Approximately a third of a person’s life is spent sleeping. Sleep is a mechanism developed by nature, during which the cells of the body are renewed, the nervous system is relaxed, the information received during the day is processed and analyzed. Lack of sleep can cause serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, cause hormonal failure and mental disorders. Therefore, anyone who is faced with a sleep disorder needs to know how to overcome insomnia.
Causes of insomnia
For the process of falling asleep, you must at least feel tired and relax. If these conditions are not met, there are difficulties with sleep. Consider the main causes of insomnia.
Lack of physical activity
Sedentary people are more prone to depression, obesity, insomnia and other sleep disorders. By nature, we are social beings in need of continuous development, communication, and moderate activity. Lack of sleep in a person living in comfortable conditions should be taken as a signal of the body to action. Our body seems to say: “There is no time to sleep, because you are not tired. It’s time to act, work, learn something new!
Excessive immersion in problems, constant search for a way out of a difficult situation
This is the cause of insomnia in anxious women who think too much about work, family and personal difficulties, in students preparing for a session, in recent university graduates trying to find a job.
In such cases, insomnia does not occur immediately, but after a certain period of time (from 1 to 8 weeks): the consequences of prolonged stress appear when the brain “realizes” the experience and tries to find ways to get rid of the consequences of nervous overwork.
Shock, mental trauma
The body of a person who has experienced a strong nervous shock (due to an accident, a fall, after a serious illness, the loss of a loved one) stops working in the usual rhythm. The occurrence of insomnia is a natural reaction of the body to the transferred shock and requires immediate intervention.
Insomnia against the background of a general poor state of the body, reduced immunity provokes the emergence of new diseases.
Excessive and frequent alcohol consumption
In small quantities, alcohol does not cause insomnia, however, frequent use of alcoholic beverages is the strongest stress for the cardiovascular and nervous systems and contributes to sleep disturbances.
Hormonal disruptions during transitional age periods
In adolescence, during pregnancy and menopause, a woman’s hormonal background of the body is rebuilt. As a rule, insomnia in these cases is a temporary phenomenon and goes away on its own, but this does not mean that you should not try to help the body overcome a difficult period faster.
Wrong daily routine, overeating, smoking, habit of drinking a lot of coffee and black tea
Literally every day, demotivators appear on social networks on the topic of insomnia, wakefulness at night and morning fatigue. Probably, every user of social networks is familiar with the feeling when time flies by in an exciting correspondence with friends, reading news and browsing other people’s pages. Imperceptibly, the third cup of tea is drunk, a cake is eaten, another cigarette is smoked … And it’s already 2 a.m. on the clock, and, unfortunately, I don’t feel like sleeping anymore.
Some people who have experienced the effects of a nightly “wake” try to no longer sacrifice their sleep and health for such a dubious pastime. But, unfortunately, not everyone succeeds: social networks and the Internet are quite addictive.
There are many causes of sleep disturbance, but ways to beat insomnia are equally effective for any of them.
Sleeping pills as a remedy for insomnia
It is important to understand that sleeping pills are designed to help you fall asleep, not to combat insomnia. Insomnia is a long-term condition of sleep disturbance and is indicative of psychological disorders. Treating insomnia with sleeping pills is like treating a toothache with painkillers.
Sleeping pills are indicated when a person is sick, in a state of shock, physically injured, or simply physically exhausted. If you suffer from insomnia and you do not know how to deal with it, sleeping pills will not help. Getting rid of the symptom does not mean getting rid of the disease.
Effective ways to fight insomnia
Sleep disorders affect 40% of the world’s population, but only a few know what to do and how to deal with insomnia without medication. Sleeping pills are still the “classic” methods of coping with this disorder. But psychologists and traditional medicine experts offer simple, but highly practical ways to get rid of insomnia.
Proper nutrition
A sensibly constructed diet helps to reduce the load on the cardiovascular system. Instead of accumulating excess toxins, the body will begin to use deferred fat reserves, producing additional energy. As a result, there will be a gradual recovery of the whole organism, general well-being will improve, and sleep will normalize. To get rid of insomnia you need:
- do not eat 3 hours before bedtime;
- limit the consumption of fatty and fried foods;
- drink plenty of fluids (up to 2 liters per day);
- include walnuts, cashews, green vegetables and other foods rich in magnesium and vitamin B in your diet.
Physical activity
Athletes believe that evening loads are the most effective in combating insomnia. This is not surprising, because during dancing, running, fitness classes, blood circulation improves, metabolism normalizes. A few hours after training, the body begins to feel a lack of energy, and in order to receive it, it needs healthy sleep.
Light running for 30 minutes 2-3 hours before bed is a proven way to combat insomnia.
Herbal tinctures
The ability to defeat insomnia has tinctures of mint, lemon balm, motherwort, valerian. These herbs can be purchased at the pharmacy separately and as part of sedative fees.
Green tea is a good way to deal with stress, but it has tonic properties, therefore, when treating insomnia, it is better to drink it in the morning.
Music for sleep
This method is especially useful in dealing with insomnia caused by anxiety. There are hundreds of audio and video recordings with music for meditation and sleep on the Internet (including YouTube). The videos last for 3-5 hours, you can turn on the music without worrying that it will stop soon. It is possible that you won’t be able to fall asleep right away and “black” thoughts will continue to torment, but then, completely imperceptibly for the sleeping person, the brain will “turn off”, concentrating on the incoming sounds, and insomnia will recede.
Remember that meditative sleep music is not just calm music, not classics. This is a specially designed set of sounds that have a calming effect on the brain. Soothing music for sleep is designed to give the body the opportunity to relax and learn to fall asleep easily. In addition, it is believed that a person sleeping under meditative sounds sees good, colorful dreams.
Taking a bath before bed, massage
A warm bath after a day’s work helps to relax and relieve stress. You can add a few drops of essential oil, sea salt, scented bath foam to the water. Also good against insomnia caused by overexertion, spa treatments, back and foot massages help.
Creating a comfortable sleep environment
Clean linen, the smell of essential oil, calm, quiet music for relaxation and meditation are the three simplest and most accessible methods for dealing with sleep disorders and insomnia for absolutely everyone.
Schedule
Sometimes the understanding that the daily routine needs to be radically changed comes along with the question of how to deal with tormented insomnia. After all, it is the inability to fall asleep or intermittent restless sleep that often appears due to the inability to reasonably manage your time. The daily routine is individual for everyone, since it depends on employment, but you can give a few tips on this:
- To get enough sleep, you need to sleep 7-8 hours a day, but not 4 or 10. Too long and too short sleep will eventually provoke insomnia.
- The best time to go to bed is between 10 pm and midnight.
- The best time to start a vigorous morning is from 6 to 8 o’clock. Frequent early rises can cause chronic overwork, and too late – insomnia.
These simple tips on how to beat insomnia require minimal effort and work on yourself. Of course, if you haven’t even taken the first step, if you’re used to eating a lot and moving little, it won’t be easy to start exercising. It will also not be easy to quit smoking, start drinking plenty of fluids, get used to taking care of your body. But it is important to understand that any illness, including sleep disorders, is a chance, a signal for change and a better life.
findings
Like any painful condition, insomnia does not go away if you do not fight it. With practical knowledge of how to cope with insomnia on your own and permanently, a person can help himself personally and loved ones who are faced with this problem.