It is unlikely that anyone will challenge the life-giving power of sound sleep for human health. Having slept well, we are ready for work and other challenges. And vice versa, if the quality of sleep is poor, if insomnia is tormenting, then a person gets up in the morning broken, in a bad mood, thinks with horror about the upcoming daytime affairs, and in the afternoon he pulls him to lie down (which, by the way, is not that bad). Let’s take a look at how other causes can cause insomnia and how to get rid of it, having a healthy and refreshing sleep.
Causes of nights without sleep: depression, age, discomfort
Sleep is often a psychological problem, even in some places psychiatric. Indeed, a number of mental illnesses, for example, depression, accompanied by insomnia. Here insomnia enters the clinical picture of the disease and is treated simultaneously with it. Both psychiatrists and neurologists can help in treating insomnia. The first will help deal with anxiety anxiety. The second is to conduct an objective study of sleep.
- Inconvenient bed.
It happens that a person sleeps on a poor-quality mattress, which either bends too much under it, or the broken springs, protruding to the surface, are pressed in different places, making it difficult to fall asleep. In this case, of course, changing the mattress will help. Although some people like to sleep on a soft bed (as in a cradle), but for a healthy sleep, the surface of the bed should be moderately hard. It will also help protect against spinal diseases and maintain a beautiful posture.
- Inconvenient posture.
If you chronically cannot sleep at night, you need to think: in what conditions are we sleeping. Maybe we are cramped, maybe we want to stretch our legs, but the length of the bed does not allow, maybe the nightgown is small, and this brings discomfort and makes it difficult to adopt a comfortable posture.
- The temperature in the room.
Insomnia can occur if the room is too hot or too cold. The optimum temperature is 18-20 ° C and fresh air in the bedroom. The blanket should be moderately warm and light.
- Food for the night.
It is probably unnecessary to speak a hundred and fifteenth time, which is harmful to fill up before bedtime. Especially fatty, heavy food. The last time a day they recommend eating food 2-4 hours before bedtime. If, however, before going to bed, there is a slight hunger, you can eat something light, such as yogurt, or cottage cheese, or a little salad, or just drink a glass of kefir.
- Exciting books, movies.
The modern film industry does not skimp on special effects, and it is often difficult to fall asleep after bright, fantastic, or even frightening pictures on the screen. Some people are characterized by increased impressionability and developed imagination. Even an exciting book can produce a similar effect on them. What to do? Avoid watching spectacular movies and reading exciting books before bed. Instead, the old favorite comedy or light female romance is quite suitable. By the way, do not fall asleep under the TV. It is best to teach yourself to sleep in the dark and silence.
- Noise, talk, crying baby behind the wall.
In contrast to the above, there are people who can fall asleep in any conditions, but if a person slept all his life in a quiet and dark room, then noisy neighbors or a bright light (in a train, in a hostel) can greatly spoil his night. If this is a one-time event, it remains only to suffer. But if they interfere with falling asleep regularly, you will have to somehow solve this problem – in each case differently.
When tormenting thoughts, in particular, about work or current problems.
In this case, you can try to teach yourself to utter the unforgettable phrase of the heroine “Gone With the Wind”: “I will think about it tomorrow.” If you convince yourself that tomorrow will be a new day, and a fresh mind will come to solving problems faster, then this phrase can make life much easier.
- Age.
Every year the dream becomes more fragile. For about forty years, we can already envy children who sleep sweetly all night long, and remember how they slept as well as they themselves and which were awake vigorous and happy.
Sleep time: is there insomnia?
Meanwhile, it may be that a person just grabs the time of sleep that he receives. For example, if he wakes up at 4-5 in the morning and can no longer fall asleep. If this is about you, then it is best not to force yourself to try to sleep for up to, say, 8 hours, but to get up and do things. Perhaps after this you will need to get the missing nighttime nap. In addition, there are situations when a person simply does not feel that he was asleep, and sincerely believes that he has insomnia, while others are assured that he sleeps soundly all night.
Plays an important role in insomnia sleep time, more precisely, bedtime. Doctors believe that the best conditions for the rest of the body are created if you go to bed before midnight and sleep for 7-8 hours. At the same time, someone may have a longer sleep time – 9 or even 10 hours, and someone short – 4-5 hours. For example, older people often need less sleep than younger ones. Of course, we are not talking about situations where a person cannot sleep for 7-8 hours, because he is overworked or does not know how to organize himself so that he can do work during the day.
Insomnia: what to do before bedtime
To get rid of insomnia, doctors recommend first of all to adjust the mode of the day and diet. Light physical exercises performed one hour before bedtime will also help. A walk before bedtime is very effective, especially one that will cause mild fatigue. As already mentioned, it is necessary to sleep on a comfortable bed, and the room should be moderately warm. By the way, there is a semi-national method of dealing with insomnia: throw off the blanket and lie open or go to the balcony without a jacket and wait until you freeze well. Then lie down, take cover, and the long-awaited warmth will contribute to the rapid sleep.
Do not watch or read exciting movies and books before bedtime. It is better to move these classes to an earlier period, to take care of the silence and darkness in the room in which you plan to sleep. It is also useful to work out certain rituals that, according to the principle of a conditioned reflex, will mean going to sleep. For example, drinking a glass of warm milk at night, take a shower, change into pajamas or a nightdress, maybe wear socks if your legs are cold, read a light book before bedtime, then turn off the light, take a familiar pose, put a pillow like do it every night, take shelter with a regular blanket, leave thoughts about work and daytime activities for tomorrow. Maybe call a cat or a dog if you are used to falling asleep in the company of your pet. If you carry out these activities in a constant order every evening at a certain time, then with sleep, most likely, there will be no problems.
If you do not help any tricks, of course, you should consult a doctor. During the survey, he may reveal some points that the sleepless patient missed on his own, and, if necessary, he will write out light sedatives or sleeping pills. However, it should be remembered that sleeping pills is better not to get carried away. They are prescribed only for severe stress, and they do not give such a good, sound sleep, as happens without medication in a healthy person. And, as you know, some drugs are addictive. It is best to teach yourself to fall asleep on your own, without medication, and to fight insomnia with the help of a psychotherapist or a neurologist.