How to overcome insomnia effectively without medications at home: causes of insomnia and simple ways to restore normal sleep. How to overcome insomnia - proven methods

According to official statistics, approximately 30-45% of the inhabitants of our planet regularly have sleep problems. Moreover, half of them suffer from insomnia chronic nature. But that is not all! About 80% of those who regularly lack sleep develop neuroses and other serious illnesses, and approximately 5% begin to abuse sleeping pills. Of course, a one-time lack of sleep is not a reason to drop everything and run to the doctor. But if you can’t sleep without pills for a long time, you should think about contacting a specialist to determine the reason for your inability to sleep without doping.

About what somnology is and who somnologists are

Somnology is not only the science of sleep, but also research on what happens to the body at this time. In countries post-Soviet space Unfortunately, there is no such specialization as a somnologist. Those who study this issue are doctors, but their diplomas indicate other “professions” - neurologist, for example. 70% of this science deals with the problem of sleep apnea - apnea syndrome, and by 30% problems of insomnia, excessive drowsiness, paroxysmal sleep disorders (Editor's note: walking and talking in sleep, unconscious crying, laughter, recurring nightmares), periodic limb movement syndrome. Last state, by the way, is very dangerous, but at the same time very treatable. However, due to low diagnosis, patients suffer from this syndrome throughout their lives.

About insomnia as a diagnosis

The diagnosis of insomnia (or insomnia) is made when a person’s problems with falling asleep interfere with his ability to live during the day. He does not have time to do anything and his work and personal life suffer from this; he cannot enjoy his hobby, because his condition is somewhat altered due to lack of sleep. In such situations, at a minimum, you need to consult a doctor, and at a maximum, use medication correction.

About whether it is dangerous to use melasol

It’s not entirely correct to generalize when you don’t know the individual clinical picture. But if the problem of insomnia has been bothering you for several years, this serious reason contact a specialist. Melatonin-based medications are excellent remedies. They were designed to combat jet lag. With their help, we simply artificially increase the concentration of melatonin in our body. However, what bothers us during the day cannot be removed by melasol. The essence of the problems may lie in the generalization of anxiety or depressive state. When this happens, the sleep/wake cycle usually gets disrupted. And here a correction of the emotional state is already needed.

About whether over-the-counter sleeping pills are addictive

WITH physiological point vision there is no addiction to such drugs. However, very often patients put themselves on the “hook”, starting to think that they are used to it and are afraid of it. This symptom of dependence can occur even from harmless drugs, the lack of addiction to which is a scientifically proven fact.

Sleeping pill withdrawal syndrome is one of the most pronounced. Moreover, this does not depend on the severity of the disease. Sometimes patients with mild anxious state can accept the simplest sedative for three days, and then come to me and say: “I’m afraid, I’m already used to it, I need to do something urgently.” But in reality this cannot be. This is his need to get rid of withdrawal symptoms, but at the same time an unconscious desire to take drugs. By prescribing them to themselves, patients only prolong this condition.

The most amazing thing is that they then come for diagnostics, the specialists prescribe pills again, and it turns out vicious circle. So, there is no addiction to over-the-counter drugs, but psychological dependence There is.

How often do patients with insomnia turn to specialists?

Unfortunately, people with sleep problems do not often turn to a specialist. This, like apnea, is more likely social problem for many, which they prefer to solve on our own. People simply don't understand that insomnia can lead to the development of more serious, life-threatening diseases.

About the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia

The gold standard for testing is polysomnography. Its essence lies in the fact that throughout the night an encephalogram and movement are recorded. eyeballs and muscle relaxation. This allows you to track sleep phases and the frequency of their onset, which is important for neurologists when assessing the severity of insomnia and the effect of the chosen therapy method.

When a patient says that he has not slept for five years, the question always arises: “Why are you still alive?” After five days of lack of sleep, the person dies. So, we find out how true the testimony is during the conversation. In addition, there is an 8-question questionnaire that allows you to determine how much a person wants to sleep during the day. Based on the number of points scored in the process, we can already draw conclusions.

As for non-drug treatment methods, the specialist’s task is to identify the cause internal tension patient, which disturbs his sleep. Medication correction shown and it should be. But at the same time there is also a need for greater inner work on the part of the patient, a step towards coming to a psychotherapist and working with him in an alliance for a long time.

