What is insomnia? Insomnia is a sleep disorder. And sleep is first of all rest for the nervous system. Accordingly, the quality of sleep directly affects the state of our nervous system.
Insomnia can cause a disturbance in the duration and cyclical nature of sleep.
There are 3 types of insomnia.
– difficulty falling asleep ( re-nomination disorder). With such a sleep disorder, a person may develop a kind of bedtime ritual. Sleep problems occur at the slightest disregard of this ritual. Sometimes, there is a “fear of the bed,” the fear of “non-occurrence of sleep.”
– h astye nocturnal awakenings (intrasomnicheskie disorder), after which a person can not fall asleep for a long time. Awakenings can be caused by nightmares, pain, breathing problems, sudden movements, etc.
– heavy morning rise ( postsomnichesky stage) and the subsequent drowsiness during the day, decreased performance.
Phases of sleep and their importance for the nervous system.
Sleep consists of fast and slow phases that repeat during the night. The sequence of their alternation is controlled by various structures of the brain.
The phase of slow sleep involves the restoration of energy costs . During a slow sleep, processing and storage of information received during the day takes place. Slow sleep facilitates the consolidation of the material studied. That is why mothers advise children to teach poetry at night and put a textbook under the pillow.
The REM sleep provides a psychological defense function, is responsible for processing information, and provides a link between the conscious and subconscious mind.
REM sleep also restores the nervous system from the daily effects of stress.
In the phase of REM sleep, the plasticity of neurons is restored, they are enriched with oxygen, proteins and RNA of neurons are biosynthesized . REM sleep is responsible for the realization of subconscious patterns of imaginary events. Because of the fast sleep, we may have a feeling of deja vu .
Phases of sleep alternate with each other. At the beginning of sleep, the slow phase prevails, and closer to awakening, the duration of REM sleep increases. Studies have shown that normal sleep in humans consists of 4-6 wavy cycles. Each cycle lasts from 80 to 100 minutes. Qi cells includingyuchaet a fast and slow sleep 1/3.
80% of dreams we see in the phase of slow sleep. It is easy to wake a person during this phase. He is very sensitive sleeps. It is harder to wake a person during the REM sleep phase. But if you manage to do this, you will hear a story about a vivid dream. But be careful! Interrupting REM sleep can cause stress and even cause severe mental disorders.
Sleep consists of five stages. Slow sleep includes four. The first stage plunges a person into a nap, absurd thoughts, dreams, often hallucinogenic images come to him. The second stage of sleep increases the thresholds of perception, especially hearing is aggravated. At this point, the person is easy to wake up. The third stage practically does not differ from the second. And the fourth stage gives the sleeper dreams. Fast sleep is the fifth stage of sleep.
Insomnia and neurosis
Neurosis is a group of reversible neuropsychiatric diseases caused by mental overstrain. Neurosis is most often manifested in the form of neuropsychiatric disorders. This is due to the fact that the nervous system of a modern person is weakened by the constant effects of stress. By nature, the following types of neurosis are distinguished: neurasthenia, hysteria, obsessive-compulsive disorder.
For example, the expectation of an important event causes us emotional excitement, anxiety, concern, rapid heartbeat. Some people shiver or, on the contrary, sweat a lot. In a healthy person, after resolving the situation, the neurosis disappears. The patient with a neurosis cannot leave a state described above for a long time. He starts having problems with sleep, sometimes there is chronic insomnia.
Neurosis is a disease of the nervous system. Often occurs as a result of severe mental trauma, resentment, grief. A patient with neurosis decreases working capacity, he can do nothing with himself
As a rule, a person with a neurosis retains sobriety of mind and an adequate perception of reality. He is trying to deal with the problem.
Natural herbs , essential oils (lavender, needles) will gently soothe and relieve neuroses . Soothing Valocordin will help to cope with insomnia and restore the nervous system.
Sleep palsy
Have you ever had the feeling that you are awake, but you cannot move? This condition is called sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis can cause a feeling of fear, especially if you hear or see things that are not in reality. An attack of sleep paralysis can happen once in a lifetime, and it can bother you all the time – even several times a night.
But there is good news: sleep paralysis is not dangerous. Read on to learn more about sleep paralysis, its potential causes and treatments.
Is sleepy paralysis a sign of a serious illness?
