Causes of problems falling asleep in adults. The use of synthetic sleeping pills. Home remedies for sleep disorders

Do you know how important proper rest is for the body? Sleep prepares a person for the next day. It fills the body with strength and energy, allows you to concentrate well and think clearly. A person who has slept well feels in shape all day long. And of course, it causes completely opposite sensations in an adult at night. What to do in such a situation? How to restore the normal rhythm of life?

Common reasons

We can talk for a long time about what can interfere with normal rest at night in an adult, since there are many reasons for this phenomenon.

The following points most often interfere with proper rest:

1. Insomnia. The long process of falling asleep and constant awakenings at night leave you feeling tired and exhausted in the morning. Almost every person experiences episodic insomnia. A chronic similar condition is diagnosed in 15% of the population.
2. Snore. By itself, it does not disturb the rest of a sleeping person. But snoring can lead to sleep apnea syndrome. This is a condition in which a person stops breathing. This syndrome is a serious complication that adversely affects the quality of sleep. In addition, it increases the risk of stroke and cardiovascular pathologies several times.
3. Central syndrome Patients with this diagnosis suffer from dysfunction of the respiratory center located in the brain. As a result of this pathology, respiratory arrest leads to acute oxygen starvation, which affects all organs.
4. This is a neurological disorder in which a person in a calm state experiences discomfort in the lower extremities. The discomfort goes away after small movements of the legs.
5. Circadian disorders. Disturbed sleep is based on non-compliance with the rest-wake regime. Similar conditions occur in people who often work at night. Changing time zones also disrupts the body's internal clock.
6. Narcolepsy. In this case, the patient can fall asleep at any time. Patients report the following symptoms. Suddenly there is a sharp weakness. Hallucinations may occur. They can be observed both during falling asleep and at the moment of awakening. Sleep paralysis follows.
7. Bruxism. This is a condition in which the jaw clenches involuntarily. Such a person begins. After such a rest, the patient complains of feeling unwell. He has headaches, muscles, teeth, and the temporomandibular joint.

What else has a detrimental effect on sleep?

The above reasons are far from the only ones that have a detrimental effect on the quality of rest. When considering why an adult has poor sleep at night, we should dwell on several more factors that provide a feeling of fatigue and weakness in the morning.

Inadequate night's rest may be dictated by the following reasons:

1. Misunderstanding. Unfortunately, not all adults understand how important sleep is for the body. They use the time allotted for rest for any other business: finish work, watch a movie, play on the computer. Morning fatigue is perceived by such people as a normal condition. As a result, they concentrate less well on their responsibilities, have difficulty waking up, become irritable, and feel lethargic.
2. Work schedule. Many people are simply overwhelmed with responsibilities. Work often takes up a lot of free time. Some stay in the office until night, others rush there even on weekends. Of course, they have practically no time to fully relax and unwind.
3. Busy schedule. Modern man constantly strives to do everything. People go to work, visit fitness centers, and participate in various events. In addition, there are household responsibilities: picking up children from the garden, caring for elderly parents, cultivating a vegetable garden. The to-do list can get huge. Obviously, the desire to do everything leads to a significant shift in the time when you can go to bed.
4. Life changes. Any changes that occur to a person can affect the quality of sleep. Pleasant news provides an excited state in which it is quite difficult to fully relax. Negative changes lead to suffering, which can lead to depression. In this case, the pathology can manifest itself unnoticed and gradually. In such cases, a person is not even always aware of his condition.
5. Bad habits. Poor sleep can be dictated by smoking, drinking alcohol, and caffeine. For example, the habit of having a heavy dinner right before bed has a detrimental effect on the quality of rest.

Medical reasons

Some diseases can cause poor sleep at night in adults. Treatment of underlying ailments will significantly improve the clinic. Sometimes pathologies that affect the quality of rest are temporary:

• tendon strain;
• flu;
• recently undergone surgical interventions.

But poor sleep can also be caused by diseases that accompany the patient throughout his life:

• asthma and other respiratory ailments;
• epilepsy;
• arthritis;
• heart diseases.

Inadequate rest may be dictated by taking medications prescribed by a doctor. Some medications cause irritability and have a detrimental effect on sleep. Others can cause drowsiness.

What to do?