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Insomnia is a disturbance in night sleep, its duration or interruption night sleep(a combination of these two signs is possible). The causes of sleep disturbances can be stress, physical and mental fatigue, hormonal changes, violation of the daily routine, somatic diseases, consequences of stroke and traumatic brain injury, pregnancy, menopause, after withdrawal of antipsychotics, elderly age, alcoholism, osteochondrosis, VSD, sleepwalking and rare hereditary disease, and many others.

About 40% of the world's adult population suffers from insomnia, 10% of them need medical care and turn to specialists with the question: “How to deal with insomnia?”, “How to get rid of insomnia? How to treat insomnia? According to statistics, men most often suffer from insomnia.

Principles of therapy

In the West, there are special clinics that accept insomnia patients for treatment. Doctors of three specialties treat insomnia: psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist. Patients visit doctors of different ages and material wealth, intellectual level with the same question: “I suffer from insomnia. What should I do? I was tormented by insomnia. How to get rid of insomnia? Usually a trip to one specialist does not end, the problem of sleep disturbance remains and the person turns to alternative medicine.

Doctors, as a rule, do not understand in detail the reasons for the patient’s night sleep disturbances, and prescribe sleeping pills from the group of benzodiazepines, which can be obtained with a prescription at any pharmacy. But the use of sleeping pills leads the patient into a dead end; use them long time You can’t, they become quickly addictive and a person can no longer sleep without the pills. What should a person who suffers from insomnia do?

To overcome insomnia, every person must begin to follow the basic rules and conditions for healthy sleep:

Folk remedies

Folk remedies are quite effective, they help people treat insomnia at home, they are safe (unlike medications) and time-tested, and are not addictive. It is best to buy herbal infusions at a pharmacy, as the plants are collected in environmentally friendly places.

Physical exercise

As you know, sport strengthens the human nervous system. Moderate physical activity, swimming, yoga, Pilates, and stretching are recommended for people with sleep disorders.

Relax and remove the consequences nervous tension and stress will help a few simple physical exercise, as well as special breathing exercises that can be done at home.

Sleeping pills

Insomnia requires long-term treatment.

Very often, people suffering from sleep disorders do not know which doctor to see. In Russia, it is not customary to go to see a psychiatrist or psychoanalyst, so most often sick people turn to a neurologist. The most FAQ and complaints from patients at an appointment with a neurologist: “How to deal with insomnia?”, “How to get rid of insomnia?”, “How to fall asleep with insomnia?”.

Sleeping pills are prescribed in cases where sleep disturbances are severe and chronic, and no other means help cope with insomnia. The patient comes to the doctor when he himself cannot cope with the symptoms of a sleep disorder, he does not know what to do, he is tormented by terrible dreams, and traditional medicine does not help him.

When taking sleeping pills, the patient must understand that they only relieve symptoms for a while, but do not fight the cause of insomnia. A person suffering from insomnia should contact clinical psychologist, which will help you choose other treatment methods.

Sleeping pills are prescribed very short course, no more than 1 week, it is best not to drink them every night, the dose of the drug should be minimal, but effective. Medicines very often cause drowsiness during the day, a feeling of " hangover syndrome"and severe physical dependence.

Among the most common sleeping pills are the group of benzodiazepines (phenazepam, temazepam, lormetazepam, seduxen). Drugs in this group calm, eliminate anxiety, and normalize sleep.

Z-drugs are also prescribed - these are new drugs whose action is similar to the action of benzodiazapine drugs (zopiclone, zolpidem, zaleplon). Z-drugs have a good relaxing and anticonvulsant effect, help shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, reduce the number of awakenings at night, and do not accumulate in the body with repeated doses.

You should not use sleeping pills if you have a hangover or after binge drinking. Alcohol and sleeping pills are not compatible; this can lead to serious consequences, including coma and death!

Circadin is a drug based on melatonin, prescribed to elderly people and can be used for several weeks, anti-stress drug, adaptogen, normalizes circadian rhythms. Circadin is recommended for people who suffer from chronic insomnia, they often change time zones and cannot fall asleep quickly after long flights. Medicines from these groups cannot be used independently, on the advice of a best friend or mother. Medications should only be prescribed by a doctor; you cannot buy them at a pharmacy on the recommendation of a pharmacist or pharmacist, even if some of them are available at a pharmacy without a prescription.

