Why does an adult have poor sleep at night? What to do if you have trouble sleeping at night

Sleep disturbance is a type of disorder that has many causes. Moreover, different age categories have their own differences in the course of this pathology. The manifestation of this condition can be episodic, but there are also regular unhealthy conditions. According to statistics, at least 10% of people have sleep disorders.

Types of sleep disorders

This unhealthy condition is represented in the medical classification by several types, which fully characterize the pathology from different aspects. Types of violations include:

• Insomnia . In such a state, it is difficult for a person to fall asleep, but if he manages to do this, then the sleep is short and sensitive. The disorder develops against the backdrop of the body’s reaction to a poor psychological state. It can be situational, that is, a person restores his mental balance, and sleep gradually becomes healthy. Insomnia is treated by a psychotherapist.
• Hypersomnia . The body needs long-term sleep - 12-20 hours a day, and even long sleep does not give a feeling of vigor. Occurs in people with or under severe stress. There are different subtypes of hypersomnia - narcolepsy, post-traumatic syndrome, idiopathic.
• Parasomnia . There are disruptions in sleep phases and regular awakenings during the night. Associated with reasons such as (), sleepwalking, nocturnal epileptic seizures, night terrors, painful erections in men, etc.

These types of sleep disorders are found everywhere and can be caused by both everyday and situational reasons, when work disrupts your sleep schedule, or drinking coffee prevents you from falling asleep, or by more serious reasons - diseases of various etiologies.

Causes and treatment of sleep disorders in adults

In adults - both men and women - sleep disturbance is explained by the following factors:

• Increased emotionality . As a result of strong emotions, such as strong outbursts of anger and the accumulation of negative emotions, the nervous system is exhausted, and this causes problems with sleep.
• Regular use of psychostimulants and psychoactive substances – these are drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee, strong tea, energy drinks, as well as constant use of alcohol and drugs. These drugs excite the nervous system, making it difficult to fall asleep.
• Taking medications regularly , for example, hormonal, dietary or antitussive;
• Difficult life circumstances . For example, unexpected dismissal from work, divorce, illness of a loved one, etc.
• Unbalanced psychological state . It occurs against a background of regular and prolonged stress, neuroses, hysterics, and depression.
• Hormonal imbalance in women . During the menstrual cycle, the level of female sex hormones - estrogen and progesterone - fluctuates, which affects poor sleep. In addition, during menopause, their reserves sharply decrease, so good sleep is disrupted.
• Uncomfortable conditions . If light leaks into the bedroom, the body “thinks” it needs to wake up. The fact is that in the dark, the production of melatonin is activated - a hormone of the pineal gland, which causes and reduces body temperature. It is equally important to maintain a lower temperature in the bedroom - approximately 18 °C.
• Serious illnesses – from mental and nervous pathologies to problems with the endocrine and respiratory systems. Often, a violation of this type occurs in chronic infectious and viral diseases, for example, AIDS. There are frequent cases of sleep problems due to malignant tumors and post-traumatic damage to areas of the brain.

To determine the causes, diagnostic measures are taken. This is especially true for long-term manifestations of a pathological condition leading to chronic fatigue, decreased performance and attention. In such cases, laboratory diagnostics (tests) and hardware diagnostics (tomography, ECG, EEG) are required.

Treatment is determined by the doctor who diagnosed you. The most common categories of drugs in prescriptions for sleep disorders in adults are sedatives, hypnotics, or drugs that target the underlying cause.

If the root cause is a household or situational factor, then doctors recommend taking the habit of organizing the process of preparing for bed. And they do it in such a way that its repetition at the subconscious level works. This is the same option called the “nightly ritual.” This could be drinking a glass of warm milk, counting from 300 to 0, thoroughly combing your hair, and so on. That is, creating a factor that will calm you down and become a habit.

Water procedures that allow the body to relax will help cope with poor sleep. So, before going to bed, you can take a hot shower or bath.

In this category of women, sleep disturbance is associated with physiological as well as psychological metamorphoses. Hormonal levels change, the body acquires a new status and gradually changes - all this involuntarily causes problems with falling asleep in women in this position. Some doctors even believe that this can be regarded as one of the “symptoms” of pregnancy, since there is a sharp increase in progesterone, affecting the quality of sleep.

Not only physiology, but also psychological factors lead to sleep disturbances in pregnant women. New emotions and fears usually cause sleep disturbances. It has been proven that depression in pregnant women often goes along with sleep disturbances.

Treatment with strong drugs is not possible here due to the risk of harming the fetus. But you can’t self-medicate either. It is impossible to wait out such a period, especially if it drags on, since a state of chronic fatigue can lead to irreversible consequences for the child.

Sleep disturbance in pregnant women is treated with mild sedatives, which the doctor selects based on the situation.

Why do children and infants sleep poorly?

As a rule, children experience poor sleep due to emotional overload. First of all, they mean those that are caused by changes in diet, sleep patterns or environment. This reason is quite common and is not always visible to adults. In such cases, the help of parents and work with a psychologist are necessary. As the child adapts to the conditions that have arisen, sleep will be restored.

Here are other reasons why children have trouble sleeping:

• Parents do not adhere to a single correct daily routine, which should include going to bed at the same time.
• Parents do not spend the right amount of time with their children, so in the evening they become increasingly anxious that they will have to leave them for the night. This often gives rise to the desire to sleep with parents.
• The child has developed the habit of going to bed late, staying up late watching TV, playing games, etc.
• There is an internal predisposition to late sleep.

In infants, sleep disturbance may be associated with physiological changes or features:

• teeth are being cut;
• colic in the abdomen;
• uncomfortable sleeping position;
• uncomfortable bed.

But often restless sleep is caused by pathological processes within the body or mental illness. For symptoms such as nightmares, asthma attacks, enuresis, sleepwalking, bruxism (teeth grinding), contact your pediatrician. This is especially important when choosing appropriate medications, since the wrong dosage will lead to deterioration in health. Treatment is prescribed based on the cause.

Sleep disturbance in older people

In older people, sleep disturbance is most often associated with the fact that insufficient blood flows to the brain. In essence, this is how the lack of oxygen in the body is expressed. This is also due to problems with the following systems:

• respiratory;
• mental;
• cardiovascular;
• endocrine;
• nervous.

Against the background of such complications, the following types of sleep disorders may occur:

• Transient insomnia when a person experiences stressful circumstances.
• Chronic insomnia , which is the result of changes in the brain and nerve tissue due to aging.
• Restless legs syndrome when, when falling asleep, a feeling of “running goosebumps” occurs in the legs.
• Limb movement syndrome , in which the big toe bends, partial or full flexion appears in the knees or hip.

In such cases, in addition to the root cause, it is necessary to carefully consider the treatment regimen for the pathology. Older people are also recommended to create healthy habits that will program the subconscious to go to bed correctly.

