How to fall asleep quickly if you have insomnia? 21 tips on how to improve your sleep

surgeon, ophthalmologist Sergey Pankratov

3 minutes

10041

For most people who cannot fall asleep for a long time, it is enough to follow a few simple rules for preparing for bed:

If all this doesn't help, you might want to try a few techniques that have been scientifically proven to help you fall asleep faster:

Insomnia and its consequences

Insomnia or insomnia is a general name for a variety of night sleep disorders. Its main symptoms are prolonged falling asleep, early awakening, intermittent sleep patterns, as well as its complete absence. Depending on the duration of forced wakefulness, complete and partial insomnia are distinguished. Sleep problems can be hereditary, occur as a result of certain diseases or brain injuries. Sleepless nights affect a person’s well-being and performance. It is worth noting that the most dangerous thing for health is chronic lack of sleep. It negatively affects the immune system and leads to premature aging. Chronic insomnia is one of the main causes of hypertension, heart attacks and strokes. Against the backdrop of constant lack of sleep, metabolic disorders and hormonal disruptions occur, and excess weight appears.

The most common complaints after sleepless nights:

• bad feeling;
• lethargy, apathy;
• problems with concentration and memory;
• muscle, joint and headaches;
• intestinal disorder, etc.

Chronic lack of sleep is a real scourge of modern society. According to statistics, they are observed in more than a billion people.

More complicated methods

6. Blanket trick

Try to quickly throw off the blanket. When you feel cold, cover yourself again. The feeling of returning warmth and comfort will make you want to sleep.

7. Read a boring book

Watch or read something very boring. Remember how you could barely restrain a yawn during some lessons at school. What was this item? Pull your textbook out of the back drawer and dive into reading.

8. Exercise to combat insomnia

For those who are completely desperate, there is an exercise that helps you fall asleep: lie on your back, stretch your arms parallel to your body and clench your fists tightly, at the same time pull your toes towards you. Happened? Hold this position for a few seconds, then slowly relax. Repeat 7-8 times.

Listening to ASMR videos helps many people. It gives you goosebumps and relaxes you. It is advisable to listen to the video with headphones:

Causes of insomnia

It is possible to overcome insomnia. To do this, you need to find out the factors that negatively affect your sleep. The main problem is that all people are individual, so insomnia can be a consequence of various reasons. Try not to look at the clock, because the fear of not getting enough sleep is more harmful than insomnia itself. You can understand them through self-analysis and self-control.

• Environmental distractions

For proper sleep, a person needs silence, darkness, comfortable temperature conditions and a comfortable bed.

• Lack of normal rest

You need to plan your day rationally. It is advisable to give up heavy physical activity and visiting a fitness club after 20-00 in favor of walking in the fresh air.

• Overexcitement and stress

Before going to bed, try not to think about work problems and the difficulties of relationships with people. Stop watching TV, computer games and the Internet. Stress and overexcitement at work keep you awake at night.

• Bad habits and unhealthy diet

Please note that in addition to coffee and nicotine, insomnia can be caused by an overly heavy dinner, abuse of fatty and flour products.

• Shift work mode

Organize your personal schedule and try to stick to it. Don't forget about naps during the day.

• Rapid change of time zones

Long flights almost always affect the mode. Be patient and do not abuse sleeping pills - the normal rhythm will be restored within a few days.

• Nightmares

Scary dreams are a kind of release of negative information and internal tension. If they become regular, consult a psychologist or sleep specialist.

