Restless and anxious sleep: causes and ways to solve the problem. Bad sleep: a comprehensive solution to the problem

Normal sleep For healthy person This is, first of all, a complete and affordable vacation, given to him by nature itself. This is the time when the human body completely relaxes, the activity of all organs and systems decreases. The work of the brain of a sleeping person is aimed at producing hormones that, upon awakening, will bring him a pleasant feeling of lightness, freshness and restoration.

If, after waking up, a person does not feel cheerfulness and a surge of strength, perhaps this is the first signal of any violations. In everyday life they say: “I didn’t get enough sleep.”

A person’s feeling of lack of sleep is the first and main symptom of sleep disturbance.

Types of sleep problems

Unfortunately, there are many different difficulties associated with the process of falling asleep and sleep itself. Among them:

inability to quickly and easily fall asleep at the appointed time, which is often accompanied by anxieties, fears, obsessive thoughts. Very sensitive and disturbing sleep with awakenings from the slightest rustles, creaks, or lights on;
after satisfactory falling asleep, a very early awakening (at 4.00-5.00 hours), after which either there is no re-falling asleep, or restless sleep sets in with chaotic dreams, which is more exhausting than restorative;
lethargy, drowsiness, spontaneous falling asleep, dozing in daytime;
chronically accumulating fatigue;
anxious tense state before going to bed, fear that you won’t be able to get a good night’s sleep;

Causes

Sleep is a perfect and very complex natural mechanism, into which disorder and discord often penetrate. Not only young busy people, but also children and the elderly often suffer from lack of sleep. Let's look at it in more detail common reasons sleep disorders at every age.

Sleep problems in adults:

elevated emotional background life, easy excitability, irritability, spontaneous manifestations of anger or holding back negative emotions in oneself, all this greatly depletes the nervous system
experiencing severe psychologically traumatic situations: sudden dismissal from work, disappointment in life values, divorce, illness or death of a loved one
mental disorders and diseases: lungs and prolonged depression, neuroses, hysteria
uncontrolled use of psychostimulants, psychoactive substances: alcohol, nicotine, drugs, caffeine, dietary supplements, some hormonal, decongestant and antitussive medications
disruption of the 24-hour sleep-wake pattern due to time zone changes and night shift work
after traumatic injuries brain areas

In children:

lack of a properly organized daily routine, including going to bed at the same time
hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder
desire to be alone with parents without the presence of brothers and sisters
Children who spend little time with their parents during the day may experience increased anxiety about being separated from them at night.
an acquired habit of not falling asleep for a long time in the evening until all household chores are settled and the parents themselves go to bed
internal biological predisposition to falling asleep late, the so-called shutdown-awakening type nervous system"owl"

In older people:

wear and tear of the nervous system
side effect of taking medications
anxiety states
stressful and depressive background of life after the loss of loved ones
late meals, alcohol and coffee abuse
syndrome sleep apnea(brief cessation of breathing during sleep)

Manifestations of sleep disorders in older age:

transient insomnia is the result of exposure to acute stressful situations. As it calms down it goes away.
chronic insomnia - result age-related changes in the brain and the structure of nervous tissues. It lasts from a month to several years, and, unfortunately, is often not completely cured.
syndrome restless legs, in which a person cannot fall asleep due to an obsessive feeling of “pins and needles” in the legs.
periodic limb movement syndrome, which manifests itself with flexion thumb feet, partial or full flexion of the legs at the knee and hip. This condition occurs due to disturbances in the exchange of neurotransmitters in the nervous tissue.

Special types

Since complaints, one way or another related to the sleep process, are extremely diverse, experts identify several special pathological conditions.

Insomnia

Insomnia is a disorder of the process of falling asleep, as well as the inability to fall asleep for a long time and deeply. Such disorders are considered psychosomatic, that is, arising as physical reaction the body to emotional experiences and worries.