Often, sleep disturbance is due to the fact that older people simply have nothing to do and do not have muscle fatigue. Other causes include drinking invigorating drinks, smoking, alcohol, and medications. All these factors can significantly increase insomnia or disrupt the sleep-wake pattern.

The following steps will help you solve the problem:

• Make it a habit to leave the bedroom immediately after waking up, which should be associated only with sleep.
• Start your morning with exercise.
• Maintain a daily routine, trying to wake up and fall asleep at the same time.
• Take daily walks.
• Located in the fresh air under favorable weather conditions. Ideally, this is best done in the morning and evening before bed.
• Minimize daytime naps.

Drugs for the treatment of sleep disorders

Basically, all drugs that affect the process of falling asleep are divided into several types:

Sedatives

These are anti-anxiety medications that are a lighter option and address unhealthy emotional states or feelings of stress. These include:

• Novo-Passit
• Valocordin
• Corvalol
• Valerian tincture or tablets
• Motherwort tincture or tablets
• Dormiplant
• Persen

Sleeping pills

If sedatives do not help, then sleeping pills are prescribed. But here you should be extremely careful, since long-term use of such drugs leads to addiction.

The following types of sleeping pills are distinguished:

• Barbiturates (Seconal, Nembutal)
• Benzodiazepines (Diazepam, Clonazepam)

They can only be taken with a doctor’s prescription, since with incorrect dosages or taken with other drugs, many complications are possible, including death.

Homeopathic

They are popular because they cause the least harm to the body. They are not addictive and contain, as a rule, minimal doses of the active substance. The most popular dietary supplements:

• Dormicum
• Halcyon
• Xanax
• Kassadan
• Nozepam
• Tazepam
• Frontin

Important! If you have sleep disturbances, it is better to use those drugs that have a short duration of action. That is, they should help you fall asleep quickly, and the process of waking up is already regulated by your body.

Traditional methods against poor sleep

Some folk techniques will help increase the ability to fall asleep quickly:

• Fill the pillow with rose petals, mint leaves, laurel leaves, nuts, geranium or fern, and pine needles.
• Before going to bed, drink a glass of: warm water + 1 tbsp. l. honey; warm milk + cinnamon + honey.
• 20 minutes before meals, drink up to half a glass of hop cone tincture 3 times a day. The product is prepared as follows: 2 tbsp. l. crushed cones, pour 500 ml of boiling water, leave the product for 60 minutes and filter.

Video: What is the cause of sleep disturbance?

In the following video, a specialist will tell you what causes sleep disturbances:

Before starting self-treatment, consult your doctor. Often, the wrong use of a drug or the wrong remedy for treating a pathology leads to the fact that the disorder only gets worse. Moreover, if the cause of the condition is not treated, then health will deteriorate. And long-term use of drugs leads to the fact that the body gets used to the active components. The result is a pathological condition that can take years to cure.

Next article.

We strongly recommend that everyone maintain a sufficient level of nightly rest throughout their lives in order to enjoy the allotted time to the fullest and not go into another world earlier than expected. Unfortunately, sometimes the desire to sleep is not enough. Sometimes a person simply cannot fall asleep or achieve satisfactory quality of sleep due to his disorders, which we want to tell you about.

1. Insomnia

Insomnia, also known as insomnia, is an extremely indiscriminate and widespread sleep disorder that occurs in people of all ages. Characterized by insufficient duration and/or poor quality of sleep, occurring on a regular basis over a long period of time (from three times a week for a month or two).

Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock.com

Causes. Stress, side effects of medications, anxiety or depression, alcohol abuse, drug use, disruption of circadian rhythms due to shift work schedules, somatic and neurological diseases, constant overwork, poor sleep hygiene and its unfavorable conditions (stale air, external noise, excess illumination).

Symptoms. Difficulty falling and staying asleep, concern about sleep deprivation and its consequences, decreased mental and physical performance, and decreased social functioning.

Treatment. Diagnosing the cause of a sleep disorder is the first step to getting rid of insomnia. To identify the problem, a comprehensive examination may be necessary, ranging from a medical examination to polysomnography (registration of the parameters of a sleeping person with special computer programs).

Although it’s worth starting with things that have long been tested by time and many people: giving up naps during the day, controlling overeating in the evening, following a precise daily bedtime schedule, ventilating and curtaining the room, light physical activity before bed, avoiding mental stimulation from games and TV , books, taking a cool shower before bed.

If the measures taken are unsuccessful, the help of a psychologist may be required, treatment of the underlying somatic or neurological disease as prescribed by the doctor.

2. Restless legs syndrome

RLS is a neurological disease characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and manifests itself during a calm state, usually in the evening and at night. It occurs in all age groups, but mainly in people of the middle and older generations, and 1.5 times more often in women.

Causes. There are primary (idiopathic) and secondary (symptomatic) RLS. The first occurs in the absence of any neurological or somatic disease and is associated with heredity, and the second can be caused by a deficiency of iron, magnesium, folic acid, thiamine or B vitamins in the body, diseases of the thyroid gland, as well as uremia, diabetes mellitus, chronic lung diseases, alcoholism and many other diseases.

Symptoms. Unpleasant sensations in the lower extremities of an itching, scraping, stabbing, bursting or pressing nature, as well as the illusion of “crawling goosebumps”. To get rid of difficult sensations, a person is forced to shake or stand on his feet, rub and massage them.

Treatment. First of all, treatment is aimed at correcting the primary disease or replenishing the detected deficiency of elements beneficial to the body. Non-drug therapy involves avoiding drugs that can increase RLS (for example, antipsychotics, metoclopramide, antidepressants and others), in combination with moderate physical activity during the day, rinsing the feet in warm water or vibrating the feet. Drug therapy may be limited to taking sedative (calming) drugs or develop into a course of drugs from the group of benzodiazepines, dopaminergic drugs, anticonvulsants, opioids.

3. Behavioral disorder of REM sleep

It is a malfunction in the functioning of the central nervous system and is expressed in the physical activity of the sleeper during the REM sleep phase. REM (rapid eye movement) is characterized by increased brain activity, dreams, and paralysis of the human body except for the muscles that control the heartbeat and breathing. With behavioral disorder FBG, the human body acquires abnormal “freedom” of movement. In 90% of cases, the disease affects men, mainly after 50 years of age, although there have also been cases with nine-year-old patients. A fairly rare disease, occurring in 0.5% of the world's population.

Causes. Not known for sure, but there has been an association with various degenerative neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, dementia or Shy-Drager syndrome. In some cases, the disorder is caused by drinking alcohol or taking antidepressants.