Insomnia can manifest itself in different ways. Sometimes a person cannot fall asleep for a long time or is disturbed by frequent awakenings. It happens that his sleep is shallow or too restless. It also happens that he sleeps well, but the manifestations of some disease simply do not allow him to rest normally. Difficulty breathing, arrhythmia, sweating, and heaviness in the stomach can also interfere. There is a variant of insomnia when a person quickly falls asleep, but wakes up in the morning long before the alarm clock and cannot fall asleep again. Often people are tormented by severe nightmares at night, because of which they are then unable to calm down. The real trouble happens when a person then cannot sleep until the morning. Most often this happens due to the fact that he is not able to take a comfortable position, the bedding on the bed is uneven, the old mattress has become matted and sticks out in bulges, and the apartment is not quiet enough. After a person spends a long time at the computer or in front of the TV in the evenings, sleep is shallow, with frequent awakenings and disturbing vivid dreams.

There is also a variant of insomnia when a person sleeps normally, but dreams that he is not able to close his eyes. As a result, in the morning he gets up completely exhausted with the firm conviction that he has not rested at all. Problems arise during a period when a person experiences increased intellectual or physical activity. It causes muscle tension, hormone release, and severe anxiety. At this time one can fall asleep, but even in sleep the anxiety does not leave him. He dreams that he continues to go about his day's activities or struggles unsuccessfully to solve a difficult situation.

Best time of day

It has long been known that healthy sleep is the basis of health and good mood. Regular lack of sleep and insomnia lead to decreased immunity, increased fatigue and depression. Lenta.ru, together with Beeline, studied the problem of insomnia and learned several ways to overcome it. Mikhail Poluektov, associate professor of the Department of Nervous Diseases at Sechenov Medical University, head of the Department of Sleep Medicine, and neurologist, helped us understand all the intricacies of this issue.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by a subjective feeling of insufficient or poor quality sleep. The key is the subjective feeling. It happens that a person has a good dream, but he is still dissatisfied with it. Insomnia is a matter of how a person perceives their sleep. The cause of insomnia can be a true sleep disorder - insufficiently deep sleep, interrupted sleep with frequent awakenings, or when a person takes a long time to fall asleep. That's one problem.

Another is the problem of sleep perception. A person can perceive a good dream as a bad one. This is also insomnia. That is, there are two types of insomnia - mental and neurological. The most common cause of insomnia is stress. Statistics show that stress-related insomnia develops in a quarter of all people on the planet during the year.

And stress can be very different. Most often, its cause is interpersonal communication: a person has a quarrel with someone and cannot sleep because he is thinking about it. There is stress associated with heavy workload. Even completing a long-term work assignment is stressful. There is stress associated with changes in normal living conditions, moving to a new place, or changes in the environment. And, of course, the most painful stress is associated with loved ones: a change in marital status, illness of a close family member. This kind of stress is very often accompanied by sleep disturbances.

Photo: Plainpicture RM / Kniel Synnatzschke / Diomedia

If the cause is not stress, insomnia is most likely caused by illness. However, sleep usually improves against the background of infectious diseases. The product of the immune response to external infectious agents has a hypnotic effect. But there are times when sleep, on the contrary, is disturbed. For example, against the background of joint diseases, heart diseases, stomach diseases.

In most cases, sleeping pills help. But we must remember that there is no medicine that is 100% effective. Before offering a new drug to the public, it is necessary to prove not that it works 100%, but that its effect exceeds that of a placebo, a dummy. If a particular sleeping pill doesn’t help you, it’s probably not right for you. Treatment is an individual matter.

However, one should not think that insomnia can only be treated with chemistry. The main cause of insomnia (non-stress, but chronic - that which for some unknown reason continues, even if the stress has long ended) is psychology. A person becomes fixated on his problem. He begins to worry about his sleep. During the day, when he does not need to sleep, he does not think about sleep, he is calm. And in the evening, when he needs to fall asleep, he starts making excuses: yesterday I didn’t sleep, the day before yesterday I didn’t sleep, today suddenly I won’t fall asleep again?

This causes overstimulation, and he actually does not fall asleep. Psychological techniques are used to treat this type of insomnia. The leader now is cognitive behavioral therapy. This is not hypnosis, but a special form of psychotherapy, when a person is explained in what he behaves correctly and in what he does not. His behavior is modified in such a way as to achieve better sleep step by step. This is complex, painstaking work that lasts for six weeks.

