer in bed, trying to fall asleep. It's better to leave the bedroom for a while and then return when you want to sleep again.

- if night sleep is disturbed, it is recommended to reduce daytime rest.

How to normalize sleep with chronic disorders.

If a person suffers from severe sleep disorders, then it becomes necessary to involve more effective techniques, which can be carried out in conditions medical institutions. Such methods of treating sleep disorders include: Rhythmic sound effects, thermal and ultrasonic effects. Persistent positive result The electrosleep procedure helps achieve this.

All methods of normalizing sleep are carried out in special conditions, which promote falling asleep - the room should be quiet and almost dark. The patient is placed on the couch on his back, and the electricity is turned on, which becomes increasingly intense. At this time, the patient experiences gentle tremors, which have a lulling effect on him. The strength of the current depends on the patient's health condition.

Sleeping pills are used only as prescribed by a doctor. Taking sleeping pills is prescribed when:

- the patient suffers from short-term sleep disturbances no more than three weeks in a row;

- at chronic disorder sleep, when the inability to sleep bothers the patient several times a week.

In this case, drugs are prescribed only in the minimum allowable dosage to avoid addiction.

To sleeping pills medicines can be attributed:

- barbiturates, the danger of use of which lies in their severe toxicity, for which reason their administration should be extremely careful;

- benzodiazepines that normalize sleep;

- antihistamine drugs that calm the central nervous system.