I couldn't sleep for a long time. Teas for sound sleep - chamomile, mint, lemon balm tea: how to brew? What can help if you can't sleep

This situation occurs quite often - you went to bed, but hours pass after hours, and you toss and turn in bed from side to side, and cannot sleep. In addition, some unpleasant thoughts pop up in your mind every now and then, and you just can’t relax. Perhaps the problem of how to fall asleep may not seem so terrible to someone. However, imagine that you have an exam or an important meeting scheduled for tomorrow, and you need to get behind the wheel. And you need a good night's sleep from your nose, otherwise in the morning everything will fall out of your hands. What to do in such a situation? Of course, everyone’s psyche works differently, and the reasons for poor sleep can be different. If you don’t know how to fall asleep quickly, then you should try different methods, and perhaps you will find among them the ones that suit you best.

First of all, you should pay attention to the room in which you sleep. It should maintain an optimal temperature - not too hot and not too cold. Drafts should be avoided.

The air in the room should be fresh. Therefore, it is recommended to ventilate the room before going to bed. If there is little oxygen in the room and it is filled with unpleasant odors, then you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep quickly. To scent your bedroom, you can use lavender, linden and chamomile oils.

Very bright light often leads to insomnia. It is worth remembering that hormones that regulate sleep are produced only in the dark. Make sure that the windows are tightly curtained and there are no other light sources in the room. You can purchase a special sleep mask.

If you need silence to sleep, then buy earplugs at the pharmacy. Some people find that unobtrusive noise helps them fall asleep, such as the monotonous hum of a fan. You can also use relaxing music or recordings of natural sounds to fall asleep quickly.

Sometimes a person cannot sleep because he takes an uncomfortable position. Lie down so that you are comfortable. It is better to use a medium-hard pillow. If it becomes warm from your body, turn it over. For sleep, wear loose pajamas. Some people find it comfortable to sleep naked, so try this too.

Do not forget about hygiene, change your bed linen regularly. Sleeping on sweat-soaked pillows and sheets is not very pleasant. The blanket must be chosen so that it is not too light or heavy, too warm, or, conversely, does not provide good protection from the cold.

Proper food is the key to good sleep

Pay attention to what you eat for dinner. It is not recommended to eat heavily before bed, but on the other hand, going to bed on an empty stomach is also not the best solution. There are foods that promote good sleep: banana, milk, nuts, whole grain bread, lettuce. But protein can interfere with good sleep, the same applies to caffeine-containing drinks, spicy, fatty, sweet, nicotine, and alcohol. Drinking a cup of warm milk or herbal tea at night often helps you fall asleep easily.

What to do to relax your mind

Sometimes there is advice not to think about anything while lying in bed. But in practice this is impossible to achieve; moreover, during sleep, some parts of the brain work even more intensely than during wakefulness. Therefore, moderate mental stress, on the contrary, will be useful.

Some people find reading at night helps. However, moderation must be observed here. It is best to read something light, not burdensome, but not so exciting that it could force you to spend hours reading the book. You can also try making some notes or drawings. For example, write down the most pleasant impressions of the day, an opinion about a certain film.

But as soon as you feel sleepy while reading, immediately stop what you are doing, turn off the light and lie down. If any thoughts arise in your head, try to color these thoughts black with the help of your imagination. Meditate, let go of thoughts that bother you.

Think about something pleasant. Imagine yourself in a boat floating along a river, or you are flying in the clouds, or swimming in the ocean, or walking through a flowering field, etc. Slowly delve deeper into your fantasies, noticing more and more new details.

The advice to count some animals in your thoughts, for example, sheep or elephants, has long been known. Although the advice does not help everyone, nevertheless, it is not without meaning, since it contributes to a moderate load on both hemispheres of the brain, gradually transferring it into sleep mode. Of course, you can choose some other objects or animals, the main thing is that they do not evoke negative emotions. You can imagine a pendulum swinging from side to side and count its movements.