If insomnia is a symptom of depression or neurosis, then a psychiatrist and psychotherapist will help the patient and answer the questions “How to deal with insomnia?” how to get rid of insomnia?”, “What to do if you suffer from insomnia?

Few people know how to overcome insomnia without medications. Sleep is important for the body, and its disturbances lead to major health problems. The reasons may be very different, but you don’t always want to use medications, since they also have negative impact on the body. The problem is solved with the help of means traditional medicine, as well as others effective methods.

Insomnia is a disorder that can be periodic or chronic.

The main indicators of insomnia are:

1. It takes a long time to fall asleep. At the same time, you may feel very tired.
2. Restless sleep. If you wake up more than twice during the night, this is an alarming sign. Also the absence deep sleep when dream and reality are confused in the mind.
3. Bad condition during the day, lack of energy, desire to sleep.
4. Regularly falling asleep with the help of medications or alcohol. A sleep pill can be addictive, and alcohol is simply an enemy to health.

Insomnia can be chronic or intermittent. At chronic insomnia problems arise every day over a long period. The reason may also be chronic diseases, especially nervous system. In this case, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will identify the root cause and help adjust the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness.

With periodic insomnia, problems occur two to three times a week, and so on several times a month. If you can’t fall asleep less often, then it’s just a temporary sleep disorder. How to get rid of insomnia at night if it torments you constantly and not from time to time? You don’t have to swallow handfuls to do this. sedatives.

To combat the inability to sleep, you must first know for sure that you do not just have a disorder due to have a hard day or drinking a cup of coffee. It is important to be able to distinguish real insomnia from such problems, which can threaten health and lead to depression.

The causes and treatment of insomnia can vary.

There are several main reasons that contribute to insomnia:

In addition to the main causes, insomnia can indicate serious problems in the body.

With insomnia, it is important to correctly and timely identify the cause, then it will be easier to deal with the consequences. If sleep disturbances arise from stress, you should change your rhythm of life a little, and if you drink a lot of coffee, stop drinking it at least in the evenings.

The first remedy for insomnia is proper sleep organization.

Sometimes, in order to sleep well, you need to change your habits a little:

By following just a few useful and simple tips, you can forget about the manifestations of insomnia. The main thing is to accustom the body to a certain sleep pattern in calm conditions.

Often we can't sleep because we're doing it wrong. Bright lights, TV noise, a cup of coffee and a heavy dinner do not help healthy sleep.

How to get rid of insomnia without drugs? More than one generation of people has been asking themselves this question. That’s why many methods have been developed.

Among them:

Of course, that's not all folk recipes, but the most effective. Elecampane root and chamomile are also used. The main thing is not to get too carried away. A large number of herbal teas will cause reverse effect- you will not be able to sleep due to the frequent desire to go to the toilet.

Few people want to take pills, especially if they are addictive. Therefore, infusions and herbal teas can be a great alternative and help overcome insomnia.

When the question arises of how to overcome insomnia without medications, many people remember the ancient method of counting sheep.

There are a lot no less effective options:

It is advisable not to read or watch horror films, and also try not to think about the problems that tormented you during the day. Try not to stay on the Internet or watch TV until late. This causes the brain to become overactive, which disrupts the process of falling asleep.

Yoga, meditation and walks along the evening street in silence, without unnecessary thoughts - this is an excellent option for putting the body in order and good sleep during the night.

The modern pace of life puts stress on many people. Therefore, cases of insomnia have become more frequent and younger people have become significantly younger.

At the same time, everyone understands the harm from medicines, some of which should not be taken when driving. How to deal with insomnia without medications? If insomnia is not a consequence serious illness, then sleep can be completely improved without medications.

Insomnia is one of the most severe consequences anxiety and the depression it causes. Some people have difficulty falling asleep (this type of insomnia is usually associated with anxiety), while others wake up constantly (early morning insomnia is associated with both anxiety and depression). Usually, when the symptoms of anxiety and depression are alleviated as a result of treatment, insomnia also subsides and the person rests better during sleep.

However, there are a number of cognitive behavioral techniques aimed at working directly with insomnia. However, before you begin, you need to gather basic information about your sleep habits. This will give you the opportunity to evaluate subsequent changes.