They can be situational - the tense situation has passed and sleep has gradually returned, as well as permanent - it is advisable to treat them with a psychotherapist who will understand the reasons and select individual treatment.

Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is the development of the body’s need for long sleep from 12 to 20 hours a day. But even if it is possible to sleep for so long, a person still does not feel rested, he is constantly drowsy and distracted.

This condition can develop in any person with chronic lack of sleep at night, or in heavy stressful situations. In addition, there are special types of hypersomnia, such as narcolepsy, post-traumatic, idiopathic hypersomnia.

Parasomnia

Parasomnia – sleep phase disorders and periodic incomplete awakenings at night. These include: sleepwalking, nightmares, talking and convulsions during sleep, waking up with confusion, sleep paralysis, painful erection in men.

Violation of the sleep-wake pattern is most often temporary if it is associated with a change in work schedule, flight to other geographical latitudes, or a banal change of clocks to winter or summer time.

However, due to binge drinking, drug and gambling addiction, frequent use energy drinks parasomnia can become chronic. This also leads to severe emotional experiences and prolonged depression left without timely treatment.

What to do: treatment

People suffering from sleep disorders should first analyze their lifestyle. Are there any overwork, unnecessary worries and anxieties, and if any are present, try to reduce them. If the problem cannot be solved in this way, you should consult a doctor.

Today there is a large arsenal medications, normalizing the process of falling asleep and sleep rhythms during the night. Only a doctor can prescribe them. In addition, working with a psychologist or psychotherapist may be helpful.

Video on the topic

Below is a video in which a neurologist talks about sleep problems:

Where do disturbing dreams come from and what do they mean?

Today, like centuries ago, many are looking for answers from “all-knowing” grandmothers or turning over the pages of dream books in the hope of finding an interpretation. Meanwhile, psychologists claim that disturbing dreams can be interpreted from a psychological point of view. Somnologists who treat sleep disorders agree with them, explaining nightmares as a manifestation of the functioning of our nervous system.

For example, you dream that while calmly going about your daily activities or walking down the street, you suddenly realize that you have no clothes on!

Most likely, this dream is associated with some event that made you feel helpless and vulnerable, as if the veil had been torn off from you. Maybe you feel like you were unforgivably honest with someone, telling more about yourself than was necessary. And if you dream that you come to work without clothes, then you are unsure of yourself, so deep down you are afraid that your colleagues and bosses will accuse you of unprofessionalism.

When in a dream a huge wave covers you, carrying you out to sea, and you feel like you are drowning, this can have several explanations. For example, you have taken on an excessive amount of responsibilities and now you cannot cope with them. Or you feel overwhelmed because things are spiraling out of control. Or you have serious financial problems. In other words, you subconsciously feel that you are real life circumstances like huge wave, take you into a sea of unpredictable events, and you don’t yet know what to do next.

Teeth fall out in a dream when you have a serious task that requires effort. In addition, teeth are considered a symbol of vitality, so losing them may indicate that you are concerned about the impression you make on others. Cheating between husband and wife in a dream is dictated by unstable family relationships in reality. The dream does not mean that you are actually being cheated on; most likely, it reflects your concern for the future of your marriage.

If you dream that you are late for a train or plane, or, alternatively, you have lost your passport, ticket, or mixed up the departure time, this indicates that in life you are accustomed to clearly planning everything several days in advance. Anxious dreams are a reflection of your anxiety about losing sight of something. Although it may seem to you that the situation is under control, your feelings protest: it is impossible to be in tension around the clock!

You dream of the death of friends or loved ones when, on the one hand, you love this person, but on the other, you experience negative feelings towards him, for example, irritation, envy, guilt. It may also mean a dead end in your relationship, and separation as a likely way out of it. Forgetting about a child in a dream means that new prospects in life have opened up before you, since a child is a symbol of prospects, but you do not attach any importance to them. In addition, such a dream is often seen by pregnant women or young mothers, as a result of their anxiety about their new role.