Lie quietly, do not move, mentally relax all muscles, starting from the tips of your toes and ending with your head. While lying in bed, stretch. Stretching helps the body relax, tension goes away, and the person falls asleep. Try holding a pillow between your knees. This helps relieve stress and even reduces pain.

Perform a set of breathing exercises. Slow, deep breathing helps the body relax. Lie on your back to control how your stomach rises. By focusing on breathing, the brain is freed from extraneous thoughts.

Sleep medications

If you have tried various methods, but still do not understand how you can fall asleep quickly, then it is recommended to use medications. However, this must be done carefully so as not to cause addiction. It is best to consult a doctor to select a drug.

Types of drugs:

Based on herbs - valerian, motherwort, mint, hops, chamomile.
Tranquilizers are drugs that depress the nervous system and dull emotions. If insomnia is caused by severe stress, this may be the only solution.
Sleeping pills - act on nerve receptors and stimulate the production of sleep hormones.
Preparations containing the main sleep hormone – melatonin.
Vitamins. Often, chronic insomnia develops due to a lack of vitamins B and D in the body, microelements - magnesium and calcium.

What to do during the day to sleep well at night

If you play sports, then your last workout should be at least three hours before going to bed. However, walking before bed is very good for insomnia.

Water procedures at night are also a good way to relax. The best help in this case is a bath with special soothing additives - sea salt, eucalyptus and pine oils. If you have problems falling asleep at night, then it is best not to nap during the day, but to wait until the evening and get a good night's sleep.

Find a way to cope with stress. Stress is the main problem of insomnia. Find a hobby that will relieve stress. Try to stick to a routine: go to bed at the same time. If you want to shift the mode, then change it gradually, starting with 10 minutes. Before going to bed, do not look at your phone or sit for a long time in front of the TV or monitor.

It would seem that the average person gets so tired during the day that the process of falling asleep should not become a problem for him. Moreover, for some of us (the author of this material is among them), simply imagining ours is enough to induce drowsiness. But there are others - those who seem to get tired during the day and really want to sleep, but as soon as they go to bed and close their eyes, they realize that they cannot sleep.

Why do some people have trouble falling asleep? Moreover, they not only suffer for an hour or an hour and a half, but they toss and turn all night, so that they eventually wake up with one thought: “Did I sleep at all today?” Most likely, by the way, yes. Experiments using special bracelets show that even when a person seems to have not slept a wink all night, he still sleeps for about 2-4 hours, albeit rather poorly. But back to the causes of insomnia: Tech Times spoke with Sleep Science (SleepZoo) trainer Chris Brantner about this, and we summarize for you the most interesting things from the conversation.

Attention, smartphone

A Deloitte survey of 200 American users found that 81% of people within an hour. And blue light, as studies show, has a noticeable effect on our body’s tendency to fall asleep: in particular, it blocks the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates circadian rhythms, which helps the body prepare for sleep. “Start by using night mode on your smartphone to reduce blue light exposure,” Brantner advises. “Then try to stop using gadgets an hour before bed to return melatonin production to normal.”

Increased anxiety

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America stated that nearly 40 million Americans today suffer from anxiety disorders. And this, for a second, is about 18% of the US population. Despite the fact that we are talking about America, representatives of the association believe that something similar is observed in all developed countries, the population of which actively uses modern technologies in life and work (and especially in large cities). “People with generalized symptoms suffer from insomnia in half the cases. And even children diagnosed with an anxiety disorder have trouble falling asleep, says Chris Brantner.

But while anxiety at some points in life is quite normal, an anxiety disorder is a mental disorder, albeit a fairly mild one. Experts advise people who constantly feel anxious should focus on reducing triggers before bed to help them sleep better. What we are talking about: try, for example, dimming the lights, listening to relaxing music, taking a hot bath, and to consolidate the effect, drinking a cup of milk with honey or herbal tea.

