How To Get Rid Of Insomnia: What To Do At Home

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Insomnia - how to bring back the colors of life

In modern society, the problem of sleep disorders is becoming more and more common. Insomnia, as one of the most frequent manifestations, occurs in every 5th person living in a metropolis. To cope with this condition, you first need to identify its origins.

Why insomnia occurs

Insomnia is a condition in which a person is unable to sleep, has shallow sleep, or wakes up frequently while resting at night. The disorder can be of a physiological or psychological nature. Among the physiological factors are:

• metabolic disorders;
• brain trauma;
• neurological problems;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• hormonal disruptions;
• taking medications that cause insomnia;
• the use of food products with a psychostimulating effect.

Most often, insomnia is a consequence of an unstable psychological state that has arisen against the background of:

• depression;
• stress;
• disturbing thoughts;
• mental exhaustion or overstrain;
• fears;
• individual psychological problems.

Stress is one of the factors that trigger insomnia

The risk group includes children of preschool and primary school age, who often face fears, office workers and people leading a passive lifestyle, girls in early and late pregnancy

Methods for dealing with insomnia

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder that requires a series of targeted actions to combat. There is no magic pill that would allow you to fall asleep and thereby overcome insomnia. Any medications have side effects and cannot be used systematically. Therefore, to return to peace and healthy sleep, you have to work hard.

General rules for healthy sleep

The main source of insomnia is a wrong or unhealthy lifestyle. This includes not only bad habits and passive leisure, but also intense mental activity. To sleep well and get enough sleep, you can use the following guidelines:

• stop using gadgets or watching TV at least an hour before bedtime. Watching video or playing computer games has an exciting effect on the human psyche. Our brains need time to calm down and balance the processes of excitation and inhibition. Psychologists have found that the minimum period for which consciousness is able to process vivid emotional experiences and prepare for rest is 1 hour;
• form a ritual. One of the methods of forming a habit is a ritual (a single-type, repetitive action, after the experience of which a specific event follows). It takes 2-3 weeks for the habit to form and the ritual to become a habitual everyday action. For example, if you read a book or listen to music for 15 minutes at the same time before going to bed for a month, it will become much easier to fall asleep;

• refuse tonic drinks in the afternoon. Coffee is a powerful psychostimulant that stimulates the nervous system by affecting certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Tea acts on our bodies in a similar way, as it contains a large amount of tannin and caffeine. If you drink a cup of coffee or strong tea at dinner, then the likelihood of insomnia or restless legs syndrome (a condition in which microconvulsions or discomfort in the legs occur during the rest period) significantly increases;

  

  Drinking tonic drinks in the afternoon negatively affects sleep quality

• give up alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol in alcoholic beverages and nicotine in tobacco products are poisons that plunge the body into a state of intoxication (or poisoning). In the process of getting rid of toxic substances, the brain experiences severe stress, due to which its work is disrupted, insomnia and dizziness, nausea, anxiety occur;
• walk on the street every day and play sports. During walks in the fresh air and physical activity, the blood supply to the body improves, metabolic processes are normalized, and there is a natural disposal of affective charges (mental experiences that transform into bodily clamps and psychosomatic disorders). To sleep well, you need to spend at least 2 hours a day in the fresh air and spend at least 30 minutes playing sports.

Folk remedies for insomnia

Folk remedies for fighting insomnia are based on herbal ingredients that have a relaxing effect on the body. The following products are considered the most popular and most harmless:

• valerian. Grind the dried valerian root and pour 2 tablespoons of 500 ml of water. Put the container with the ingredients on low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, then strain the drink and dilute with clean water, replenishing the lost liquid to half a liter. Drink the resulting broth in 100 milliliters after dinner. You can buy valerian in tablet form and drink 2-3 tablets 30 minutes before bedtime;

• melissa. Place 30 grams of dry herb lemon balm in a thermos, pour a liter of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. When the tea cools down a little, you can add a teaspoon of honey to it, after which they drink 200 ml of the drink half an hour before bedtime;

  

  Lemon balm tea is one of the most popular folk remedies for fighting insomnia.

• hawthorn. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over a tablespoon of dried hawthorn fruits and put the container in a water bath for 30 minutes. After half an hour, the broth must be removed and insisted for 15 minutes under the lid, and then strain. An adult with insomnia needs to drink a third of a glass of broth three times a day before meals and 100 ml an hour before bedtime.

Drug treatment for insomnia

One of the methods of treating insomnia are drugs of sedative, antihistamines and hormonal groups. Their task is to suppress the physiological factors of insomnia and facilitate falling asleep for a person suffering from pathological sleep disorders. The drug treatment of insomnia is carried out only by a doctor; the use of any medicines to quickly fall asleep without consulting a specialist is strictly prohibited. Consultation with a somnologist is required in the following cases:

• inability to fall asleep for a long time;
• severe insomnia that recurs at least 3 days a week;
• state of anxiety, anxiety;
• social and professional disorientation;
• pathological fatigue.

During the examination, the doctor may prescribe treatment, which consists in taking the following medications:

• Phenazepam;
• Melaxin;
• Donormil;
• Novo-Passit;
• Persen;
• Selofen.

The duration of the course of treatment and the dosage of each individual pharmaceutical product is determined individually.

Video: methods of dealing with insomnia

Insomnia as a type of sleep disturbance is a serious problem in the path of good physical and psychological well-being. The main method of struggle is lifestyle correction and individual psychological work. In case of serious sleep disorders and clinical insomnia, the consultation of a somnologist or neuropathologist is required, who will help develop a personal strategy for treating the problem.