So, the picture is observed: an adult has poor sleep at night. What to do in such a situation? After all, inadequate rest can lead to a number of serious pathologies in the future.

Let's start small. Analyze the room in which you sleep. It is possible that external stimuli affect the quality of sleep.

To do this, answer the following questions as honestly as possible:

1. Is the room well ventilated before bed?
2. Is there sufficient sound insulation in the room?
3. Doesn't street light come into your bedroom?
4. When was the last time you changed your bed?
5. How comfortable is your pillow?

If you find the problems listed above, try to eliminate them. If, after getting rid of the irritants, your sleep returned to normal, it means that these were the reasons that had a detrimental effect on your rest.

For the future, remember that you are highly sensitive. For a good and quality rest, you need a calm and quiet environment.

Effects of caffeine and alcohol

It was indicated above what can cause poor sleep at night in an adult. The reasons for inadequate rest are often hidden in excessive consumption of caffeine or alcohol. Analyze how many cups of coffee you drink per day. Or maybe in the evening you like to sit in front of the TV with a glass of beer?

Each body reacts to these drinks in its own way. It cannot be ruled out that the dose you drink becomes excessive and causes poor sleep.

To be sure to understand whether this is the reason, try to give up such drinks. Observe your condition.

Schedule

Even from school, a person is taught to maintain a daily routine. Thanks to parents, most students actually go to bed at the same time. But at an older age, people, as a rule, rarely adhere to the regime. By going to bed long after midnight, they themselves reduce the duration of rest, and it is not surprising that in this case they have poor sleep at night.

For an adult, as you know, night's rest should last 7-8 hours. Only in this case is the body able to have quality rest and ensure normal functioning.

Doctors say it provokes an increase in cortisol levels (this is the death hormone). As a result, a variety of diseases can develop. Therefore, you need to start by observing a daily routine in which at least 7 hours are allocated for night rest.

Analyze medications

Various medications are prescribed to people for therapeutic purposes. Carefully study the leaflet of these drugs. Pay attention to side effects, as some medications can cause poor sleep at night in adults.

What to do if the basis for disrupted rest is the medications prescribed by the doctor? Of course, consult a doctor. The specialist will select new medications that will not cause such negative reactions.

Physical exercise

If an adult has poor sleep at night, what should he do during the day to get rid of the problem? First of all, provide the body with normal activity. Sports activities are excellent for strengthening and developing endurance. In addition, they perfectly improve the quality of rest. An organism sufficiently saturated with oxygen falls asleep easier and better.

However, do not forget to choose the right time for training. Physical activity should completely stop at least 2 hours before bedtime. Sport provides more than just oxygen saturation. It stimulates the production of adrenaline. And this substance is a bad sleeping pill.

Regular walking before bed is very beneficial. They will significantly improve its quality. Walk down the street or take a stroll in the park. 30 minutes is enough to ensure complete rest.

In addition, it is recommended to practice muscle relaxation. It can also be done in bed. The procedure consists of alternately tensing and relaxing the muscles. For example: tense your leg muscles for 5 seconds. Then relax them completely. Do an exercise for your abdominal muscles.

Proper nutrition

Very often the question arises: if an adult has poor sleep at night, what should he take to improve the quality of rest?

Initially, you should pay attention to your diet and diet. Eating right before bed often causes a restless night's rest. The body cannot enter the sleep stage while the stomach is digesting food. In addition, at this time energy is produced that is not at all conducive to rest. Taking this into account, eating should be completed 3 hours before bedtime.

Foods rich in magnesium can significantly improve the quality of sleep. The lack of this microelement leads to disturbances in the process of falling asleep. So be sure to include foods that contain magnesium in your diet, such as pumpkin seeds and spinach.

Water treatments

SPA treatments can help an adult overcome a bad night's sleep. The body needs to relax. So before you go to bed, take a hot bath or shower. This simple procedure will relieve you of stress and make you drowsy.