Alcohol and coffee

"Caffeine and alcohol are two classic sleep quality disruptors," Brantner notes. Despite the fact that many people drink coffee and feel great all day, it is important to monitor the amount you drink. The problem is that when the body needs rest, it produces excess adenosine, making us feel tired. But caffeine stimulates the activity of the cerebral cortex and blocks adenosine receptors. Therefore, ideally, you should give up coffee and caffeine-containing drinks 6 hours before bedtime, and definitely if you periodically suffer from insomnia.

“Now about alcohol. While it's often used to help you fall asleep quickly, it literally ruins the second half of your sleep, reducing the quality of deep sleep that allows your body to truly rest,” adds Brantner. According to the expert, after just a couple of hours, alcohol begins to act as a stimulant, so think a million times before drinking a glass of wine before bed. Not to mention something stronger.

What else can you do? “Our bodies and brains tend to like routine. So I highly advise anyone who has difficulty sleeping to resist trying to sleep until lunch on the weekend and then fall asleep in the morning,” concludes Chris Brantner. - Try not to shift the schedule by more than an hour or two. This will help keep it under control.”

Insomnia is a serious problem for many people, and if you are faced with something similar, then use our simple recommendations for restoring healthy sleep, because sooner or later its absence will negatively affect the overall well-being of the body and appearance.

Causes of frequent insomnia

Bright light.

Noise.

Air.

Pose.

Bed sheets.

How to fall asleep if you can’t sleep while away or away

Many people find it difficult to fall asleep in an unfamiliar environment - not in their own bed, but in a hotel room or with guests. If you know that you may also have a similar problem, then take steps to prevent it in advance. Earplugs. As a rule, in such cases, unusual sounds interfere with sleep - road noise outside the window, some conversations, loud wall clocks, and the like. You may simply not hear all this if you stock up on earplugs in advance, which can be purchased at almost any pharmacy. Mask for sleep. Also an irritating factor may be the unusual surroundings, bright light and other visual factors. This inconvenience is completely preventable when using a comfortable sleep mask.

How to quickly fall asleep in 1 minute anywhere

It will be quite difficult for you to fall asleep in a minute if, in general, you do not have this feature. The fact is that there are people who fall asleep with their heads literally pressed to the pillow - while for others it is not so easy to move to the kingdom of Morpheus in such a short period. In this case, only a suitable sleeping pill, or very severe fatigue accumulated during the day, will probably be able to help. There is also such a thing as “reverse psychology”. You should perform an action that is opposite to what you want - in this situation you should try to stay awake. Lie down in bed, open your eyes wide, and repeat mentally: “I must not fall asleep, I must stay awake.” According to some scientists, this method helps you fall asleep quickly. Of course, this method cannot be called the most effective, but sometimes it still works.

Yoga method to fall asleep quickly

In turn, Indian yogis use this technique, which is also called “4-7-8”:

Calmly inhale air through your nose for 4 seconds. After this, hold your breath for 7 seconds. Slowly exhale air through your mouth for 8 seconds. Many experimenters note that this method helps you fall asleep quickly!

How to fall asleep if you don’t want to sleep, but get up early

Eliminate evening snacks If right before bed you want to eat something tasty, like a pastry or a piece of cake, then it is better to overcome this desire. Otherwise, your blood sugar levels will rise and your desire to sleep will decrease accordingly. If the craving for a snack is too strong, then choose something light and low in sugar. Create conditions for sleep If you need to fall asleep quickly, then create all the conditions necessary for sleep. So what are we talking about? First of all, ventilate the room in which you plan to sleep. Make sure the bed linen is fresh, there are no extraneous sounds, turn off the lights or dim them as much as possible. It would also be a good idea to drink a cup of warm herbal tea or milk - you can add a spoonful of honey to any of these drinks. Give up the Internet If you decide to wander the Internet before bed, but you have to get up early tomorrow, then it’s better to abandon this idea. Such a pastime rarely contributes to falling asleep quickly - most likely you will simply be immersed in studying some information and you yourself will not notice how dawn is approaching.

