Three Simple But Powerful Tips For Insomnia - Quality Of Life, Self-development

When asked "are you satisfied with your sleep?" only 18% of the people surveyed answer positively ¹. Insomnia is a common problem these days, which is facilitated by psycho-emotional stress and an insufficient level of knowledge about sleep and its mechanisms. Elena Kolesnichenko, Candidate of Medical Sciences, will talk about how to deal with insomnia.

Insomnia is diagnosed if a person has one or more of the following signs of disturbed sleep:

• difficulty falling asleep
• frequent night awakenings,
• early awakenings with inability to sleep
• sleep that does not bring a sense of rest and recovery.

One or two sleepless nights is not a cause for concern.

Restlessness should be caused by sleepless nights, which occur three or more times a week for a month

Insomnia is called acute if it lasts less than three months, or chronic if sleep problems last more than three months.

Up to half of all cases of insomnia are directly related to poor sleep hygiene and behavioral causes. For example, a person who is dissatisfied with their sleep tries to spend as much time in bed as possible, which ultimately only aggravates sleep problems. The more a person tries to fall asleep with insomnia, the less likely they are to fall asleep quickly and easily.

If you have trouble sleeping, here are three simple and effective tips for you.

1. Pay attention to the place of sleep

The main rule is that the place to sleep should be comfortable. It is necessary to sleep on a soft or semi-soft mattress, contrary to popular belief that it is better to sleep on a hard surface. The pillow must be of sufficient height, but not too large and tightly packed. The air in the bedroom should be humid; optimal air humidity values are kept in the range from 50 to 60%.

Take care of the dark in your bedroom. For this purpose, you will need thick blackout curtains. As a last resort, you can use a sleep mask.

Silence is essential for proper sleep. For insomnia, noise insulation of the bedroom and modern double-glazed windows that do not let in the noise of a busy street will help.

2. Prepare for bed properly

If you've just finished business negotiations, social media messaging, or strength training, falling asleep quickly will be problematic. The transition from wakefulness to sleep requires a period of gradual decrease in mental and physical activity.

An hour before bedtime, you need to give up gadgets, watch TV, dim the lights so as not to interfere with the production of the natural sleep hormone - melatonin

Melatonin is produced in the human body in low light conditions, which is a signal for the body to "Time to sleep." Light from gadgets, TV, bright artificial lighting inhibit the synthesis of melatonin and disrupt the process of falling asleep.

Do relaxation exercises to relieve stress from the day.

Read a paper book in dim light. This will allow you to abandon daytime worries and smoothly go to sleep. The fact that vision deteriorates in dim lighting is a myth. Read boldly!

Avoid caffeinated foods and drinks in the afternoon. Not only coffee, but also tea contains caffeine. Caffeine is the main enemy of sleep, and the effects of caffeine can last up to 8 hours.

If anxiety about tomorrow interferes with relaxation, make a detailed plan of actions for tomorrow one hour before bed. Plan your daily workload based on rest and sleep.

To sleep well in the evening, you need to be well tired during the day. Fatigue should be not only intellectual but also physical. Include exercise, walks, and gym work in your daily routine.

Observe your sleep schedule on weekdays and weekends. Try to go to bed and wake up at specific times. The difference in wake-up time on weekends should not be more than 2 hours in comparison with working days.

3. Do not try to sleep with insomnia

If you go to bed and have been unable to fall asleep for 20 minutes, you should get up and leave the bedroom. Drink water, read a book, meditate on pleasant things. You can return to bed only in case of severe drowsiness. Such a recommendation will prevent the formation of a conditioned reflex connection between the place of sleep and insomnia.

If you have followed all the recommendations, but sleep has not returned to normal, then it is advisable to consult a doctor. Sometimes insomnia is a symptom of a number of diseases. Insomnia is a frequent companion of anxiety-depressive disorders, thyroid dysfunction (hypo- and hyperthyroidism), and iron deficiency anemia.

Currently, somnologists do not recommend taking hypnotics to improve sleep for insomnia. In addition to side effects and addiction, uncontrolled use of sleeping pills can form the fear of not falling asleep on their own, without taking medication.

1. Lichstein KL, Taylor DJ, McCrae CS, Petrov ME Insomnia: epidemiology and risk factors. In Kryger MH, Roth T., Dement WC (eds.) Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier. 2016. P. 761-768