Folk remedies

If an adult has poor sleep at night, folk remedies can also significantly improve rest and help you fall asleep quickly:

1. Stuff your pillow with herbs. It is recommended to use rose petals, mint, laurel, hazel, oregano, geranium, fern, and pine needles. All these components help you fall asleep quickly.
2. Before going to bed, drink warm water (1 tbsp) with honey (1 tbsp). The best effect will be provided by warm milk with cinnamon and honey. This remedy allows you to fall asleep even after strong excitement.
3. A tincture of hop cones is useful. It provides a relaxing and analgesic effect. To prepare the product, you need to grind 2 tbsp. l. cones. Pour boiling water over the raw materials - 0.5 l. The composition should be infused for 1 hour. Be sure to strain it and take ¼ cup 20 minutes before meals. It is recommended to use the infusion three times a day.

Medications

Sometimes the recommendations described above do not provide the desired result. Such people should definitely consult a doctor. Because in this case, medications will help normalize poor sleep at night in an adult. But remember that only a specialist should prescribe such drugs.

The following sleeping pills are popular:

• "Melaxen";
• "Donormil";
• "Zopiclone";
• "Melatonin";
• "Diphenhydramine";
• "Imovan";
• "Somnol";
• "Ivadal";
• "Andante";
• "Sondox."

These drugs can quickly and effectively restore sleep. They reduce the number of night awakenings. Provides excellent health in the morning after waking up.

But remember that only a specialist can choose the right medicine and its dosage if an adult has poor sleep at night. The tablets listed above, like any medicine, have contraindications and can provoke quite unpleasant side effects. Therefore, entrust your health and sleep to professionals.

Conclusion

Adequate sleep is the key to success and health. Lack of normal rest leads to the appearance of various diseases and decreased performance. So take care of yourself. Provide your body with proper rest. After all, the quality of life depends on it.

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 disturbance, 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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 synthetic filler, which 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.

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 in pleasantly hot water for 20 minutes with the addition of a decoction of mint, lemon balm, and 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 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.

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 elderly 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!

Kalinov Yuri Dmitrievich

Reading time: 7 minutes

Sleep disturbance in adults is the scourge of our time. Often, problems with night rest, insomnia and other disorders become the cause of serious illnesses. Why do they appear and how to get rid of them?

Sound, healthy sleep allows a person to rest and recharge with energy for the whole day. The modern rhythm of life and constant stress lead to the fact that about a third of the population suffers from insomnia, or insomnia. Insufficient night rest leads to a deterioration in the quality of life and increases the likelihood of developing dangerous diseases. Therefore, it is important to identify the cause of the problem in time and begin treatment.

Types and symptoms of sleep disorders (insomnia)

Rest needs vary from person to person. For some, six hours is enough to fully restore strength, while others need to sleep at least eight to nine. Problems due to lack of sleep at night can occur periodically or be chronic. There are several types of deviations with different symptoms:

1. Presomnia disorder, or difficulty falling asleep. A person may toss and turn in bed for hours trying to fall asleep. This is usually accompanied by obsessive thoughts and anxiety.
2. Intrasomnic. A person wakes up many times a night for no apparent reason, after which it is difficult for him to fall asleep again. Sleep is often accompanied by nightmares.
3. Post-somnia – short sleep, early awakening. Many people dream of learning to get up early, but in this case the person does not feel that he got enough sleep because the amount of rest was insufficient. This is a reason to think about your health and eliminate sleep disturbances.

Another sign of somnological problems is the constant feeling that night rest, even with a normal duration, does not give the required effect. The person feels “broken” and tired.

If such symptoms do not go away for a long time, it is recommended to seek help from a specialist. Frequent awakenings at night can have serious consequences for health: immunity is reduced, and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breast cancer, and obesity significantly increases.

How would you characterize the sleep disorder that is bothering you?

Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Difficulty falling asleep: I can toss and turn in bed for several hours. 38%, 387 votes

I constantly wake up in the middle of the night, and then it is difficult to fall back to sleep. 31%, 313 votes

Sleep does not bring a feeling of rest, regardless of the number of hours spent in bed. I always want to sleep! 17%, 171 voice

I wake up too early in the morning, regardless of my bedtime. 14%, 142 vote

12.03.2018

A good night's rest is the key to good physical and psychological health. After all, it is at night that the body fully recovers after a difficult day. Therefore, it is important to know the causes of insomnia and what to do if an adult has poor sleep at night.

Causes

The causes of poor sleep in adults are quite numerous. For classification purposes, they are divided into external (physiological) and internal (caused by pathological conditions).