Symptoms. Talking or screaming in sleep, active movements of limbs, twisting them, jumping out of bed. Sometimes “attacks” turn into injuries that are received by people sleeping nearby or by the patient himself due to violent blows inflicted on pieces of furniture.

Treatment. The antiepileptic drug Clonazepam helps 90% of patients. In most cases, it is not addictive. If the drug does not work, melatonin is prescribed, a hormone that regulates circadian rhythms.

4. Sleep apnea

Nothing more than a cessation of respiratory movements with a short-term cessation of ventilation of the lungs. Sleep disorder itself is not life-threatening, but it can cause other serious diseases, such as arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, pulmonary hypertension, and obesity.

Causes. Sleep apnea can be caused by narrowing and collapse of the upper airways with characteristic snoring (obstructive sleep apnea) or a lack of “breathing” impulses from the brain to the muscles (central sleep apnea). Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is much more common.

Symptoms. Snoring, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, headaches.

Treatment. One of the most effective methods of treating obstructive sleep apnea is CPAP therapy - continuous provision of positive pressure in the airways using a compressor unit.

Brian Chase/Shutterstock.com

But regular or periodic use of CPAP machines is not suitable for all people, and therefore they agree to surgical removal of some pharyngeal tissue to increase the lumen of the airways. Laser plastic surgery of the soft palate is also popular. Of course, these treatment methods should be prescribed only after a detailed examination of a person’s health.

As an alternative to surgical intervention, it is proposed to use special intraoral devices to maintain clearance in the airways - mouth guards and pacifiers. But, as a rule, they have no positive effect.

As for central sleep apnea, CPAP therapy is also effective here. In addition to it, a verified medicinal treatment is carried out.

We must not forget about prevention, which needs to be addressed as early as possible. For example, it is recommended to stop smoking and drinking alcohol, play sports and lose excess weight, sleep on your side, raise the head of the bed, and practice special breathing exercises that will help strengthen the muscles of the palate and pharynx.

5. Narcolepsy

A disease of the nervous system related to hypersomnia, which is characterized by repeated episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy is very rare and mainly affects young men.

Causes. There is little reliable information, but scientific studies refer to a lack of orexin, a hormone responsible for maintaining a state of wakefulness.

Presumably the disease is hereditary in nature in combination with an external provoking factor, such as viral diseases.

Symptoms. Narcolepsy can manifest itself with one or more symptoms at the same time:

• Daytime attacks of irresistible drowsiness and attacks of sudden falling asleep.
• Cataplexy is a peculiar condition of a person in which he loses muscle tone due to strong emotional shocks of a positive or negative nature. Typically, cataplexy develops rapidly, which leads to a collapse of the relaxed body.
• Hallucinations when falling asleep and waking up, similar to waking dreams, when a person is not yet asleep, but at the same time already feels visual and audio visions.
• Sleep paralysis in the first seconds, and sometimes even minutes after waking up. In this case, the person remains in a clear consciousness, but is able to move only his eyes and eyelids.

Treatment. Modern therapy cannot cope with the disease, but can mitigate its symptoms. Drug treatment involves taking psychostimulants that reduce drowsiness and weaken the symptoms of cataplexy or sleep paralysis.

6. Somnambulism

The disease, better known as sleepwalking or sleepwalking, is characterized by a person's physical activity while he is in a state of sleep. From the outside, sleepwalking may seem quite harmless, because the sleeper can do the most ordinary household chores: cleaning, watching TV, listening to music, drawing, brushing teeth. However, in some cases, a sleepwalker can harm his health or commit violence against a person he accidentally meets. The eyes of a somnambulist are usually open, he is able to navigate in space, answer simple questions, but his actions are still unconscious. Having woken up, the sleepwalker does not remember his nightly adventures.

Causes. Lack or poor quality of sleep, painful or febrile condition, taking certain medications, alcoholism and drug addiction, stress, anxiety, epilepsy.

Symptoms. In addition to normal ambulation and simple operations, sleeping in a sitting position, muttering, and involuntary urination may occur. Often, somnambulists wake up in a place other than where they went to sleep, for example, instead of a bed, on a sofa, armchair, or in the bathroom.

Treatment. Often, people suffering from sleepwalking do not require medication. They are advised to reduce stress levels and maintain sleep hygiene. If the measures taken are insufficient, antidepressants and tranquilizers are prescribed. Treatment using hypnosis is also practiced.

7. Bruxism

Expressed by grinding or knocking of teeth during sleep. The duration of the attack can be measured in minutes and repeated several times a night. Sometimes the sound is so strong that it begins to cause discomfort to people around. But bruxism causes much more harm to the sleeper himself: problems with tooth enamel, gums and jaw joints are aggravated.

Causes. There is no reliable information. Theories regarding the development of bruxism as a result of the presence of worms in the body, exposure to environmental factors, or the need to file teeth have not received scientific confirmation. The most likely causes are stress, mental imbalance, mental fatigue and nervousness. There are frequent cases of bruxism in people with malocclusion.

Symptoms. Morning migraines and headaches, complaints of pain in the facial muscles, temples, jaws, ringing in the ears. With the long-term nature of the disorder, the hard tissue of the teeth is erased and caries develops.

Treatment. Self-relief from stress or psychological consultation. For patients with bruxism, mouth guards are individually made to protect teeth from friction.

Am2 Antonio Battista/Shutterstock.com

8. Night terrors and nightmares

Despite all the unpleasant homogeneity of horrors and nightmares, they are expressed differently during sleep.

Night terrors come in the deep phase of sleep, during which there are almost no dreams, so a person wakes up with a feeling of despair and a sense of disaster, but cannot describe a detailed picture of events.

Nightmares occur during the REM sleep phase, during which dreams occur. A person awakens from difficult emotions, and at the same time he is able to describe the details of what happened.

Anxiety dreams are more common at a young age, with a gradual decrease in frequency as people get older.

Causes. There are several theories about the origin of night terrors and nightmares. For example, a difficult dream may be the result of a previously experienced traumatic event, or it may indicate an impending illness. Often horrors and nightmares arise against a general background of depression and anxiety. It is believed that they also serve as a warning, strengthening a person’s phobias in a dream so that he remains as careful as possible in life.

Some antidepressants and blood pressure medications may cause troublesome dreams.

In movies, games and books, it can play a negative role in the occurrence of horrors and nightmares.

Symptoms. Screams and groans, increased blood pressure and sweating, rapid breathing and heart rate, sudden awakening in fright.

Treatment. Getting rid of stress, acquiring new positive emotions, maintaining sleep hygiene are the first steps to getting rid of night fears and nightmares. In some cases, treatment with a psychotherapist or medication may be necessary.

Have you ever suffered from sleep disorders? What techniques helped you get rid of them?