First, let's discuss sleeping pills. Most often, sleep problems are associated with various factors affecting your circadian rhythms, that is, hormonal changes, which affect the feeling of drowsiness and alertness. It is very important that these rhythms are maintained naturally. Therefore, for the cognitive-behavioral approach to be fully effective, you need to try to stop taking any type of sleeping pills. These medications artificially change your circadian rhythm, so they will interfere with the techniques described below. In fact, research shows that cognitive behavioral therapy is much more effective at treating insomnia than sleeping pills. (Pills usually only help for a short time.)

Before you give up medical supplies, consult your doctor.

Stick to a sleep schedule. Try to organize your life in such a way that you go to bed and get up at approximately the same time. This means that you will need to go to bed and get up regardless of how tired you feel.

Don't sleep during the day. Sleeping during the day is pleasant and seems to help restore strength, but nap disrupts circadian rhythms. You need to train your brain to fall asleep and wake up at a certain time. Therefore, avoid daytime naps.

In bed - just sleep. Insomnia is often triggered by nervous stimulation that occurs right before sleep while you are lying in bed. Many people who have trouble sleeping are in bed reading, watching TV, talking on the phone, or just lying around and worrying about everything in the world. As a result, an association of going to bed with worries and anxiety arises. Therefore, it is important to use the bed exclusively for sleeping. Read and talk on the phone in another room. Don't answer calls if you've already gone to bed.

Try to avoid nervous excitement an hour before going to bed. Try not to argue or take on difficult tasks close to bedtime. You don't need to agitate yourself. An hour before bedtime, arrange a quiet time for yourself. Do something relaxing or boring. Avoid physical activity at that time.

Organize your “worry time” and to-do list in advance. Insomnia is usually associated with excessive mental activity. You just think too much before going to bed. Perhaps you're lying in bed, thinking about what you need to do tomorrow, or thinking about what happened during the day. Set aside time to worry at least three hours before you go to bed. Write down your experiences, ask yourself what productive actions you need to take, make a to-do list, plan tomorrow and the coming week, accept your limitations (you won’t be able to do everything, some things won’t work out perfectly, there will always be some uncertainty). If you're lying in bed at night worrying about everything, get up, write down what you're worrying about, and put off thinking about it until tomorrow. You don't need to know all the answers right now.

Express your feelings. Sometimes insomnia is associated with accumulated emotions and feelings that bother you. It is useful to set aside “feeling time” a few hours before going to bed - and write down everything you feel. For example: “Today I felt anxious and angry because of what Bill said.” Try to list as many points as possible. Try to justify them. Have compassion for yourself, assert your right to emotions, and accept that sometimes you can feel anxious. And then put it all aside. Do this exercise at least three hours before going to bed.

Drink as little as possible before bed. The need to urinate often prevents us from sleeping. bladder. In the evening, do not consume foods containing caffeine, heavy, fatty, sweet food, alcohol, etc. If necessary, consult a nutritionist and create a diet that will promote healthy sleep.

Get out of bed if you can't sleep. If you lie awake for more than 15 minutes, get up and move to another room. Write down your negative thoughts and rational answers to them. This is what usually comes to people’s minds before going to bed: “I won’t get enough sleep”; “If I don’t get enough sleep, I won’t be able to function normally during the day”; “I need to sleep right now” and “I’m going to get sick because I don’t sleep enough.” Lack of sleep will likely leave you feeling tired and irritable. This is, of course, unpleasant, but not catastrophic.

Don't try to force yourself to sleep. This will only make you upset and worry even more. It's much healthier to stop trying to sleep; Oddly enough, this works much better. You can tell yourself, “I’ll stop trying to sleep and just focus on relaxing my body.”

Practice repeating thoughts that bother you. Any frightening situation or thought will become boring if you scroll it through your head often enough. You can repeat it slowly disturbing thought a hundred times while watching her. Imagine that you are a zombie and can only think about one thing. Don't try to calm yourself down and repeat the thought slowly.

Get rid of protective behavior. To combat sleep-related anxiety, you may have resorted to superstitious behaviors such as checking the door is closed, counting, not moving, or repeating orders to yourself such as “Stop worrying!” Try to become aware of this behavior and get rid of it. If possible, make sure the clock is not visible from the bed. Or let whatever comes to your mind just be, don't try to control anything.

Challenge your negative thoughts. The process of going to sleep is complicated by the fact that a whole range of emotions associated with it appears in your mind. These thoughts prevent you from sleeping. If you doubt their justice, their power over you will weaken. Here are some examples of typical thoughts of an insomniac, along with reasonable responses to them.