If a person begins to sleep poorly, then the causes of insomnia can be:

• jet lag – staying awake at night and lack of physical activity during the day can cause persistent disturbances;
• poor-quality organization of the sleeping area - a hard mattress or pillow, hot, stale air in the room can also disrupt the process of falling asleep and cause frequent awakenings at night;
• alcoholism;
• eating at night - evening and night snacks do not allow the stomach to stop working, which interferes with proper rest;
• changes in hormonal levels - insomnia often develops in adolescence, during gestation, and in old age.

The main medical reasons are:

• mental disorders - these include depressive/stressful conditions, amnesia, catatonia;
• a course of medication - a similar condition can be caused by drugs that depress/stimulate the central nervous system;
• breathing disorders;
• pain of various origins;
• bed-wetting;
• walking at night.

A person may simply have scary or bad dreams, which can also cause frequent awakenings.

Bad dream: what to do

If we talk about what to do if a person has poor sleep at night, then there are several solutions to the problem.

Daily and sleep routine

Following a daily routine will help prevent night awakenings. In addition, to prevent difficulty falling asleep, it is necessary to give up daytime rest.

To avoid waking up in the middle of the night, you need to go to bed around ten o'clock in the evening. Since a person needs eight to nine hours for proper rest, by seven in the morning he will wake up alert and ready to work.

Don't put off important things until the evening hours. All issues must be resolved by 17:00.

Bad habits

The complaint that you often have to wake up at night may be caused by bad habits.

If a person does not sleep well at night, the cause is sometimes:

• regular consumption of alcoholic beverages;
• drinking coffee/strong tea in the evenings;
• smoking.

Drug addiction also causes insomnia.

Physical exercise

Poor sleep can be caused by insufficient exercise. Age-appropriate exercises help eliminate the problem. It is important to exercise regularly.

Your night's rest will be better if:

• go for short runs in the morning;
• do warm-up during the day;
• in the evening, 2 hours before going to bed, do 40 minutes of cardio training;
• practice yoga.

Physical activity is not recommended immediately before bedtime. Otherwise, you can get overexcitation of the central nervous system.

Proper nutrition

Poor sleep may be caused by eating late. Dinner should be light and consist of vegetables and fruits. It should take place 3 hours before bedtime.

Coffee, black tea, fried/salty foods are prohibited.

Water treatments

If a person has trouble sleeping at night, then water procedures can help solve the problem.

A healthy sleep will be ensured by an evening bath in a warm bath with the addition of aromatic oils with a calming effect - cedar, peach, chamomile, lemon balm.

Treatment of sleep disorders

Night awakenings are exhausting and therefore require mandatory treatment. The desired result can be obtained by taking sleeping pills or by turning to traditional medicine methods.

Use of sleeping pills

If you wake up frequently at night, you can start taking medications for insomnia.

1. Drugs that slow down the functioning of the central nervous system. They are not used in the treatment of simple cases of insomnia, as they are characterized by numerous side effects.
2. Barbiturates. Promote relaxation, have a hypnotic and anticonvulsant effect. Highly effective. Cons: addictive, disrupts the fast phase.
3. Benzodiazepines. Effective remedies that have a direct effect on the center of the brain responsible for falling asleep. Disadvantages – there is a reduction in the deep phase, drowsiness is noted during the daytime. Allowed for short courses.
4. Melatonin-based preparations. These are hormonal hypnotics used in a group of elderly patients. At this age, insomnia develops precisely against the background of a lack of sleep hormone. The effect is achieved only with course application.
5. Herbal products. Sleeping pills act gently, without affecting the nervous system and without causing side effects. More often they are homeopathic compositions and biological supplements. Used as part of complex therapy for insomnia.

Folk remedies

To eliminate the causes of night awakenings, it is worth resorting to traditional medicine methods. If a person has poor sleep, the following recipes are recommended:

1. 2 tbsp. Pour boiling water (200 ml) over hop cones. Simmer the composition in a water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, insulate and leave for three hours. Filter the drink and drink it an hour before bedtime.
2. Place 5 drops of lavender oil on a piece of lump sugar. Dissolve 30 minutes before bedtime.
3. Pour 50 grams of dill seeds with Cahors (500 ml). Simmer in a water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a thermos and leave for 60 minutes. Filter and drink 50 ml before bed.