Good sleep is not only important for health, but enjoyable and beneficial. From March 27 to December 31, all Beeline subscribers can take part in the “Gigi for Sleep” campaign and receive free megabytes for a full eight-hour sleep. More details on the website.

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All over the world, this therapy is the number one method in the treatment of insomnia. In Russia, this method is practically not used, since it is labor-intensive and requires specially trained specialists. In Russia, work in this direction was carried out only by specialists from the First Medical Institute: they conducted an experiment and defended their dissertation. Now the institute’s workers are preparing an online version of cognitive behavioral therapy, which allows this treatment to be carried out situationally. Still, there are several techniques to improve your sleep.

Photo: Westend61/Diomedia

Our editorial staff member Christina is 24 years old; sleep problems have plagued her almost all her life. “From early childhood, I tormented my parents with crying every night because I couldn’t sleep for hours. Daytime sleep was very rare for me then, but now it’s something out of the realm of fantasy. Later, as a teenager, I often went on trips with classmates, where we lived in rooms of four to six people. Then I noticed that all the guys in the neighboring beds fell asleep within a few minutes after lights out, while I still had no vision,” says the girl.

In order to fall asleep, she always needed at least an hour, complete darkness in the room, silence and no one nearby in bed.

“In the summer, if I couldn’t fall asleep before dawn, I had to get up at four in the morning, because there was no point in trying to fall asleep. And sometimes, even if I woke up with a feeling of severe lack of sleep, by the evening it passed and vigor appeared. Sleeping pills, by the way, never helped. At some point, I realized that I was focusing too much on the problem. Sometimes I can’t fall asleep for a long time, and when I finally start to pass out, I catch myself thinking that I’m falling asleep, and the dream immediately goes away.”

We turned to somnologist Mikhail Poluektov with this problem.

The first and most important thing in improving sleep is maintaining hygiene. Very often, the cause of insomnia is a basic disturbance in the organization of sleep. This is typical for teenagers who play on the computer at night and cannot get up in the morning, and for older people who do not have a strict work schedule, they lie in bed for many hours, doze during the day and wonder why they have difficulty falling asleep in the evening. Therefore, you always need to start with resolving the issue of hygiene and sleep patterns.

There is an unspoken set of rules for sleep hygiene:

- you need to fix the time of going to bed and the time of getting up so that a conditioned reflex is formed, so that the brain prepares for relaxation by a certain time;

— sleeping conditions should be comfortable, it should not be too light or noisy, you need a comfortable bed and blanket;

— Before going to bed, you need to limit mental and physical activity. A common mistake is watching TV or reading a book in bed. As soon as a person goes to bed, his reflex to fall asleep should be triggered. When people go to bed and start having fun, the brain continues to function actively;

- create a bedtime ritual - for example, drink herbal tea before bed. Despite the fact that valerian in its effect is only slightly higher than placebo, and its effect is expressed in fact in a few minutes, the very process of drinking tea in itself sets a person up for relaxation.

Photo: Onoky / Fabrice Lerouge / Diomedia

To take part in the “Gigs for Sleep” campaign, you just need to click on the button in the “My Beeline” application. By taking part in the “Gigs for Sleep” promotion, depending on the tariff, you can receive either free megabytes or one hour of free Internet distribution every day. Find out how to take part in the #backeverything sleep marathon.

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Christina took the advice of a specialist and told us about the progress of the experiment.

Monday

What I will do: first of all, I decided to try to change my regime. Starting today, I’ll start going to bed exactly at midnight so that I have eight full hours of sleep before the alarm goes off (every day I get up at eight o’clock in the morning). Also - almost for the first time in my life - I will not read before bed.