Reasons for not getting a good night's rest. Symptoms and methods of treatment. Peaceful, healthy sleep is a vital function of the human body, during which psychological processing of daily activities occurs, internal metabolic processes are launched, and self-healing of organs occurs after a hard day of work. Poor sleep at night in an adult a person is an alarming signal that should not be neglected in the interests of one’s own health.

Sleep disturbances are a common phenomenon that occurs at different ages, with each age category having its own causes.

Pathological drowsiness can be a manifestation of hormonal abnormalities, a consequence of somatic diseases, in which a sick person is prevented from sleeping peacefully by an attack of asthma, itching, angina pectoris or increased urination. There can be a huge number of causes for sleep disorders.

What prevents a person from getting enough sleep?

What are the causes of poor sleep in adults? What factors influence restless, sleepless nights? The main causes of restless night sleep:

• external factors: telephone calls, noise from neighbors, light from the street;
• increased emotional background, irritability, outbursts of anger, experiencing difficult life situations (divorce, dismissal, betrayal of friends) - greatly depress the nervous system and provoke sleep problems;
• uncontrolled use of psychotropic stimulants, dietary supplements, hormonal medications;
• poor sleep is guaranteed after alcohol, drugs;
• information boom: modern media and the Internet are replete with an uncontrollable flow of information - nightmares seen the day before can be projected in a dream;
• poor nutrition: in the evening, biorhythms slow down and the gastrointestinal tract finds it difficult to digest heavy foods;
• 24-hour working day, change of time zones;
• poor sleep after training: do not abuse strength training late in the evening, everything should be in moderation, give the body the opportunity to recover.

Forward: Remedies for insomnia without sleeping pills

To easily fall asleep and wake up, take care of comfortable conditions in advance, eliminating the irritant, you will be guaranteed a restful sleep.

What are the dangers of poor sleep? Consequences

The causes of sleep disorders may be temporary. Lack of sleep can occur over three days and is episodic. If sleep disturbance bothers you for more than three weeks, insomnia becomes chronic. Possible consequences:

• the risk of accidents increases;
• appearance deteriorates;
• the body's protective functions decrease;
• irritability and depression appear (how ladies can cope with depression - read the article on how a woman can get out of depression on her own);
• there are problems with memory and concentration;
• the risk of heart disease increases.

A person cannot exist without sleep just like without food, water and oxygen. People who say they don't sleep are mistaken. There is sleep, but it is anxious, intermittent, and there is no charge of vigor after waking up.

How to break the vicious circle and give yourself a relaxing night's rest?

Against the backdrop of health problems, stress, physical and emotional fatigue, abuse of bad habits, each of us asks ourselves the question: “Why do I have bad sleep, why do I often wake up at night? How to enjoy your sleep, waking up rested, full of strength and energy?

Forward: This is how much sleep an adult needs per day

If you suffer from sleep disorders, analyze your daily routine, lifestyle, check what you eat, how healthy the foods are for the body, how often you go for walks in the fresh air. Excessive anxieties and worries do not allow you to relax even during sleep - try to reduce them yourself or by seeking advice from a specialist.

Modern medications are not addictive and normalize the process of falling asleep. Gentle medications stabilize sleep rhythms at night and allow an adult to forget about insomnia. Often, the doctor prescribes a combination of homeopathic treatment, infusions of sedative herbs and general recommendations - everything is individual, depending on the causes of the failure and personal symptoms.

Poor sleep at night can debilitate an adult; our advice will tell you what to do. General recommendations that will help you wake up as an energetic and rested person.

In this publication, I decided to collect and summarize all the material on the traditional treatment of insomnia, which I published on my website. Well, I also made some additives. Taking into account new information. The world does not stand still. People share their work, and this, in turn, helps everyone a lot.

Now briefly about what insomnia is and how it manifests itself.

This is a condition in which a person cannot fall asleep at night; it is also possible that awakenings in the middle of the night are frequent. The sleep is shallow and does not bring any rest.

Insomnia happens randomly

That is, some event provoked a temporary disturbance in the rhythm of sleep. For example, an upcoming trip, or an important meeting. It happens that even a cup of coffee after three o'clock in the afternoon causes persistent insomnia at night. Tea has the same effect on some people. I had such a case. Friends came, and I gave them good green tea at 7 pm. The next day they complained to me that they couldn’t sleep at night until two o’clock.

Particular attention is paid to chronic insomnia

A person can suffer for many years. And it is not necessarily cured. Most often he somehow adapts to sleeping in fits and starts. This is influenced by stress, constant worries, and even nutrition. In addition to the lack of a clear sleep pattern, chronic insomnia can cause heart palpitations and trembling hands. Nerves are on edge and are not resting properly.

Of course, constant lack of sleep negatively affects the daytime well-being of such people. They are often irritated, tired, and suffer from loss of attention and memory. Old people often have morning insomnia. They wake up at four in the morning and that’s it! No sleep. If that's just the case, it's not scary. The main thing is to get at least 6 hours of sleep. Then there is no reason to worry.

How to treat a sleep disorder? First, I will give options for herbal remedies.

Collection No. 1

3 table. spoons of pharmaceutical chamomile, 3 table. spoons of valerian roots, 2 tablespoons. spoons of motherwort grass, 1 table. spoon of hawthorn berries. Per liter of water. Grind everything in a coffee grinder. Brew 4 tablespoons at a time. spoons of mixture. It is best to infuse in a thermos. Leave for six hours, then express and drink warm, half a glass of infusion three times a day before meals. After draining, do not pour into the thermos. Warm before use. Keep refrigerated.

Collection No. 2

3 table. spoons of lemon balm flowers, 2 tablespoons. spoons of calendula flowers, 2 table. spoons of yarrow flowers, 1 table. spoon of oregano flowers. Per liter of water. We also chop herbs, 3 table. Fill spoons of the mixture with boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes on low gas. Next, filter and cool. Take half a glass before each meal.

What juices should I drink?

A mixture of carrot and grapefruit juice has a good effect on sleep.

Take two carrots and one grapefruit. Squeeze the juice out of them and drink a glass every evening half an hour before bed. You should stop eating at least two hours before bedtime.

Celery, beets and cucumber

Take two celery roots, one beet and one cucumber. Squeeze the juice and also drink a glass half an hour before bed.

Milk for insomnia

A glass of warm milk per table is very conducive to good quality sleep. spoon of linden or flower honey. You should also drink it about half an hour before bedtime. The drink calms the nerves, relieves stress and tension. My brother, after I told him about this method, drinks a glass of milk with honey every night before going to bed and sleeps perfectly. But before that, every night was like a struggle...

Herbal bath

Pour boiling water over 2 tablespoons of motherwort herb, 2 tablespoons. spoons of peppermint, 2 tablespoons. spoons of chamomile flowers. Take 2 liters of boiling water. Pour and leave for 6 hours in a dark place or covered with a lid. It is better to wrap yourself in a fur coat or coat.