• Negative thought: “I need to sleep right now, otherwise I won’t be able to do anything tomorrow.”
• Rational answer: “There is no urgency. I used to do pretty well even when I didn't get enough sleep. I will feel tired - it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant, but still not the end of the world.”
• Negative thought: “Such insomnia is not normal. There's something wrong with me."
• Rational answer: “Unfortunately, insomnia is a fairly common phenomenon. It happens to almost everyone. It doesn't make me a bad person."
• Negative thought: “I could force myself to sleep by willpower if I really wanted to.”
• Rational answer: “Trying to force yourself to sleep never works. Because of them, anxiety increases, and with it insomnia. Better stop trying and let yourself Not sleep. And then try to relax a little."
• Negative thought: “When I wake up, I need to remember everything that I’m thinking about right now.”
• Rational answer: “If the thought is really worthwhile, I can get up, write it down and go back to bed. But the details will wait until tomorrow.”
• Negative thought: “I never get enough sleep.”
• Rational thought: “This is probably what most people think. Yes, it is inconvenient and unpleasant. But not the end of the world."

It will take some time - perhaps several weeks - to feel progress. Since your habit is restless sleep also did not form immediately, you will not be able to get rid of it quickly. So don't expect instant results.

Sleep restriction therapy: a powerful alternative

There is also a more drastic approach to treating insomnia, which is sometimes also effective. It involves sleep restriction and is based on the idea that you need to retrain your brain to restore your circadian rhythm. This is more difficult than the program described above, but sometimes works better. To establish a regular rhythm of day and night, bright light is used. Quantity sunlight can be controlled using blinds and curtains, powerful lamps (there are even special lamps for these purposes).

Sleep restriction therapy involves following the following steps.

1. Don't sleep for 24 hours. The first step is quite difficult. After it, some people feel exhausted. But it will help you restore your circadian rhythms. If you can't force yourself to stay awake for 24 hours, move on to step two.

2. Sleep for as little time as possible at first. What was the minimum sleep time for last week? If it’s four hours, sleep that long to begin with, no matter how tired you are. If you plan to get up at seven in the morning, go to bed at three in the morning.

3. Gradually increase your sleep time. Add 15 minutes to your bedtime every night. For example, if on the first day you go to bed at three in the morning, the next day you go to bed at 2:45, then at 2:30.

4. Don't require yourself to get eight hours of sleep. Many of us don't necessarily need eight hours of sleep. It's important that you get enough sleep to feel more alert and alert during the day.

Although many people find sleep restriction therapy difficult, it can be very effective. Once you complete it, you can continue using the 12 steps above to maintain healthy sleep.

Happens to each of us sleepless nights. However, it is important to develop healthy habits. Improving your sleep quality can help you cope with anxiety and depression.

Method without pills. More effective than sleeping pills. Approved by experts

Our 4-week plan will help you improve your sleep without taking a single pill!

If a person does not suffer from sleep disorders, then the question “how do you manage to fall asleep in the evening?” will confuse him. He simply closes his eyes and falls into deep sleep, there are no secrets here, everything happens by itself! But ask the same question to those who suffer from insomnia, and you will receive a lot of advice: a new comfortable pillow, warm milk, hot bath, sex, aroma oils, Herb tea And How last resort- a couple of sleeping pills.

The difficulty is this: even if sleeping pills help, they cannot be called a solution to the problem. Previously it was believed that only long-term use drugs leads to negative effects. But a study conducted in the United States in early 2012 forced doctors and patients to sharply reconsider their attitude towards sleeping pills. It turned out that by taking pills just 2 times a month, we quadruple the risk of early death when compared with those who fall asleep without the help of medications. Considering that about 9 million prescriptions for sleeping pills are written every year in the United States alone, a serious scandal erupted.

Thousands of patients have called their doctors to find out whether taking a few pills a month is really putting their lives at risk. mortal danger? In Russia, in such a situation, few people go to the doctor, many drugs are sold without any prescriptions, and there are simply no official statistics on what percentage of the population suffers from serious sleep disorders.

But there is no doubt: the number of people taking sleeping pills in our country is no lower. Are they all at risk?

While doctors debate whether sleeping pills can cause permanent damage to the body and which ones are the most “harmless”, we offer a four-week plan that will help you change your daily habits and get rid of problems falling asleep. And all this without a single pill!