For centuries, the symptoms of carotid paralysis have been described in various ways and often attributed to the “hand of evil”: invisible night demons in ancient times, sorcerers and witches in the times of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and alien abductors in our time. In almost every culture, you can find stories about ghostly creatures that make a person helpless every night. For centuries, people have sought explanations for this mysterious paralysis and its attendant sense of fear.
But now, sleep researchers know for sure that in most cases, sleep paralysis is a sign that the body has not gone through all the sleep stages smoothly enough. It is extremely rare for any psychiatric disorder to cause sleep paralysis.
What is sleep paralysis?
Sleep paralysis is an awareness of the inability to move. This happens at the moment of falling asleep or waking up. In such a state, a person cannot move or speak for a few seconds or several minutes. Some people feel pressure or something like choking. Sleep paralysis may accompany other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an irresistible desire to sleep, associated with a violation of the ability of the brain to regulate the state of sleep / wakefulness.
When does sleep paralysis occur most often?
Sleep paralysis happens in one of two cases. If it occurs at the time of falling asleep, it is called hypnagogic or semi-conscious sleep paralysis. If it happens at the moment of awakening, it is hypnopompic sleep paralysis.
What happens during hypnagogic carotid paralysis?
At the moment of falling asleep, the body slowly relaxes. Usually, a person gradually goes into an unconscious state; therefore, he does not notice such changes. However, if at the moment you fall asleep, you remain conscious, you may notice that you are unable to move or say something.
What happens during the hypnopompic sleep paralysis?
In a dream, the body goes through a sleep phase with fast eye movement (fast sleep phase) and a sleep phase with slow eye movement (slow sleep phase). The sleep phase and the slow sleep phase last for about 90 minutes each. Sleep begins with a phase of slow sleep, which takes up to 75% of the total sleep. During the slow sleep phase, the body relaxes and rejuvenates as much as possible. At the end of this phase, the body enters the phase of REM sleep. The eyes begin to move faster, dreams appear, but the body remains relaxed. During the phase of REM sleep, the muscles “turn off”. If you wake up after a fast sleep phase, then you may feel unable to move or speak.
Who is prone to sleep paralysis?
Every 4 out of 10 people suffer from sleep paralysis. This condition is especially common among adolescents. But it can also occur in women and men of different ages. Sleep paralysis can be inherited. Other factors that are also associated with sleep paralysis include:
- Lack of sleep
- Change sleep mode
- Mental state, such as stress or bipolar disorder
- Sleeping position – on the back
- Other sleep problems, such as narcolepsy or tired leg syndrome
- Acceptance of certain medications
- Drug addiction, substance abuse
How is the diagnosis of sleep paralysis?
If you wake up and find that you are unable to move or say something and this condition lasted for a few seconds or minutes, then you have recurrent (recurrent from time to time) drowsy paralysis. Most often, there is no need for special treatment. However, it is worth to consult a doctor if:
- you are very worried about the symptoms of sleep paralysis;
- due to the onset of symptoms, you feel tired and lethargic throughout the day;
- symptoms disturb sleep.
During the examination, the doctor will want to get more information about your sleep, so he can:
- ask you to describe your symptoms and keep a diary for a few weeks;
- ask about past diseases, including sleep disorders or a hereditary predisposition to sleep disorders;
- send you to a sleep specialist for further examination;
- schedule a night or daytime sleep study to ensure that there are no other sleep disorders.
How is sleep paralysis treated?
In most cases of sleep paralysis, special treatment is not required. But the treatment of certain disorders, for example , narcolepsy, can greatly help if sleepy paralysis is disturbing and keeps you awake. The following methods are used as treatment:
- improvement of sleep habits – the duration of sleep should not be less than 6-8 hours a night;
- taking antidepressants that help regulate sleep patterns;
- treatment of mental disorders that may manifest in the form of carotid paralysis;
- treatment of other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy or tired leg syndrome.
What can I do?
Do not be afraid of night demons or alien thieves. If occasional paralysis (occurred once or repeated, but very rarely), certain measures can be taken to control and prevent the recurrence of this condition. What you can do is reduce the amount of stressful situations in your life — especially before bedtime. And yet, if sleepy paralysis regularly gives you discomfort and does not allow you to sleep normally, be sure to consult a doctor.