Before going to bed, take a bath and pour the infusion into it. Lie down for twenty minutes and then go straight to bed. Course 10 baths. But you can do it at least every evening. If only for the benefit!

A bath with the addition of essential oils of frankincense, lavender, bergamot, lemon balm or ylang-ylang helps well with insomnia. Add 7 drops of aromatic oil to the bath and lie in it for about twenty minutes before bed.

Massage

Typically massage the scalp. Apply stroking with fingers in the form of a rake, and also apply rubbing in the same way. Movements during a massage should be measured, gentle, and soothing.

Hop cones

For insomnia, pour two teaspoons of ground hop cones with a glass of boiling water and leave in a thermos for four hours. Then strain and drink the entire infusion in one go. Drink before bed.

Dill seeds

Pour one teaspoon of dill seeds with a glass of boiling water and leave for one hour in a thermos, then strain and drink the entire infusion in one go. I recommend adding another teaspoon of honey to it for taste and also good for calming. You need to drink the infusion before going to bed.

Soothing tea

Buy oregano, St. John's wort, valerian, mint, motherwort at the pharmacy. Pour two tablespoons of all the herbs into a liter jar and brew with hot water. Brew simply like tea. There, in the jar a little later, put three tablespoons of honey.

But add honey when the infusion is no longer hot.. Otherwise, you will kill all the beneficial substances from honey. Before going to bed, drink the entire can within three hours before bed. And you will sleep soundly, deeply and without nightmare experiences.

I believe that these herbs, along with honey, soften the thoughts and mind. They make him calm and peaceful. Headaches and neuroses also disappear. The course of drinking this infusion is fourteen evenings. I think that you will really like it and you will not regret that you started drinking it. I wish you strong and restful dreams!

Let's also look at remedies for insomnia without the use of sleeping pills. You can fall asleep. And you don’t have to take chemical pills at all.

For those of you who developed insomnia due to nerves I advise you to take the following collection.

Take in a one to one ratio: marshweed, heather, motherwort and valerian. Mix the herbs thoroughly and brew one tablespoon of the mixture in a glass of boiling water. Infuse the mixture for about half an hour, then strain. A glass of infusion should be drunk four times. Moreover, it is advisable to leave the largest part for the evening. This infusion remarkably normalizes sleep and calms the nervous system.

Dandelion root drink

Dandelion roots are dug up in spring or autumn, dried, fried until golden brown and ground in a coffee grinder. The powder is brewed like instant coffee.

Drink made from cattail rhizomes

Dry rhizomes are broken and fried until brown in a dry frying pan. Then it is ground in a coffee grinder and brewed like instant coffee.

Infusion of salad overnight

Pour 1 tablespoon of finely chopped lettuce leaves into a glass of boiling water and leave until it cools. Take 1 hour before bedtime for insomnia.

Treatment of sleep disorders, especially the phase of falling asleep, due to increased nervous excitability

Collection infusion: take 1 part of valerian officinalis root, angelica officinalis root, peppermint leaves. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day.

Infusion of the collection: take 2 parts of motherwort pentaloba herb and 1 part each of peppermint leaves, valerian officinalis root, and common hop cones. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day.

Sleep disturbance due to nervous excitement and rapid heartbeat

Collection infusion: take 1 part each of valerian officinalis root, motherwort herb pentaloba, caraway fruit, and fennel fruit. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals. The last dose is 1 hour before bedtime.

Sleep disorder associated with headaches

Collection infusion: take 2 parts of angustifolia fireweed herb and blood-red hawthorn fruit, 1 part each of peppermint leaves and motherwort leaves. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day, the last dose 30 minutes before bedtime.

Infusions are prepared as follows: 1 tbsp. spoon of the mixture per 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 15-20 minutes on the stove (do not boil), then strain.

Herbal pillow

Even kings suffered from insomnia. For example, King George III of England often could not sleep at night. He took a special pillow, which was stuffed with medicinal herbs.

I will now declassify the composition of such a pillow. We will fight the tormenting scourge with soporific herbs. These are hawthorn, valerian, pine needles, mint, rosehip or rose petals, blackcurrant and cherry leaves. I also recommend adding yellow and white sweet clover to your anti-insomnia pillow. This plant, among other things, also helps with headaches. You will wake up refreshed and well-rested in the morning.

Treatment of insomnia with honey

* 1 tbsp. Mix a spoonful of honey and 30 g of lard well and dissolve in a glass of hot cow's (or better yet, goat's) milk. Take orally 2-3 times a day for insomnia.

* For insomnia, it is recommended to drink a glass of honey water before bed (1 tablespoon of honey per 1 glass of boiling water) and apply fresh gruel of finely chopped fresh or pickled cucumbers, rye or wheat bread, sour milk and clay to your forehead. Drink honey water warm, and keep the paste on your forehead for 15-20 minutes.

* For insomnia (a sure companion of hypertension) or restless, anxious sleep, take a glass of pumpkin broth with honey at night. To do this, cut 200 g of pumpkin into pieces, cook over low heat until soft, place on a sieve and cool, then add honey.

* For insomnia, grate horseradish and apply a compress to the calves of the legs for 15-20 minutes before bed, at the same time drink pickled cucumber brine with honey: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey per glass of brine.

History of insomnia treatment

My sister began to get sick often, and mountains of medicine appeared in the house. But apparently they didn’t help much, because there were more and more of them. All diseases are caused by nerves. The nervous system, especially in women, becomes more vulnerable over the years.

Women generally tend to create problems out of nowhere. Then they themselves suffer because of this. My sister started having insomnia about three years ago.. The result is headaches and pressure surges. All this naturally alarmed me, and I decided to find out the reason.

I didn’t succeed right away, but then it just became funny. I don’t want to go into the details of her family life, I’ll just say that she constantly had ridiculous thoughts about her relationship with her husband.

Women! You can’t remain silent for years if something is bothering you! This leads to insomnia, migraines, hypertension, and neuralgia and other diseases. And besides, it does not improve relationships with loved ones at all. It is harmful to keep negative emotions within yourself, accumulating year after year: sooner or later they will manifest themselves on the physical plane.

In general, they were able to sort out the misunderstandings, but the health problems still remained. I started looking for recipes for insomnia with herbs and natural remedies, but it was too late: my sister was thoroughly accustomed to sleeping pills. And they were already ineffective: sleep came for 3-4 hours, and the doses of sleeping pills had to be increased all the time.

Then the doctor prescribed a stronger drug. And then what - drugs?!

I started reading serious literature on medicine and learned a lot of interesting things. It turns out that if a doctor gives a patient the most ordinary syrup or, for example, a lollipop and says that this is a strong cure for his illness, then the patient often recovers.