What to do to fall asleep quickly when thoughts distract you

Sometimes you can hear advice that in order for sleep to come faster, you should “disconnect from all thoughts.” Unfortunately, this advice is rarely applied in reality. Some people can be distracted by reading at night, but moderation is also important here - choose some light and exciting work. If you do not consider yourself a book lover, then you can occupy yourself with what you like - draw, make some kind of plan, do simple needlework, and so on. By the way, you can also distract yourself from your thoughts with some interesting film. As soon as you notice that you are starting to feel sleepy, leave the chosen task, turn off the light and try to fall asleep. It also makes sense to consciously force yourself to switch to some other thoughts - think about something really pleasant. In this case, meditation is quite appropriate - imagine a picture that gives you positive feelings. For example, you can close your eyes and imagine that you are sailing in a boat along a picturesque river, swimming in the sea waves, or walking through a flowering field on a fine and pleasant day. Think about what natural conditions you would like to find yourself in now - imagine yourself in these conditions. Most likely, you have once heard the recommendation that in order to fall asleep faster, you should count some animals in your thoughts - for example, sheep jumping over the fence. This advice may not help everyone, but it didn’t come out of nowhere, and sometimes it actually turns out to be quite useful. This activity puts a moderate load on both hemispheres of the brain, and under such conditions it is easier for the body to switch to sleep. Of course, you can also visualize other animals that do not cause negative emotions in you. To distract from unnecessary thoughts, we recommend lying down as comfortably as possible and mentally relaxing all the muscles of the body. Having achieved the desired result, stretch while lying in your bed - this will help the body to completely relax and relieve tension. Of course, in such circumstances it is much easier to fall asleep. We also note that for some people, pressing a pillow between their knees helps relieve stress - this promotes relaxation and pain relief.

How to learn to fall asleep quickly if you want to sleep, but sleep does not come

Ventilate the room As you know, in a cool room we fall asleep faster and subsequently sleep more soundly - this is how our body works. When we fall asleep, our internal body temperature becomes lower - the faster this happens, the faster sleep comes. Get ready for bed in the morning If you want to fall asleep faster, but you don’t always succeed, you need to do this trick, which has a wonderful subconscious effect: be sure to make your bed in the morning, hide bedding and sleep clothes. According to scientists, people who regularly make their beds suffer less from insomnia than others. This small but useful action seems to trigger a sleep mindset in our subconscious.

How to fall asleep faster with sleeping pills, tablets, drops

If you have tried many methods, but have not been able to achieve the desired result, then it makes sense to pay attention to medications in the form of drops, tablets, or sleeping pills. Of course, your doctor should prescribe the medicine for you. If you decide to purchase some light drug that is freely sold in pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription, then be extremely careful when taking it subsequently. Follow all recommendations contained in the instructions. Do not increase the dose, thinking that this way the effect will be more noticeable - this is not so! By exceeding the dose, you can only harm your body and cause serious problems with your well-being. So, what drugs should you pay attention to? It could be something based on herbs such as mint, valerian, chamomile, motherwort, and so on. In addition, tranquilizers are considered very effective, which are designed to calm the nervous system and dull emotions - often they are the only way out if insomnia is caused by any serious stress. Sleeping pills, as a rule, have an effect on nerve receptors, helping them produce the sleep hormone - of course , for the problem under discussion, this is a good solution. Also, do not discount various vitamins. Quite often, the development of chronic insomnia occurs due to the fact that the body is in dire need of vitamins B and D, calcium, and magnesium.

Ways to fall asleep quickly during the day

If you slept well the night before, you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep quickly during the day without resorting to an additional remedy such as a sleeping pill. However, if you slept restlessly at night or were completely awake, and now want to catch up. Try the following:

Lie on your back in a comfortable place (ideally in your bed). Close your eyes. Try to rotate your eyeballs under drooping eyelids - first do it in one direction, and then in the other. Repeat each stage of action for a minute - in the end it will take you two minutes to complete the full exercise. However, in general, it should be repeated 5 times - this will take about ten minutes. Now you need to stretch your arms along your body. Try to relax, imagining how the tension goes away from all your muscles - starting from your toes and higher and higher. Pay special attention to relaxation facial muscles. Try to maintain even breathing.