This approach will not only allow you to restore a full night’s sleep, but will also teach you how to cope with the problem yourself if at some point in your life you experience insomnia again.

Many people these days are accustomed to not getting enough sleep. It seems that everyone knows about the need for proper rest, but who has time for this now? If you can change your attitude towards sleep and your habits, you can cope with insomnia without any medication. At first glance, this approach seems very simple, but this does not make it any less effective.

Psychologists believe that behavioral correction in the treatment of sleep disorders helps in approximately 80% of cases. She might be the same in an effective way, like taking sleeping pills regularly, but without a single side effect.

WHO IS STEALING YOUR SLEEP?

These simple lifestyle changes will help you sleep longer and better:

• Moderate physical activity 3−6 hours before bedtime helps good rest at night. Later workouts, on the contrary, can interfere with sleep.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, cola) in the afternoon.
• Alcohol can help you relax and fall asleep, but such sleep will be more interrupted in the second half of the night and may also cause you to wake up too early.
• Make sure your bed is comfortable and your bedroom is dark, quiet and not too hot.
• Do you suffer from digestive disorders? Don't eat before bed, avoid fatty and spicy food, which may cause problems.

First week (days 1−7)

Keep a sleep diary

Take a few minutes every morning to remember and write down all the details about how you slept that night. This will help you get an overall picture of how you are feeling and understand what exactly needs to be changed. Be sure to include in your diary:

• Day of the week and date.
• The time you went to bed...
• ...and turned off the lights.
• How soon you were able to fall asleep - just indicate approximate time within half an hour.
• How many times and for how long did you wake up during the night?
• How long were you awake after each awakening? Just don’t look at your watch every time; again, indicate the approximate time.
• Any sleeping pills you have taken.
• Rate your sleep quality on a five-point scale - from 1 (you slept well) to 5 (you slept very poorly).

At the end of the week, calculate how many nights you slept normally, and how many nights you suffered while waiting for sleep, how often you woke up, how long it took you to fall asleep again. These data can be considered an approximate picture of your sleep.

Second week (8−14)

Adjust your habits

Many doctors are sure: the problems of most patients begin with the emergence of a clear associative connection between being in bed and being awake (after all, they spend so many hours without sleep), while the normal association is “bed - sleep.” This week you need to take two very important steps.

1. Change your environment so that you again associate your bed with relaxation and a good night's sleep.
2. Improve sleep quality. Those who complain of insomnia most often spend a lot of time in bed, but they spend much more time lying down reading or watching TV than sleeping. If you went to bed at 23:00 and got up at 7:00, but slept only 6 hours, then your sleep quality is only 75%.

Here's what you can do to correct the situation:

• Based on your journal entries from the previous week, calculate how many hours you slept each night on average. Add 1 hour to this figure and you get the time you can afford to spend in bed during the night. Adjust your bedtime and wake-up times based on these calculations: either go to bed an hour earlier or wake up an hour later.
• Get up at the same time every morning, no matter how much sleep you have had at night. After the alarm rings, get up immediately, no matter how much you want to lie down some more.
• Before going to bed, you can read in bed for a maximum of 30 minutes. Don't allow yourself to lie awake for any longer, be it in the evening, early morning or even in the middle of the night. If after half an hour you were unable to fall asleep or you woke up in the middle of the night, get up, go to another room or to the kitchen, drink water or warm milk, read a book, watch TV until you feel sleepy.
• In the evening, turn off the lights only when you really want to sleep. If it's already midnight and you can't sleep, read in another room until you feel sleepy.
• Don't fall asleep with the lights on or the TV on.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex. You can read a little or watch TV, but just don't work on the computer or talk on the phone.
• If desired and possible, you can lie down during the day, but no later than 15:00 and no more than 45 minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SLEEP CYCLES Our sleep consists of approximately 4-6 one and a half hour cycles during one night. Each cycle consists of 4 phases slow sleep, which are replaced by a phase REM sleep. It is believed that sleep in the second half of the night is more shallow, so there is a greater chance of waking up at this time.

• During the slow-wave sleep phase, our body rests best, and most parts of the brain shut down. There are 4 stages of slow-wave sleep. During the first stage, we sleep superficially, the muscles gradually relax, and the eyes move more and more slowly. By the second stage, the muscles completely relax and brain activity noticeably decreases. Stages three and four correspond to deep sleep and are the hardest times to wake up from. It is the lack of deep sleep that creates the feeling of exhaustion the next day.
• During REM sleep, all our muscles are stationary, except for the muscles of the eyes (they move quickly) and the muscles of the diaphragm (they are responsible for our breathing).