I bought multivitamins at the pharmacy (bright ones, different colors) and poured them into an empty bottle with a foreign inscription. He gave it to my sister and said that a sleeping pill stronger than this had not yet been invented, and that an acquaintance brought it to me from America. They say that you must take the blue pill in the morning, the red pill in the afternoon, and the yellow pill in the evening. I believed it!

When the vitamins ran out, I began to sleep like the dead, and my blood pressure returned to normal, and the neuralgia went away. My husband, of course, tried all this time to be more attentive and responsive, and is still trying. After all, this is a person who is very dear to him! But the fact remains: the treatment of any disease should begin with the head. As they say, according to thoughts and illness.

A woman's life contains much more trials, stress and troubles. Insomnia is especially difficult. Only a woman can understand when these obsessive thoughts creep into her head and prevent her from falling asleep. They press until the morning, cutting your soul into pieces. What kind of dream is this?

All these chemicals don't help. They only give me a headache. In the morning, feeling overwhelmed and empty after them.

Video - psychological aspects of insomnia

Contents of the article

Sleep disturbance is a problem well known to many. According to statistics, approximately 8-15% of the population of our planet complains of poor sleep, about 9-11% of adults are forced to use sleeping pills. Among older people, these rates are much higher.

Sleep problems occur at any age, but each age category has its own characteristic features. For example, children most often suffer from night terrors and urinary incontinence. Elderly people suffer from pathological drowsiness and insomnia. But it also happens that, having arisen in childhood, a sleep disorder is observed in a person throughout his entire life. So what to do if you can’t sleep or have trouble falling asleep? What do experts think about this?

Causes of sleep disorders

Poor sleep, regardless of the duration, causes a feeling of weakness and fatigue; a person does not have a feeling of morning vigor. All this negatively affects performance, mood and overall well-being. If insomnia is observed for a long time, it leads to serious health problems. Do you often ask yourself the question: “Why do I sleep poorly?” Experts believe that this is caused by a number of reasons, including:

1. Psychotraumatic situations, stress.
2. Diseases of somatic and neurological origin, accompanied by physical discomfort and pain syndromes.
3. Depression and mental illness.
4. The influence of psychoactive substances (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, drugs, psychostimulants).
5. Some medications cause insomnia or light sleep, for example, glucocortiroids, decongestants, antitussives, dietary supplements, and others.
6. Malicious smoking.
7. Brief cessation of breathing during sleep (apnea).
8. Disturbance of physiological (circadian) biorhythms of sleep and wakefulness.

Among the causes of sleep disturbances, experts cite improper functioning of the hypothalamus due to injury or after encephalitis. It is noted that restless sleep is observed among those working on the night shift, as well as with rapid changes in time zones. In adults, sleep disturbance is often associated with a disease such as narcolepsy. In most cases, young men are affected.

Depression is the most common cause of insomnia in the modern world.

If a child complains that he is afraid to sleep at night, you should not brush it off, considering the problem far-fetched or a childish whim. Timely consultation with a competent specialist - a somnologist or psychotherapist will help eliminate the causes associated with sleep disorders and avoid serious health problems in the future.

Problems falling asleep

Doctors most often hear complaints about poor sleep and insomnia from those who have problems falling asleep. But the very concept of “insomnia” from a medical point of view is much broader. If you notice frequent early awakenings or wake up in the middle of the night, feel drowsy or tired in the morning, or suffer from shallow and interrupted sleep, all this indicates that you have a sleep disorder.

When the first signs of sleep changes appear, do not hesitate to consult a doctor. And even more so you need to sound the alarm in the following cases:

• you have trouble falling asleep and notice worse sleep several days a week for one month;
• more and more often you catch yourself thinking: what to do with bad sleep, how to get enough sleep normally, you concentrate on these issues, returning to them again and again;
• Due to unsatisfactory quality and quantity of sleep, you notice deterioration in work and personal life.

Doctors note that those suffering from insomnia are twice as likely to seek medical help and undergo treatment in medical institutions. Therefore, it is not recommended to let the problem take its course. A specialist will quickly identify the causes of poor sleep and insomnia in adults and prescribe effective treatment.

Restless and interrupted sleep

Sleep is a complex physiological act during which the basic processes of the nervous system are “rebooted.” Adequate daily sleep is the most important condition for the normal functioning of the body, health and excellent well-being. Normally, an adult's sleep should last 6-8 hours. Deviations, both larger and smaller, are harmful to the body. Unfortunately, sleep problems are as common a phenomenon in our lives as stress, constant rush, endless everyday problems and chronic diseases.

One of the most common sleep disorders is restless legs syndrome.

Restless sleep is a pathological condition that negatively affects human health. While in this state, a person does not completely fall asleep; his brain can actively work due to the presence of non-sleeping areas. A person is tormented by nightmares; in his sleep he can make involuntary movements, scream, grind his teeth, etc.

What to do if you have trouble sleeping at night? Perhaps one of the causes of this problem is restless legs syndrome. This is a neurological disease accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the legs, which intensify when at rest. It occurs at any age, but most often in middle-aged and elderly people, women are most often affected.

Sometimes restless legs syndrome is associated with heredity, but mainly occurs due to a deficiency of iron, magnesium, B vitamins, and folic acid. It is observed in patients with uremia and thyroid diseases, diabetes mellitus, alcohol abuse, and chronic lung diseases.

At night, tingling, itching, bloating are observed in the lower extremities, sometimes it seems to a person that there are crawling insects under the skin. To get rid of severe sensations, patients have to rub or massage their legs, shake them and even walk around the room.

One of the forms of insomnia that residents of megacities often suffer from is interrupted sleep. Those suffering from this disease are able to fall asleep quite quickly, but the quality of their sleep is very low, since these people sleep lightly and restlessly. For example, for no apparent reason, a person wakes up in the middle of the night, often at the same time. At the same time, there is a feeling of anxiety and tension, and several hours spent in sleep are not felt at all. Such night wakefulness can be short-lived, lasting a few minutes, or can last until the morning.

Repeated awakenings from night to night are accompanied by anxiety and cause negative thoughts. As a result, a person without enough sleep is forced to get up for work. It is clear that the lack of normal rest causes daytime apathy and chronic fatigue. “I wake up often, what should I do?” – Doctors are often asked this question by those who do not know how to cope with insomnia. In this case, doctors, along with general recommendations, can prescribe individual drug treatment after conducting a diagnostic examination.

Almost no sleep at all

Sleep problems often arise from spasms in the leg muscles. Patients complain of sudden sharp pain in the calf muscles. As a result, most of the night a person is forced to struggle with an unpleasant condition. These symptoms are observed in adults under the age of 50; 70% of older people are also familiar with this problem. Severe discomfort that disrupts night rest, unlike restless legs syndrome, does not cause a strong desire to move the limbs.