What to do to fall asleep at night - folk remedies

By following certain recommendations, you will not have difficulty falling asleep at night. So, take a look at some very effective tips.

People who play sports should be aware that their last workout of the day should not be right before bed, but no less than three hours before it. It is important to note that regular walks in the fresh air in the evenings, on the contrary, can be useful. If you have problems falling asleep at night, you should exclude daytime naps from your daily routine - this way, the problem will probably be solved. A wonderful way to relax before bed is taking a bath or soul. It is better to give preference to water procedures with various useful additives - essential oils, foam, sea salt. Most often, the main cause of insomnia is stress, and if it is present in your life, you need to find a way to get rid of it. Before going to bed, it is important to be in a calm and relaxed state, so avoid watching heavy movies, sitting for long periods in front of the monitor, or communicating in loud voices. Follow a routine: try to go to bed at approximately the same time.

To quickly fall asleep and stay asleep, proper preparation for bed is important.

Minimum excitement and emotions The more you worry during the day, the more likely it is that at night you will continue to mentally participate in past conflict situations, and, accordingly, you will not have time to sleep. Learn to restrain negative emotions! If you are faced with some unpleasant circumstance, find an opportunity to calm yourself down, distract yourself at least in the first minutes, until your emotions subside. Once you start taking care of your psychological comfort, you will probably overcome sleep problems. Relaxing shower or bath Taking a warm bath with various aromatic oils or aromatic foam also helps you fall asleep quickly. However, a warm shower has no less good effect. After water procedures, put on soft socks. Note that in the bedroom the air temperature should be approximately three degrees lower than your daily comfortable temperature. Lie down under the blanket and try to sleep. Don't overeat at night Eating a hearty dinner the night before bedtime in no way helps you fall asleep quickly. If you do not want to suffer from insomnia, then we do not recommend eating heavily late in the evening. However, if you are hungry, you are unlikely to be able to fall asleep quickly. It is believed that a certain category of foods can promote good sleep. We are talking about warm milk, nuts, bananas, fish, whole grain bread. At the same time, protein can prevent you from falling asleep quickly, as can drinks containing caffeine, fatty or sweet foods, nicotine, and alcohol. Drink warm tea or milk If you plan to have a restful and comfortable sleep, drink a cup of warm milk or herbal tea with honey at night. Such drinks, unlike those containing caffeine or alcohol, help you fall asleep quickly and have a pleasant sleep. Quiet atmosphere or calm music As we have already mentioned, many people need complete silence in order to fall asleep, but there are also people who feel most comfortable falling asleep listening to a recording of the sounds of nature - a crackling fire, a waterfall, the sound of the sea, birdsong, and so on. However, the list of possible sounds is not limited to this. It is quite possible that you will be able to fall asleep faster if you turn on some calm and relaxing music; of course, it should play quite quietly.

In the evening you toss and turn in bed for a long time, expecting that sleep is about to come. Several times you wake up in the middle of the night or jump up because you had another nightmare. Bad thoughts wake you up at the crack of dawn - and as a result, you feel broken all day. It's hard to get up in the morning. All these are different options for sleep disorders - insomnia or, as doctors call it, insomnia. In most cases, it can be eliminated by following a daily routine and mastering relaxation techniques. “Only you yourself can understand whether it’s time to complain to the doctor about sleep problems,” says a somnologist, associate professor at the Moscow Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenova Mikhail Poluektov. — There is no standard for sleep. For some, six to seven hours are enough, for others, eight or nine. The main thing is how you feel.” Let's try to understand whether you have real problems with sleep.

Victims of emotions

It happens that on the eve of an important meeting at which issues related to your career are planned to be resolved, you cannot sleep and go through possible options for the development of events. Or maybe you had a fight with someone important to you and now you are trying to figure out who is right and who is wrong. Or after meeting a loved one, you are overwhelmed with emotions - what a dream! “Oddly enough, positive emotions, especially those associated with anticipation of something, often interfere with sleep even more than negative ones,” says psychologist Boris Labkovsky. “And if a pleasant event has already happened, a person involuntarily tries to prolong the joyful excitement. And instead of enjoying life in the present, he goes through the events of the past in his memory.”