These remedies help cope with insomnia. Before using herbs to treat sensitive sleep, you should consult your doctor.

Sleep disturbance manifests itself in a subjective feeling of lack of rest. This illness consists of prolonged falling asleep, disruption of sleep depth and time of awakening. More than 30% of the world's population are diagnosed with such disorders. The phenomenon often occurs in old age, but can also be a problem in the younger generation. The etiological factors for each disease differ significantly.

Etiology

The causes of sleep disturbances in a child arise from excessive excitability of the nervous system. Even a little stress can lead to illness. In adults, sleep disturbances can be caused by somatic problems. These indicators include:

• cardiovascular pathologies;
• endocrine diseases;
• disorders of the neuropsychic system;
• improper metabolism.

Disruption of sleep patterns occurs only in those people who are highly susceptible and hypersensitive to various situations. It is psycho-emotional stress that can lead to a person beginning to develop insomnia.

Another reason is taking medications. The disorder also manifests itself when consuming caffeinated drinks, drug or alcohol abuse.

During pregnancy, women especially often experience difficulty falling asleep. The disease can be caused by both physiological and pathological problems. The first category includes the following reasons:

• difficulty in finding an acceptable pose;
• all over the back;
• fetal movement;
• itching in the abdominal area;

During pregnancy, pathology can develop due to the exacerbation of such factors as fatigue, stress and nervous tension, nightmares and fears.

Classification

Clinicians have determined that sleep disturbance has different causes, which can be classified according to different criteria. The disease itself also manifests itself in several forms. Thus, based on the duration of the illness, doctors determined:

• short-term insomnia;
• chronic.

According to the etiological factor, there are primary and secondary, which are caused by early mental disorders, diseases or medications.

To diagnose a disease, it is very important for the doctor to determine the type of disease according to the classification presented below. Therefore, sleep disorders have the following types:

• insomnia – difficulty falling asleep. Manifests itself from mental illnesses, from the use of medications or alcoholic beverages, from respiratory problems, from nocturnal myoclonus and “restless legs” syndrome;
• – pathological drowsiness. Develops from the above factors;
• temporary disturbance of sleep and periods of wakefulness;
• parasomnia - manifests itself in a violation of the functional spectrum, which is associated with sleep, determination of sleep phases, and defective awakening. They are formed from movement during night rest, fears and anxieties, epileptic seizures and other functional failures.

Symptoms

Symptoms of sleep disorders in children and adults can manifest themselves in a general clinical picture, characterized by various manifestations:

• feeling of lack of sleep;
• it is impossible to fall asleep at the usual time, which is accompanied by anxiety, fear and obsessive thoughts;
• restless rest with frequent awakenings;
• when falling asleep, the time of wakefulness comes earlier than usual and the person cannot fall asleep a second time, or sleep may be too restless (such sleep disturbances appear in older people and in depression);
• lack of restored strength after rest;
• and naps during the day;
• fatigue;
• anxiety before falling asleep.

When the patient suffers from insomnia, he falls asleep too late, he is tormented by strange thoughts and it is difficult to find a comfortable position.

If the disease has developed from the abuse of alcoholic beverages or medications, sleep becomes small phases, since all rapid periods are significantly shortened and the patient wakes up at night. After a person stops taking too much alcohol, the restoration of the regime begins within a week.

With a disorder from, a person complains of constant uncontrolled movements of the legs, foot or big toe. They last only 2 seconds, but can be repeated frequently.

Violation of the regime manifests itself in falling asleep during attacks during the day. This disorder manifests itself when traveling, eating, monotonous work or an overly active process.

Disruption of normal sleep patterns and wakefulness occurs from moving to different time zones or changing work schedules. Adaptation in this case occurs in 2–3 days. Sleep disturbance in adults is characterized by the following manifestations:

• has difficulty falling asleep at a certain time;
• falling asleep early in the evening or getting up too early;
• non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome.

If the patient develops against a background of fears, then such panic attacks may be accompanied by severe sweating and dilated pupils. After a few minutes, the normal state is restored and the person falls asleep.

In infants, bedwetting is also a manifestation of sleep disorder. Often in a newborn, such a symptom manifests itself for physiological reasons, since the urinary system is not yet sufficiently developed. It may also be a sign of a violation of the regime in older children who have learned to go to the toilet on their own. In the second case, the symptom is pathological.