To relieve tension accumulated during the day, give a light foot massage before going to bed.

You can alleviate the condition and quickly relieve spasms with a massage, hot bath or compress. If you have lost sleep for this reason, it is recommended to consult a doctor. Proper therapy will help prevent night cramps. A course of vitamin E is usually prescribed; in case of serious pathology, the doctor will prescribe a tranquilizer and recommend a set of special gymnastic exercises to stretch and strengthen the calf muscles.

Of course, solving sleep problems in children and adults should begin with consulting a doctor. Often, a person may not suspect that he has serious health problems, including oncology or mental disorders, but complains that he does not sleep at night, or a partial or complete lack of sleep. Thus, intoxications of various origins often provoke drowsiness. Pathological drowsiness can develop due to hormonal abnormalities, in particular, pathology of the hypothalamic-mesencephalic region. Only a doctor can identify these dangerous diseases. And having cured the underlying disease, it will be possible to normalize sleep.

A restless night's sleep in adults often occurs due to REM sleep behavior disorder. In essence, it is a malfunction in the functioning of the central nervous system and is manifested by the physical activity of the sleeper in the REM sleep phase. In medicine, the rapid eye movement phase is called the REM phase. It is characterized by increased brain activity, the occurrence of dreams and paralysis of the body (except for the muscles that support breathing and heartbeat).

In REM phase behavioral disorder, the sleeper's body exhibits abnormal "freedom" of movement. This pathology mainly affects older men. The disorder is manifested by the sleeping person talking and screaming, actively moving his limbs, and jumping out of bed. The patient may even unknowingly injure himself or a sleeping person nearby. The good news is that this disease is quite rare.

A fashionable obsession with horror films can lead to loss of sleep. Heavy dreams can haunt a person who has experienced mental trauma. Often the body sends signals in this way about an impending illness. Having woken up in the middle of the night in deep despair or with a feeling of disaster, a person cannot fall asleep for a long time. He tries to understand the reasons for his short sleep, replaying nightmare images in his head. Sometimes someone who awakens from heavy emotions simply does not remember the dream, but feels a chilling horror and, as a result, suffers from insomnia.

Avoid watching horror movies before bed

What to do if there is no sleep? You may need to seriously reconsider your lifestyle. Be sure to visit a doctor, undergo an examination and carefully follow all prescribed recommendations.

Too sensitive and superficial sleep

Light sleep is a serious problem, both for the sleeper himself and for those close to him. And if a person wakes up from every slightest rustle, this becomes a real disaster for his family. Why is sleep shallow and what to do about it?

There are actually quite a few reasons why a person may be a light sleeper. But in general, they can be divided into physiological, that is, corresponding to the norm, and pathological.

Shallow sleep is completely normal for the following categories:

1. Young mothers. In this category, the habit of waking up from the slightest rustle and snoring of the baby, and even more so from his crying, is formed due to the physiological processes occurring in the woman’s body after childbirth.
2. Pregnant women and women during a certain period of the menstrual cycle. Shallow sleep in these two groups combined into one is explained by hormonal fluctuations in the female body.
3. Night shift workers. This group of people is characterized by difficulty falling asleep and lack of sound sleep due to disruption of biorhythms.
4. Those who spend too much time sleeping. It has been noticed that with a banal excess of sleep, its quality deteriorates, intermittency and sensitivity of sleep appear. Typically, pensioners, the unemployed, and vacationers fall into this category.
5. Aged people. Elderly people become sensitive to sleep not only from oversleeping, but also due to age-related changes in the body. The production of melatonin (sleep hormone) decreases, which leads to insomnia.

As for the pathological causes of poor sleep, these include mental disorders, somatic diseases, exposure to medications and psychoactive substances.

If we have figured out the reasons for the lack of sound sleep, then the question of why a person suddenly falls asleep during the day is also very often asked to specialists. What is the cause of this disease and how to deal with it? In medicine, a pathological condition characterized by sudden and unpredictable attacks of drowsiness that occur in the middle of the day is called narcolepsy.

For those who are affected by this disease, and most of them are young men, the REM sleep phase can occur unexpectedly and in the most unexpected place - in class, while driving, during lunch or a conversation. The duration of the attack is from a few seconds to half an hour. A person who suddenly falls asleep wakes up in strong excitement, which he continues to experience until the next attack. This is the main difference between narcolepsy and excessive daytime sleepiness. It has been noticed that even during such sleepy attacks, some can continue to perform their usual actions.

Frequent lack of sleep causes loss of control while driving

Possible consequences of sleep disorders

Why can't millions of people sleep at night? There are many reasons leading to sleep disorders. Some people devote too much time to work and become overtired, others watch too much TV or sit at the computer. But ultimately, insomnia caused by various reasons leads to a number of negative consequences from chronic lack of sleep.

• Impaired glucose tolerance

Lack of sleep and lack of sleep negatively affects the central nervous system, making it overexcited and more active. For this reason, the pancreas stops producing the required amount of insulin, a hormone necessary for the digestion of glucose. Scientist Van Cauter observed healthy young people who did not sleep at night for a long time for a week. As a result, most of them were in a pre-diabetic state by the end of the week.

• Obesity

In the first phase of deep sleep, growth hormone is released. In people over 40 years of age, periods of deep sleep decrease, therefore, the secretion of growth hormone decreases. At a young age, insufficient sleep contributes to a premature decrease in growth hormone, thereby stimulating the process of fat accumulation. There are studies confirming that chronic lack of sleep reduces the production of the hormone testosterone. This leads to a decrease in muscle mass and accumulation of fat.

• Increased cravings for carbohydrates

Intermittent sleep reduces the production of the hormone leptin, which is responsible for satiety. As a result, there is an increased craving for carbohydrates. The situation is aggravated by the fact that even after receiving a portion of carbohydrates, the body will require more and more calories.

• Weakening of the immune system

Restless sleep and lack of a good night's rest have a detrimental effect on white blood cells in the human body and reduce resistance to infections.

• Risk of atherosclerosis

Chronic lack of sleep provokes stress, and this in turn increases the amount of cortisol. As a result of this imbalance, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) can occur. This leads to a heart attack. Due to high cortisol levels, muscle and bone mass decreases and fat accumulates. The risk of hypertension and premature death increases.

• Depression and irritability

Chronic insomnia depletes the neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for mood. People suffering from sleep disorders are more irritable and more likely to become depressed.

One of the consequences of sleep disturbance is obesity

What to do if an adult has trouble sleeping at night? Simple recommendations will help you cope with insomnia. First of all, you need to pay attention to your sleeping habits and the conditions in which you sleep. Often, failure to follow basic rules becomes an obstacle to proper rest. These are the rules.