This type of insomnia is called adaptation, and its occurrence is associated with stress - both positive and negative. It rarely lasts more than a few days and does not require the deployment of military operations; it retreats on its own as soon as the source of unrest disappears.

Other rules

If you often say with annoyance: “There are so few hours in the day!” — most likely, you don’t get enough sleep regularly. Anyone who strives to embrace the immensity, to do everything, often suffers from insomnia caused by poor sleep hygiene. Playing sports at night, sorting out relationships with someone, computer games, not always positive news on TV - there are more than enough factors that reduce the likelihood of falling asleep on time to zero.

To cope with the problem, get ready for bed an hour or two in advance. Decide in advance what time you finish all your chores - around the house and at work. Turn off the computer and TV, avoid coffee and alcohol, do not drink milk (contrary to popular belief, it only interferes with sleep, as it is a strong diuretic). Before going to bed, you can take a bubble bath. “Our body and consciousness are directly connected,” reminds Boris Labkovsky, “so relaxing muscles in warm water is very useful. And if restless thoughts start creeping into your head, tell yourself, like the heroine of Gone with the Wind: “I’ll think about it tomorrow!”

Sleep, my joy

Do you remember how in an episode of the series “Friends” one of the characters had to get up early for an important meeting and what came of it? He, as expected, went to bed early, but the harder he tried to fall asleep, the more he couldn’t. As a result, I became so nervous that I fell asleep only in the morning.

This type of insomnia is called psychophysiological: a person is so afraid of not falling asleep that he cannot relax. It is those who suffer from this sleep disorder who diligently count sheep, look at the clock all night and, drenched in cold sweat, mentally go through all the consequences of lack of sleep - from a car accident to the failure of the presentation of a new project.

“Counting sheep is a harmless method, but not very effective,” says Mikhail Poluektov. - Much better is relaxation, the ability to get all the day's problems out of your head before going to bed. You don’t need to concentrate on falling asleep, on the contrary, you need to tell yourself: “I don’t want to sleep at all.” I’ll just lie down and rest.’”

Take the clock out of your sight - at night there is no need to know the exact time. In addition, there are simple and effective techniques - for example, covering the windows with thick curtains, laying down fresh linen, and making sure that there are no LED lamps in the room. Pads filled with dry herbs are very helpful: mint, oregano. They evoke pleasant memories of summer, and inhaling the aroma itself becomes an evening ritual that helps you fall asleep. Sometimes moving to another room or simply rearranging the furniture helps.

When it seems

At night, the perception of reality is distorted. You can sleep for seven or eight hours and still feel like you haven't slept a wink, have woken up many times and are now completely exhausted. In this case, we are talking about paradoxical, or pseudo-insomnia. A classic example: a person complains that a dog barked under his window all night and did not let him sleep. In fact, the dog only barked a few times.

One of the specialized clinics that specialize in somnology (the science of sleep) will help you determine whether you really suffer from insomnia. The examination is like an adventure: you need to sleep in a medical facility all night with sensors attached to your head. Doctors will take an encephalogram, analyze eye movements and muscle tension - and based on this they will be able to understand how many hours you slept, whether there are any breathing disorders during sleep and whether medical attention is needed. The “music of the brain” technique is very popular: based on the patient’s encephalogram, a melody is created that promotes healthy sleep. According to Boris Labkovsky, an important means of combating insomnia is a smile. “Go to bed smiling,” he advises. “Most likely, you will wake up in a good mood in the morning, because a person programs himself in many ways.”

Since the beginning of the last century, it has become fashionable to complain about insomnia - it is believed that sophisticated and successful people who simply have to write poetry, create paintings or business projects at night suffer from it. In fact, successful people, as a rule, sleep well, and therefore are able to work as much as necessary to achieve success during the day. Many famous artists and musicians have admitted that their creativity at night is much worse than during the day. A well-rested person is full of energy and desire to act; his work is much more effective. You shouldn’t consider time spent sleeping as lost - our subconscious copes with many problems at night. It’s not for nothing that they say: “The morning is wiser than the evening.