What happened: I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. The brain refused to turn off so early. After lying in bed for about an hour, I turned on the light and still read for half an hour. After that, I made a second attempt to fall asleep, which I managed to do after about 40 minutes (about two o’clock in the morning). The next day I felt tired and couldn’t wait until evening to get into bed. However, as always happens, it was towards night that I felt a surge of strength.

Tuesday

What I will do: On Tuesdays after work I usually go to training, which ends at eight in the evening. But this week, as an experiment, I will give up evening classes. Before going to bed, on the advice of a sleep specialist, I will brew chamomile tea and go back to bed exactly at midnight.

What happened: I tossed and turned in bed all night without sleep. I managed to switch off for a while a couple of hours before getting up, but this sleep was superficial and shallow. As a result, I got up with a wild headache and felt very tired throughout the day.

Wednesday

What I will do: Today I will try to go to bed early, so that if it takes me a long time to fall asleep, I will have more time to sleep.

What happened: I ventilated the room, at 23:00 I put my mobile phone away, closed the book and turned off the light. Despite all my efforts, insomnia attacked me again. After a difficult night last night, I was tormented by thoughts that the experiment was a failure, and my problems simply could not be solved. I managed to fall asleep only at dawn. And the next day I again suffered from headaches.

Photo: Diomedia

Thursday

What I will do: instead of working out, I will take a walk after work - to get some fresh air and calm down before going to bed. After this I will drink herbal tea and go to bed again at 23:00.

What happened: in principle, I managed to fall asleep quickly - in about an hour and a half. I slept for about eight hours and got up quite easily. I felt great throughout the day.

Friday

What I'll do: Since - to my surprise - the trick worked, I decided to try it again the next day. Before bed, I went for a short walk and went to bed at the same time. I noticed that my body began to get used to the new schedule, and by night I was really feeling sleepy.

What happened: Today the incredible happened: I fell asleep in less than an hour. The adjusted daily routine ultimately worked.

Saturday

What I will do: On the weekend, I will allow myself to sleep longer, so I will set my alarm for 10 am.

What happened: I didn’t manage to go to bed at 11:00 pm on Friday, but I was in bed at midnight. I quickly passed out again. This probably happened because I was inspired by the success of the previous two days and did not think about the upcoming early rise. In the morning I realized that for the first time in a week I slept one hundred percent.

Sunday

What I will do: before the start of the work week, I need to repeat the ritual that the somnologist advised and force myself to go to bed at 23:00 without reading.

What happened: I fell asleep longer than in previous days, but at about half past midnight I was already asleep. I woke up on Monday a little heavier than the day before, but my head was fresh and overall I felt rested.

Photo: Westend61 RF / zerocreatives / Diomedia

It is normal to fall asleep within 30 minutes. If a person falls asleep within 30 minutes, he has no problems with sleep. If it’s more, he’s in trouble. But there is another criterion that determines the presence of a sleep disorder - how often insomnia occurs. A violation is considered three or more nights per week. If a person sleeps poorly twice a week, he does not have a sleep disorder, if three times a week, he does have a sleep disorder.

There are times when insomnia occurs intermittently. For example, sleep is poor for an entire week, and then everything is fine for a whole month. This is exactly stress insomnia, which happens to every fourth person. It is not a problem and does not lead to the need to see a doctor or take pills. But if this process is delayed, insomnia needs to be treated. This boundary between stress and non-stress insomnia is a period of three months. It is believed that no stress-related insomnia can last longer than three months. If it lasts, then there is another problem - psychological.

It happens that a person cannot fall asleep for a long time, and when he finally falls asleep, he notices that he falls asleep and immediately wakes up. This can only be dealt with with the help of psychotherapy. Only it will allow you to remove this excessive attention to your own sleep. It takes time. You can’t just tell a person straight up: “Don’t worry, start sleeping.” He won't stop. In order for it to “de-cycle”, some work is needed.