• develop a healthy habit of going to bed and getting up at the same time. Even in one week, following this regimen, you can achieve significant results - it will be easier to fall asleep, and you will wake up alert and rested;
• stop sleeping during the day unless prescribed by your doctor;
• the time spent in bed should be strictly limited. Namely, as long as your sleep lasts. Avoid reading, watching TV and working in bed, otherwise you will have interrupted sleep;
• instead of watching TV or lying in bed with a laptop, take walks in the fresh air in the evenings;
• if you are a light sleeper, take care of good sound insulation in the bedroom; there should be no extraneous sounds or noises (such as the sounds of a working refrigerator) in this room;
• Organize a high-quality and comfortable sleeping place. Sleep on cotton underwear, use a pillow with a synthetic filler that retains its shape well and is hypoallergenic;
• the light in the bedroom should be dimmed, and during rest the bedroom should be completely dark;
• A small light dinner 2-3 hours before going to bed will help improve the process of falling asleep. Avoid rich, fatty and high-calorie foods in the evening;
• Taking a warm bath with anti-stress oil will help you relax and fall asleep faster. You can add 5-7 drops of lavender or ylang-ylang oil and 1 glass of milk to your bath. It is useful to take a hot shower an hour before bedtime;
• refrain from smoking at night, drinking alcohol and coffee. Instead, it is better to drink a glass of warm milk with a spoon of honey or chamomile tea;
• Keep only an alarm clock in the bedroom. When you wake up at night, do not try to find out the time;
• the room where you sleep needs to be ventilated and regularly wet cleaned;
• If you have difficulty falling asleep, use meditation or relaxation exercises.

Do not try to treat sleep disorders with medication on your own. Only a doctor can choose the right medications!

Prevention

“I can’t sleep well” – this is roughly the complaint of those who constantly experience insomnia. Doctors distinguish between several types of insomnia.

1. Episodic. It lasts 5-7 days, arising as a result of emotional overstrain or stress (exam, family quarrel, conflict situation at work, time zone change, etc.). It does not require treatment and in most cases goes away on its own.
2. Short-term. Lasts 1-3 weeks. Develops due to prolonged stressful situations, severe psycho-emotional shocks, as well as due to chronic somatic diseases. The presence of skin diseases accompanied by itching, and pain syndromes due to arthritis and migraines contribute to sleep disturbances.
3. Chronic. Lasts more than 3 weeks, often indicating hidden mental and somatic diseases, such as depression, neuroses and anxiety disorders, alcoholism. In old age it is found everywhere. “I don’t sleep well” – 69% of older people complain, 75% of this age category have difficulty falling asleep.

Taking medications, nootropics, antipsychotics and antidepressants very often provokes poor sleep in adults.

To fall asleep easily, take time for walks in the fresh air before bed.

Doctors advise not to go to bed if you don’t want to sleep. It is better to occupy yourself with some exciting activity: read, listen to calm music. At the same time, it is better not to be in the bedroom so that the brain does not associate this room with insomnia.

To prevent sleep disorders, use the following tips:

• learn to bring the psyche into a passive state. Mentally detach yourself from all problems and annoying thoughts;
• if you have a hard time concentrating and are bothered by extraneous noise, use earplugs or stuff your ears with cotton wool;
• perform rhythmic breathing, focusing on extended exhalation;
• You can perform a soothing water procedure. For example, soak your feet for 20 minutes in pleasantly hot water with the addition of a decoction of mint, lemon balm, oregano. Warm pine baths help you sleep well;
• a heavy blanket helps you fall asleep quickly;
• You can put a linen bag with dry hop cones under the pillow. By the way, hop tea with honey is also useful for sleep disorders. Prepare this way: brew 1.5 dry hop cones with 1 glass of boiling water, leave, strain, add honey, drink warm;
• Can't you sleep for a long time? You can undress and lie naked until you freeze. Then wrap yourself in a blanket. Pleasant warmth will help you fall asleep faster.

A simple psychological technique will help you free yourself from the negative thoughts accumulated during the day.

Mentally write down everything that worries you on separate sheets of paper. Imagine crumpling up each leaf one at a time and throwing it into a basket or fire. Try to remember the positive moments that happened to you today. Be sure to thank the higher powers for a successful day. Now you can perform relaxation techniques: dream about something pleasant, mentally listen to the sound of the surf, remember pleasant events from your life. Rational people can focus on calm breathing and the beating of their heart.

If the desired effect is absent and you cannot fall asleep, most likely you need medical help.

Medicines

If you constantly suffer from interrupted sleep, the first thing to do is consult a therapist. If necessary, you will be referred for a polysomnographic study, on the basis of which treatment will be prescribed.

In the presence of somatic pathologies, therapy consists of eliminating the underlying disease. In old age, patients most often require the help of a neurologist to normalize sleep. For drug therapy, benzodiazepine drugs are mainly used. If the process of falling asleep is disrupted, short-acting drugs are prescribed - triazolam, midazolam. You cannot prescribe these drugs yourself, as they have many side effects.

Do not buy or take sleeping pills on your own, without the advice of a specialist.

Long-lasting sleeping pills, such as diazepam, are prescribed for frequent awakenings at night. Long-term use of these medications may cause daytime sleepiness. In this case, the doctor will adjust the treatment and select drugs with a shorter exposure time. For neuroses and depression accompanied by sleep disorders, consultation with a psychiatrist is required. In severe cases, antipsychotics or psychotonics are prescribed.

Normalization of sleep rhythm in the elderly should be carried out comprehensively using vasodilators (papaverine, nicotinic acid) and light herbal tranquilizers - motherwort or valerian. Taking any medications should only be done under the supervision of a physician. Usually a course of treatment is prescribed with a gradual reduction in dosage and a smooth reduction to nothing.

Traditional medicine

Proven folk remedies will also help you cope with the problem of difficulty falling asleep.

Milk+honey

• milk – 1 glass;
• honey – 1 teaspoon;
• freshly squeezed dill juice (can be replaced with a decoction of seeds) – 1 teaspoon.

Heat milk, dissolve honey in it, add dill juice. Take daily in the evening.

Pumpkin broth

• pumpkin – 200g;
• water – 250 ml;
• honey – 1 teaspoon.

Pour boiling water over the peeled and diced pumpkin and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes. Strain and cool until pleasantly warm. Add honey. Drink ½ glass before bed.

Finally

Various sleep disorders are mostly treatable. Sleep disorders associated with chronic somatic diseases, as well as in older people, are difficult to treat.

By maintaining a sleep-wake schedule, normalizing physical and mental stress, proper use of medications that affect nervous processes, and maintaining a correct lifestyle, sleep problems are completely removable. In some cases, consulting with specialists or taking medications will help cope with the problem. Be healthy!