In all the examples given, the relationship between the state of the nervous system and disturbing dreams is obvious. Latest – natural reaction our body to stress Everyday life, emotional outbursts and the need to constantly make important decisions. Changes in diet and lifestyle will help you get rid of disturbing dreams.

Add to your diet green onions, sage, ginger, cumin, drink soothing herbal teas before bed and stop watching TV for a while.

Also, take a day off - it may very well be that you are simply overly tired.

Sleep is a complex physiological act, during which a “reboot” of the basic processes of the nervous system occurs. Daily rest is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Restless sleep - pathological condition, in which a person sleeps, but his brain continues to conduct active work. Why does this happen and what consequences can it lead to: let's figure it out.

Restless sleep in an adult: causes of the condition

The main factors causing restless sleep in adults include:

unfinished business that causes anxious thoughts;
increased nervous excitability, excessive emotionality or, on the contrary, an attempt to always control one’s emotions (see);
stress (death of a loved one, dismissal from work, divorce);
uncontrolled intake of stimulants (coffee, alcohol, drugs, etc.);
regular violations of the daily routine due to frequent flights, night shift work;
exacerbation bronchial asthma(shortness of breath in patients with chronic respiratory diseases intensifies, as a rule, at night);
arthritis, rheumatism, and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system, manifested by pain;
gastrointestinal disorders;
cardiovascular diseases (see);
neurological and mental disorders (see).

Restless sleep in an adult, the causes and treatment of which are discussed in this article, is quite common pathology. Up to 75% of the planet's population has encountered it at least once.

How does restless sleep manifest?

Restless sleep in an adult, depending on the cause, can manifest itself as:

shuddering, twitching - involuntary muscle work caused by the presence of active, “non-sleeping” areas in the brain;
bruxism - unpleasant grinding of teeth, which can impair breathing;
night terrors, nightmares. A person wakes up in a cold sweat, his heart rate is rapid, and his breathing is intermittent.

The nature of the dream itself also changes:

Human for a long time can’t sleep, tosses and turns in bed, and hundreds of thoughts appear and then stop in my head;
the dream is very disturbing, sensitive: awakening occurs at the slightest sound;
after normal falling asleep Very early wakefulness may occur (at three to four o'clock in the morning). Afterwards, sleep either does not come at all, or becomes exhausting, intermittent, filled with disturbing dreams;
severe weakness during the daytime: no energy for work or study, chronic fatigue, constantly want to sleep;
negative emotions before a night's rest, fear that you won't be able to get enough sleep again.

Why is there no strength in the body? The fact is that restless sleep can hardly be called complete, and it does not provide the need for rest that is so necessary for every person. All systems, especially the nervous system, work hard, and sooner or later they will fail.

Restless sleep: principles of treatment

The body's powerlessness during restless sleep is a signal for help. What to do when you have no strength and weakness gets in the way normal life and work? To normalize sleep, it is important to identify and eliminate the cause of sleep disturbance:

try to forget about everything when you cross the threshold of the bedroom. The ability to “switch” - important point in the health of the nervous system;
You can't always cope with stress on your own. Don’t avoid the problem, seek help from a specialist (psychologist or psychotherapist);
try to adjust your daily routine. If sleep problems are caused by constant business trips and frequent night shifts, you may need to change jobs;
All chronic diseases accompanied by pain, shortness of breath and other unpleasant symptoms, which tend to intensify at night, require timely diagnosis and treatment. Be sure to contact a therapist with your complaints.

Make your bed a place for sleeping only. Don't spend much waking time lying down.
Compose sample schedule day and try to go to bed at approximately the same time.
Give up nap no matter how much you want to relax.
Put the clock away in the bedroom.
Don't watch TV, avoid noisy active activities at least 2 hours before going to bed. Devote the evening to reading and communicating with loved ones.
Avoid alcohol, coffee and tobacco. But warm milk will help you relax and get ready for sleep.
Don't pass it on. But don’t go to bed hungry: if you’re hungry, drink a glass of kefir or nibble on an apple.
Create a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere in your bedroom.