How to quickly get rid of insomnia using folk remedies

It is very important in the evening to prepare your body in advance for going to bed. You shouldn't eat heavy food at night, but you shouldn't neglect dinner either. The last meal should be two or three hours before bedtime. Before going to bed, it is better to drink soothing teas or herbal infusions. And try to avoid negative emotions by watching movies or receiving negative information.

These were general recommendations on how to get rid of insomnia at night. But let’s move on to the sedative medicinal plants that our nature is rich in.

Valerian

Infusions and teas based on the roots and leaves of the herb valerian officinalis calm the excited nervous system and relieve spasms. Along with valerian, you can add the following to the tincture: motherwort, lemon balm, hawthorn fruits. They go well with each other. They can be brewed both together and independently of each other. For a liter of boiled water, you need to take one teaspoon of each component and brew it like tea. But you need to remember that valerian has the property of lowering blood pressure, so it is better to alternate teas based on it with other remedies.

Hop

Hops are a mild sedative for insomnia. To prepare a decoction, use the cones of the plant. They are the ones who have medicinal properties. Add a tablespoon of hop cones to one liter of boiling water. It is better to brew in a thermos, from 10-12 hours. Take half a glass of tincture one hour before meals. This infusion has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, calming it. It is better to alternate homemade hop tincture with other sedatives, as it has a pronounced diuretic effect.

It is better not to take the decoction more than three times a day, as it has contraindications. Hops are poisonous plants and in large quantities can harm the body. If you feel nausea and malaise, stop taking the tincture. The plant also increases the level of estrogen in the blood (female sex hormone), so in case of hormonal imbalance, this feature of hops should be taken into account.

Motherwort

Recipes based on this plant are suitable for those who are looking for ways to get rid of insomnia in old age, the reason for this is diseases that are more typical for older people, although it has no age limit: high blood pressure, neuroses, disruptions in the cardiovascular system, rapid pulse, coronary sclerosis, neurasthenia. The symptoms of these diseases tend to be activated at night, which causes insomnia.

Brewed motherwort can be taken either alone or in combination with other sedative herbs. It has a gentle effect on the body, almost never causing side effects. The only warning of motherwort is its ability to cause uterine contractions, so it is dangerous for women planning pregnancy or in the first weeks of conception to take motherwort.

Motherwort tincture

Mix one tablespoon of dry herb with 250 ml of boiling water. Wrap and leave for 2 hours. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day before meals.

Soothing tea

Collect a mixture of dried herbs: St. John's wort, yarrow, chamomile, mint and motherwort. Take 1 tablespoon of each plant and pour one liter of boiling water. Infuse like tea. Take half a glass three times a day half an hour before meals.

Alcohol tincture

This tincture can be purchased at a pharmacy, or you can prepare it yourself at home.

• 100 ml medical alcohol
• 20 grams of dry motherwort herb

Let sit for two weeks and strain. Take the finished tincture from 30 to 40 drops, 3 times a day.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn berries are a long-tried remedy for heart disease and insomnia. Hawthorn perfectly relieves vascular spasms, which leads to relaxation of the body. It is very helpful for hypertension, arrhythmia, and lowering cholesterol in the blood. For women suffering from insomnia during menopause, hawthorn provides an indispensable service. It calms the nervous system and calms the nerves. In combination with valerian, the process of falling asleep is much faster. Pregnant and nursing mothers should not use hawthorn.

Hawthorn tincture

A tincture is prepared from hawthorn flowers.

• Dried flowers – 10 g;
• Alcohol – 100 gr.
• Leave for two weeks, then strain and take 20 drops 3 times a day.

Tea made from hawthorn fruits.

Pour one tablespoon of dried fruit into 250 ml of boiling water and steep like tea for about two hours. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Mint

Everyone knows about the beneficial properties of mint. The pleasant soothing aroma of the plant comes from the high content of essential oils and menthol. The range of treatments for diseases with mint is very wide, one of which is the ability to calm the nervous system and cause drowsiness.