Text: Anna Baskakova

Everyone is familiar with the situation when you go to bed, but instead of the desired healthy sleep and rest, various extraneous thoughts creep into your head, the events of the past day are replayed over and over again. Finally, in the morning you forget for a while, and a couple of hours later the alarm clock rings. My head is heavy, I have no strength and my whole day is wasted.

Usually the reason for such night vigils is simple:

Unpleasant events that happened last day.
An important meeting, anticipation of tomorrow's events.
Internal emotional experiences.
Fears related to loved ones, work, the future, uncertainty about the future.

Long, several-day “marathons” are caused by:

Stress.
Neurosis.
Depression.
Overfatigue causing disruption of the circadian rhythm.

WITH There are physical reasons that affect the body and disrupt restful rest:

taking medications that overstimulate the nervous system,
abuse of tonic drinks,
too much, fatty food before bed,
hard bed, protruding springs, dips.

Medicine calls such disorders insomnia (insomnia). The disorder includes a complete lack of sleep or sleep disorders, when a person cannot immerse himself in rest for a long time, sleeps superficially, and often wakes up.

If the situation repeats frequently, chronic fatigue and inattention develop. Irritability appears, it becomes difficult to perform duties, and disturbances in the functioning of internal systems and organs appear. Frequent consequences of constant insomnia:

obesity,
hypertension,
diabetes.

To get at least a couple of hours of rest, people suffering from sleep disorders resort to pills. You need to understand that not all medications are allowed to be taken long-term; you should not prescribe serious medications yourself. There are a number of drugs that, if used continuously and uncontrolled, can completely upset internal rhythms and even cause addiction.

What drugs should not be treated

Tranquilizers and barbiturates help to quickly relieve anxiety and distance yourself from difficult thoughts. Most of these drugs are used to treat severe mental disorders. But there are easier options available in pharmacies without a prescription - Afobazol, Adaptol, Diphenhydramine, Corvalol. A doctor may prescribe diazemap or Rellanium to relieve stress.

It should be remembered that the consequences of constant use of psychotropic substances are unpleasant.

The person becomes distracted, inattentive, and inhibited in work.
He loses vitality much faster, his energy ceases to be enough for the waking day. After just a few hours, lethargy and fatigue appear.
More often there is a headache, burning sensations and pain in the eyes develop.
Trembling of the hands, weakness in the legs, and in severe cases even convulsions appear.
Memory decreases.

The danger of tranquilizers is the rapid development of addiction. After just a couple of months, the dose taken becomes insufficient for the effect; an increase is required. Gradually, a person goes beyond the norm, becomes completely dependent, and cannot fall asleep without a pill. Stopping the drug causes fear and even more stress. Dependence on mild drugs develops slowly; with heavy drugs, three to four weeks are enough.

Despite the onset of the long-awaited sleep “on the pill”, relaxation is not physiological. A person simply plunges into oblivion and comes to his senses after the morning clock rings. There is no real rest for the brain or body.

Simple and useful tools

It is best to start treating insomnia with simple sedatives. First of all, these are a variety of teas, herbal tablets. They include: mint, lemon balm, valerian, motherwort, peony, hops. An example is the collection: FITOSEDAN, tablets PERSEN, DORMIPLANT. Brewing a drink and a warm cup of tea with honey is calming in itself and can be a pleasant bedtime ritual. It must be taken into account that the real effect of using tea increases gradually. It will take several weeks for the rhythms to completely return to normal. You should continue to drink herbs daily.

There are a number of drugs that are non-addictive and have a positive effect on the nervous system, setting the mood for relaxation. The tablets are sold without a prescription.