Third week (15−21)

Change your way of thinking

Often people become very worried about not getting enough sleep and become obsessed with trying to get better sleep. As a result, tension only increases, and falling asleep in such a situation becomes increasingly difficult.

Here are some of the most common misconceptions about sleep: To feel energetic and healthy, I need 8 hours of sleep a day. This is not so, and it is very individual: for some, 6 hours of sleep is quite enough, but for others, 9 hours is not enough. A number of studies show that those who sleep an average of 7 hours a night live the longest.

I have “bad” nights - when I can’t fall asleep for a minute.

This is unlikely. When people suffering from insomnia are examined special laboratories, it turns out that they overestimated the time it takes them to fall asleep by about half an hour, and underestimated the time they actually slept by an hour, on average.

After a sleepless night, I am unable to function normally during the day.

This is also not true. Research shows that most people cope with daily responsibilities quite well, even if they slept a third less than usual the night before. If you do fall asleep at night and at least briefly enter the slow-wave sleep phase, then your daytime activity does not suffer.

I haven't slept for weeks.

And this is unlikely. Many people have sleepless nights from time to time, but not periods of “pure insomnia.” This is generally a very rare case.

Try to change your attitude towards the problem of your “insomnia”, this will help reduce the level of stress with which you are trying to solve it. As a result, you will sleep much better.

what prevents you from sleeping?

Insomnia can be caused by physiological disorders of the body.

• Unpleasant sensations in the legs - tingling, trembling, numbness - preventing you from relaxing. In some cases, keeping your feet cool and placing a fan next to your bed is enough. However, if symptoms continue, you should consult a doctor. This may be a sign of iron deficiency in the body. In addition, a number of medications cause these types of side effects.
• Menopause and associated hot flashes. This is a fairly common cause of insomnia. Try to keep the bedroom cool and ventilate the room before going to bed. Sleep in light underwear made from natural materials, avoid heavy and too warm blankets. If this doesn't help, talk to your doctor about hormone replacement therapy.
• Apnea is a short-term breathing disorder that can occur hundreds of times a night, causing you to wake up gasping for air. Signs of nocturnal breathing problems may include loud snoring and uncontrollable sleepiness during the day. Apnea is more common in women after menopause and is potentially dangerous to health, as it can lead to increased blood pressure. Be sure to consult your doctor.

Fourth week (22−28)

Learn to relax

The main enemy of restful sleep is stress. Everything is explained quite simply: high level stress forces the body to produce hormones that mobilize us and force us to tense up. Research shows that even at night, these hormones can be released, making it difficult to relax and unwind. The best decision- master relaxation techniques. It has been experimentally proven that during deep relaxation the human body works in approximately the same way as in the first stage of sleep: we balance on the brink of drowsiness and wakefulness.

Try to find a relaxation method that works for you and practice this technique for 10 minutes every day for an entire week. You shouldn't start learning how to relax just before going to bed or after waking up at night. Start by practicing your technique and basic skills during the day.

Here are some exercises that can help you learn to completely relax:

• Gradual muscle relaxation. Find a secluded, warm and quiet place, sit or lie comfortably. Start with your toes - focus all your attention on them, then mentally walk down your feet to your ankles, do deep breath, tighten calf muscles and stay in this position for 10 seconds. Relax for 15 seconds and exhale slowly. Then move to your knees and hips, while inhaling, concentrate on this muscle group and exhale slowly. So - gradually and slowly - walk throughout the body from the feet to the head.
• Deep breathing with concentration. Also, sit comfortably in a secluded place, sitting or lying down. Inhale deeply and slowly through your nose, allowing chest and the diaphragm rises. Place your hand on your stomach and feel how it fills with air. Then exhale slowly. As you exhale, you can repeat soothing words to yourself or imagine some calming and pleasant images.

What to do with sleeping pills Millions of people around the world take sleep medications every day. But, according to most doctors, sleeping pills do not cure insomnia, but only help get rid of unpleasant symptoms. Here are the results of a study conducted last year in the US at the National Institutes of Health: after taking sleeping pills, people fell asleep only 12 minutes faster and slept 11 minutes longer than those who tossed and turned, trying to sleep without medication.