To treat insomnia, you should brew mint tea (you can use both dry and fresh leaves) and drink it before bed. Place 1 teaspoon of mint in one glass of boiling water.

What causes sleep disturbance?

The main culprits of insomnia are stress, “chronic fatigue” and depression. To get rid of insomnia, you first need to adjust the rhythm of your life - stop working 10-12 hours a day, don’t take work home, relax regularly (both on weekends and on vacation), resolve problems, and if that doesn’t work out, change your attitude towards it and thereby reduce stress levels.

Insomnia can also be short-term, for example, when a person is tormented and not allowed to relax by unfinished tasks during the day, worries, worries and unresolved issues.

If insomnia in your life is not a constant phenomenon, then it is worth realizing the reasons for internal unrest and throwing all grievances, problems and worries out of your head in the name of a restful sleep.

Also on the list of enemies of good sleep are alcohol, tobacco and birth control pills: some of them destroy vitamin B in the body, which disturbs sleep.

Methods for treating insomnia

Many people often wonder: how to fall asleep if you can’t sleep? The best way, if insomnia is not caused by illness, is sedentary, monotonous activities. For example, reading books, praying or knitting, but not working on the computer. Strain causes eye fatigue and disrupts sleep. You can also use other remedies for insomnia: a hot bath before bed; warm drink with honey; to combat the disease, you need to move a lot, for example, go to a cafe or store during lunch, and after work it is advisable to take a short walk; swimming in the pool and doing basic exercises; visiting a psychologist; hypnosis; use of homeopathy methods. I threw Malakhov out because of his stupidity! It was not worth telling how people with sore joints are killed.

Medicines

The choice of medications against insomnia is limited by the fact that there is no universal drug for this disease. Treatment of asomnia is the restoration of the disturbed biological rhythm of sleep. A medicine for insomnia isolated from a complex of health procedures will not solve the main problem of agrypnia - painful insomnia. It is always better to start treatment with herbal preparations. In the fight against insomnia, several groups of medications are used: sedatives, antihistamines, tranquilizers. They are constantly being improved, reducing side effects and various contraindications. The pills are becoming available to all age groups of patients. As a rule, in order to overcome the signs of the disease, people buy over-the-counter drugs for insomnia containing a herbal base: Neurostabil; Ortho-Taurine; Novopasit; Persen; etc. Persen tablets for insomnia have a mild effect. They contain lemon balm and valerian extract. They will not make you feel drowsy during the day. The course of treatment is one week. The drug should be taken 3 times a day, 2 capsules. Ortho-Taurine prevents fatigue (physical and mental), improves sleep. Not addictive. You need to drink 2 capsules an hour before bedtime, treatment - from 10 days to a month.

Drops

Besides pills, what helps with insomnia? Drops! Anyone who suffers from asomnia (insomnia) should pay attention to the new domestic drug Valemidin. It contains only herbal soothing ones: motherwort, valerian, mint. Adults should take drops against insomnia before meals, having first dissolved them in water. Dose 30 drops 4 times a day. They should be taken for no more than 10 days. Lily of the valley drops can also help with insomnia - you need to take 30 drops diluted in water for a week at night.

Three phases of the night

For people suffering from insomnia, the night is divided into phases, and each of these phases has its own characteristics. The time between 22:00 and 23:30 is the golden time that you want to stretch out as long as possible. These are the hours in which nostalgia overcomes me, and at this time I still have the hope that I will fall asleep, simply drown in the soft folds of the bed, like that ship from my father’s stories, and emerge only in the morning. As the sun rises, I will hear the birds singing and the alarm clock ringing.

The second phase is similar to Dante's purgatory, where there is no extreme evil, but good is still very far away. She holds me, doesn't let me sleep until the streets are empty and the house becomes cold and lifeless. Being here, I still believe that if I fall asleep, then all is not lost, the next day can start well. Probably an optimistic phase, but still alarming. At this time, the person suffering from insomnia realizes that the second phase is the only chance to fall asleep, the body and consciousness are ready for this, the main thing is to allow them.