MELAXEN

The medicine contains melatonin. This is a hormone produced by the pineal gland. The substance is familiar to the body and is well accepted in tablets. The main purpose of the hormone is to synchronize biorhythms and relax the nervous system. The advantage of the product is that melatonin, after providing an effect, quickly disintegrates and is eliminated from the body - addiction and overdose are excluded. On the contrary, after his participation, real useful sleep comes.

DONORMIL

Effervescent tablets containing doxylamine. Initially, the drug was considered an antiallergic drug, but the hypnotic effect turned out to be so great that now the medicine is used exclusively for the treatment of insomnia. The product helps you quickly relax and feel completely rested the next day. However, the drug is not taken for a long time, and lethargy appears during the daytime.

How to fall asleep quickly if you don't want to sleep

If it's time to rest, but there is no sleep in either eye, then you can use the following tips. First, get into a pleasant mood, for example, listen to quiet music. The farther all worries move away from you, the faster you will fall asleep.

Take a walk before bed. Half an hour at a leisurely pace puts you in a calm mood.
Take a bath and drink relaxing herbal tea.
Create the most comfortable conditions in the bedroom: ventilate, take a low pillow, completely turn off the light.
Take a “sleepy” position. It is believed that it is better for a person to fall asleep on his stomach with his face turned to the left.
Remove all thoughts from your head, do not think about the events of the day, do not make plans for tomorrow.

If all else fails, you can try a method developed for people in “emergency” professions, when there is very little time for rest. To do this, you need to lie on your back, put your hands at your sides, not move, roll your eyes up and calmly count in your mind.

What will help you sleep

There are certain things that help you sleep well at night.

Fresh air. The more time you spend outdoors during the day, the better you sleep. If possible, leave the window open all night and do not turn on the heaters. A comfortable temperature is considered to be 21 degrees. In European countries, evening walks and jogging are common, which help you relax and get ready for relaxation.
Proper food. Fatty foods seasoned with hot spices are definitely not for those who want to fall asleep. An abundance of sweets tones and gives energy, so it is also better not to eat them in the evening. You should not go to bed on a full or empty stomach. It is better to prefer a full dinner at 18 o'clock and before bed a cup of kefir and a couple of cookies.
Water. Our condition is perfectly controlled by water of different temperatures. A cool shower helps you invigorate and wake up, but evening treatments at a water temperature of 37 degrees and above are relaxing. If you additionally dissolve lavender salt in water or add a decoction of pine needles, the effect will increase. Even if you can't take a bath, you can simply steam your feet.

If you use these natural sleep regulators correctly, you will have much less problems falling asleep.

Preventing Insomnia

The most important thing in the fight against insomnia is organizing your daily routine. Sleeping and waking times should coincide with natural rhythms. Inside the body, at different times, different processes and reactions occur, which are genetically determined. They are the ones who determine our natural regime – biorhythms. Our brain contains the core of all internal clocks. It is located close to the optic nerve and is affected by daylight. It is thanks to him that adjustment occurs to the twenty-four hour day and different lengths of the day in winter and summer. When there is little light, the sleep hormone melatonin is produced. In addition, circadian rhythms differ slightly between people (night owls and larks). Therefore, in order to sleep well and soundly, always follow simple rules.

Table of rules for sound sleep

Always go to bed and get up at the same time. Don't break the rhythm even on weekends.

Always sleep in a dark room and dim the lights before bed to help you tune in.

Adjust your bedtime and wake-up times to suit your rhythms. If you are a night owl, try to go to bed later and don't set your alarm for 6 am. Calculate your actions so that you can get up for work at the last minute without loading your morning with tasks.

Don't go to bed during the day. If you need to rest between 12:00 and 16:00, do not relax for more than an hour.

Don't eat after 6 pm and don't drink coffee after 4 pm.

Avoid activities that excite the nervous system a couple of hours before bedtime: avoid evening discos, do not swear, do not watch horror and action films.

Play sports. Light jogging or aerobics three times a week.

Try to make the atmosphere in your bedroom pleasant: clean air, comfortable mattress and pajamas, silence.

It is useful to create certain bedtime rituals that are repeated daily. For example, reading a book, tea with honey, light music, a bath.