Traditional methods will also help you cope with the problem of falling asleep.

Milk-honey drink

Ingredients:

honey – 1 tsp;
dill juice – 1 tsp;
milk – 1 glass.

Pour in honey and Fresh Juice dill warm milk, take in the evening if you have problems falling asleep.

Pumpkin decoction

Ingredients:

fresh pumpkin – 200 g;
honey – 1 tsp.

Peel the pumpkin, cut into small cubes, pour 250 ml of boiling water and cook over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Strain, add honey and take half a glass before bed.

We figured out the causes and symptoms of the condition, as well as why restless sleep causes impotence in the body, and what to do to improve night rest. In addition to identifying main reason problems that are not always hidden in disorders of the nervous system, it is important to pay attention to the environment at home and establish a bedtime culture. A psychotherapist studies sleep problems. It is worth turning to him for long-term insomnia and restless, disturbing sleep.

It's understandable that people are afraid bad dreams. After all, they, being very impressive, are remembered best and leave unpleasant feeling. During the night a person is able to see several dreams, very different. And how vivid and emotional the dream will be depends partly on the so-called sleep phase in which a person is at the time of the dream. Among all the stages of sleep, two are especially significant: the REM and slow sleep. In the slow phase, the brain hardly works. Metabolism is minimal, breathing is slow and deep. People awakened in this state rarely remember their dreams. The transition from slow wave sleep to fast sleep is very clear. During REM sleep the pupils under closed eyelids make active movements, almost like during wakefulness. Breathing becomes frequent and intermittent. The brain uses the same amount of energy as during the daytime. And nightmares occur most often during this phase. Moreover, after ten minutes of REM sleep, a person can wake up, remembering the dream, and move to slow phase. During the night, a person experiences about six sleep cycles, each of which can last up to two hours.

Often a person thinks that the dreamer bad dream definitely portends trouble. Actually this is not true. Anxious dream- this is, first of all, a signal about some kind of personal concern of a person, and an already existing one. It could also be some kind of emotional experience associated with an unresolved problem. There may also be anxieties caused by the expectation of some changes. A move, an exam, a change of job, a new relationship, troubles in the family - everything that a person may worry about can become a cause unpleasant dreams. By the way, excessive fatigue or overwork can also cause such a dream. From such a dream a person always awakens and experiences complete real feeling fear. In psychiatry, such dreams are classified as “everyday dreams.” There are other categories of nightmares. They may be accompanied by screaming or even crying. A person may not wake up from such a dream and may not even remember it.

Repeating dreams are of particular importance. You can often hear the complaint: “I have the same nightmare.” The problem here is also a matter of personal experiences. The most difficult category of disturbing dreams is post-stress sleep disorder. They arise after suffering difficult events. In a dream, pictures of real incidents emerge that greatly affected a person. There are nightmares that are the result of some illness, such as depression. But here, of course, the reason is deeper and more complex. And a person will not be able to overcome this fear without calling on psychotherapeutic methods for help. To get rid of these “mini-horror films”, it is not at all necessary to resort to sleeping pills. First you need to understand their reason. What's worrying? What's depressing? What is so painfully stuck in your thoughts? What situation is still not resolved? Try to reconstruct the events that preceded the appearance of nightmares. To do this, you can try this simple method. Write down all previously occurring events on a piece of paper.