Patients may also exhibit the following additional indicators:

• with apnea - snoring, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating;
• with -, pain in the facial muscles, temples, jaw, reduction of hard dental tissue, appearance.

Diagnostics

To determine how to treat a sleep disorder, the patient first needs to consult a doctor. With such a problem, a person should consult a somnologist.

For examination, doctors prescribe polysomnography with cardiorespiratory analysis - special sensors record a person’s sleep and all manifestations. After completion of the experiment, data on electroencephalography, electrooculography, electromyography, electrocardiography, respiration, and blood oxygen saturation are analyzed.

Such an examination makes it possible to determine the following nuances as accurately as possible:

• cycle ratio;
• their change;
• other factors affecting sleep.

The disorder can be diagnosed in another way - by identifying average latency. This method will allow the physician to determine the root cause of drowsiness and identify narcolepsy if it has developed in the patient. The experiment is carried out on the basis of 5 attempts to fall asleep while awake. Each time a person has 20 minutes to fall asleep. A second attempt is made two hours later. The average sleep latency is revealed over all attempts of a person. If the indicator is more than 10 minutes, then this is normal; within 5–10 minutes is an extreme indicator of the norm; less than 5 is abnormal drowsiness.

Treatment

After diagnosing a sleep disorder, the treating doctor prescribes treatment. There are many ways in medicine to treat such pathology. However, if the symptoms are not significant and the person does not exhibit serious complications, then you can get by with simple rules:

• go to bed at a familiar time and in a familiar environment, before going to bed it is advisable to ventilate the room, you can walk a little outside, take a warm bath or read a book;
• distribute time for work and rest;
• use sedatives made from natural ingredients;
• It is recommended to exclude all caffeine-containing drinks;
• Avoid alcohol 6 hours before bedtime.

Drug treatment of sleep disorders is based on taking the following drugs:

• sedatives;
• antidepressants;
• sleeping pills.

In addition to medications and general rules for leading a healthy lifestyle, what else can be done to eliminate the disease? Doctors advise people with this problem to resort to physiotherapeutic procedures. Therefore, the patient is prescribed:

• pine baths;
• electrophoresis;
• electrosleep;
• hypnotherapy;
• autogenic training.

The drugs make it possible to cope well with the pathology, but non-drug methods can also be used. Often patients are prescribed acupuncture. It helps to normalize all phases of sleep, reduce latent sleep, restore normal duration and depth of rest, and reduce the manifestation of neuropathic symptoms.

To eliminate sleep disturbances in children, parents need to strictly follow the recommendations of doctors. To do this, you need to carry out the following activities:

• keep a sleep diary in which you record the time of falling asleep and waking up, night wakefulness, and the child’s behavior during the day;
• walk in the fresh air, feed correctly and at the same time;
• ventilate the child’s room, maintain temperature and humidity;
• reduce the activity of the baby or older child in the evening;
• maintain a calm and loving family environment.

During pregnancy, women also have special treatment rules, namely:

• distance yourself from overexertion;
• give up daytime sleep;
• talk to loved ones about nightmares;
• engage in light physical exercise;
• do not eat at night;
• take a light bath and shower before bed;
• drink less fluids in the evening;
• before going to bed you can drink warm milk;
• ventilate the bedroom;
• clothes should be clean and comfortable;
• do breathing exercises in the evening.

It is better not to take sleeping pills during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Doctors advise getting rid of the disease using the above methods or folk remedies, but only after consulting a doctor.

Complications

Sleep is an important function for humans. During rest, all organs and systems of the body are restored and prepared for a new day. Therefore, sleep occupies an important place among other functions. If you ignore the manifestations of regime disorder, a person may experience severe stress, depression and other problems. During the period of disturbed sleep, the patient may develop the following complications:

• the appearance of excess weight;
• excessive absorption of carbohydrates;
• weak immunity;
• deterioration of attention and concentration;
• atherosclerosis;
• and irritability.

Prevention

In order to prevent the disease, doctors advise using many of the tips that are prescribed to patients for therapy:

• balance rest and wakefulness;
• limit physical and mental stress;
• correctly use drugs that affect the nervous system.

Prevention of pathology also involves preventing the formation of cranial mechanical damage and neuroinfections.

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