Moreover, write out everything in a row, without considering that some are important and others are not. After this, read carefully again and highlight what causes the most excitement. If a reason is found, then this will be the “end of the rope”, by pulling which you can unravel the whole “tangle”. There is another way - you need to draw your fear. You need to try to focus on your fear and draw a series of drawings. Perhaps something will emerge in them that will suggest the cause of this fear. It's like looking him in the face. And after that, what you dreamed about, the scarecrow, disappears, passes as if by itself. Don't neglect simple rules- maintain your usual daily routine. Try to protect yourself from possible conflicts during the day. Pay attention to the environment in which you prepare for bed. It is not advisable to “go wild” before going to bed, listen less loud music and eat heavy meals. And an evening walk in the air will only add positive emotions, and, accordingly, good, kind dreams.

Sleep is a physiological process in which the brain and body periodically rest by reducing the body's reactions to various external factors and minimizing brain activity.

Restless sleep is a state when a person is asleep, but something continues to happen to him while he sleeps. His brain does not rest, but continues to work, imagine dream pictures and think about some problems. The person seems to continue to “communicate” with the people around him during the day. He seems to be in an intermediate state between wakefulness and sleep.

Restless sleep is very incomplete. After such a dream, a person does not have the feeling that he has rested and gained strength.

Causes of restless sleep in adults

Reasons for not good sleep can be very different. Restless sleep in adults can occur due to the following diseases:

Nocturnal asthma;

Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea;

Rheumatism;

Gastrointestinal disorders;

Chronic alcoholism;

Apnea syndrome;

Mental illnesses (especially states of passion);

Prostatitis;

Restless legs syndrome.

Restless sleep can also cause strong excitement, mental or physical fatigue, overvoltage.

Causes of restless sleep in a child

Often, restless sleep in a child is observed due to:

Serious disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system;

Diseases of internal organs;

Mental disorders;

Weaning;

Changes in diet or lifestyle;

Changes in living conditions;

Conflicts in the family.

Symptoms of restless sleep in a child

Symptoms of restless sleep in a child are:

Bruxism is teeth grinding at night, which can sometimes be accompanied by altered breathing, level of blood pressure and heartbeat;

Startles are pathologically conditioned sleep phenomena, which include physiological movements during sleep;

Nocturnal enuresis – involuntary urination during sleep;

Night terrors are sudden psychomotor agitations accompanied by fear, in which the child does not come into contact with others and does not remember what happened after waking up;

Breathing disorders during sleep.

Treatment of restless sleep in a child

To achieve restful sleep in your child, you must adhere to the following rules:

You cannot wake up your baby specifically to feed him, as this may disrupt his biological clock;

Before going to bed, the baby should be well fed;

During feedings before bedtime, it is necessary to dim the lights in the room and practically not communicate with the baby;

After 10-12 months, stop feeding your baby at night;

Sleeping during the day should not be accompanied by perfect silence, otherwise the child will get used to it and will wake up after any sounds;

There is no need to react to every baby's sob;

Try to put your baby to bed at the same time every day to adjust his internal clock.

Treatment of restless sleep with traditional methods

The following recipe can help with restless sleep in adults:

Pour one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of dill juice into one glass of milk. Take one teaspoon warm after meals. Can be stored for no more than one day in the refrigerator and no more than half an hour at room temperature.

The following recipes can help children:

Pour 200 grams of pumpkin into one glass hot water and boil for about 10-15 minutes. Cool the broth, and after cooling add honey (one tablespoon). Give your child a quarter glass to drink at night.

Pour one tablespoon of tongueless chamomile with flowers into one glass of boiling water and put on fire. Add sugar (one teaspoon) or honey (half a teaspoon), boil for ten minutes, remove from heat and cool in a dark place. After straining, give the child a quarter glass an hour before bedtime.

Make tea from chamomile and green tea. Leave for 10 minutes and give one glass to the child before bedtime.

Pour crushed valerian officinalis root (one tablespoon) into one glass of boiling water and cook for about fifteen minutes. Cool in a warm and dark place. After straining, give the child one teaspoon three times a day.

Take one tablespoon of chopped herbs and dill seeds, pour boiling water (two glasses). Cool in a dark place and give the child one teaspoon before bedtime.