If I manage to tune in, then I have another 50% of the night to enjoy them in my sleep. But it is so hard. I associate the second phase with turbulent youth. This is the time when it is customary to stay awake because you are at a party and having fun with friends. But if we are talking about insomnia, then I rather feel loneliness and fatigue.

At 2 am I start asking questions that have no answer. Here I am my own Solomon.

Why me? What did I do to deserve this? What is happening to me?

Such thoughts are a disaster. They confuse consciousness, but they are a bit like a dream, because I fall into prostration, where I can get lost for several hours. When the oblivion wears off, I start to think that my bed and this whole world is a terrible place to be alive.

The third phase is the time when I get up and go read. There is no longer any hope of falling asleep.

Ways to get rid of chronic insomnia without drugs

Honey for insomnia

Honey is a very good sleep aid.

1. Mix thoroughly 1 tbsp. mineral water with 1 tbsp. honey and 0.5 tbsp. lemon pulp. The resulting mixture must be taken in the morning for 30 days.
2. Stir 2 tbsp. honey with 1 glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You should get a homogeneous mass. Add 2 tbsp to the mixture. chopped walnuts. Take 1 tbsp at night.
3. Drinking 1 glass of honey water before bed will help you calm down and fall asleep quickly.
4. Pour 1 cup of bran into 0.5 cups of water, add 0.5 cups of honey. The product should be eaten 2 tbsp. for the night. The course of treatment is 60 days.

Essential oils for insomnia

When suffering from insomnia, many resort to aromatherapy. Aromas such as basil, cloves, jasmine, lavender, incense, and rose geranium help you fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly. It is best to place these plants (fresh or dried) next to the bed. In addition, it is recommended to take a relaxing hot bath with oils or add them to an aroma lamp.

How to fall asleep in 10 seconds

This method of falling asleep quickly is used by the US military in order to be able to sleep even while sitting. Strictly speaking, this technique takes 120 seconds, but falling asleep occurs in the last 10.

• Relax your face, including your mouth muscles;
• Drop your shoulders to relieve tension and lower your arms to your sides;
• Exhale, relaxing your chest;
• Relax your legs, thighs and calves;
• Imagine some image that relaxes you;
• Repeat the words “don’t think!” within 10 seconds.

You must understand that the military are disciplined people and are accustomed to obeying orders, so this method may not be suitable for people who are told “don’t think!” can make you think twice as hard. Then you may have to learn other techniques.

Tips for severe insomnia

To improve your sleep, we also recommend using the recommendations presented below.

1. Spend more time in the sun, walk in parks and squares during the day. At night, avoid or at least limit your “stay” in the area of ​​artificial lighting. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Long sittings in front of the TV or computer reduce its production. Therefore, you should not spend time in front of the monitor screens of your gadgets before going to bed, turn off the lights and give your eyes a rest.
2. Take a walk before bed, especially during the moonlight. Afterwards, take a warm shower or a warm bath with pine extract. And then drink weak chamomile tea with honey, or tea with a pinch of nutmeg powder.
3. Just before bed, it is recommended to do a gentle foot massage with any vegetable oil. Perform a gentle massage clockwise in the “third eye” area, as well as between the first and second fingers on the back of the hand.
4. Listen to light, relaxing music or “sounds of nature” before bed.
5. Stick to a sleep schedule. Remember that falling asleep in a timely manner is a reflex to certain external (natural) and internal (biological) rhythms. It is very important to go to bed at the same time. Your body will get used to the “routine” and it will be easier to fall asleep. In addition, do not accustom yourself to lying without sleep; for example, you should not read while lying down.
6. Colors can also help when fighting insomnia. Try to use calm shades in the interior, home clothes and bedding.

It is very interesting that the performance of the sleep hormone - melatonin - is influenced by the blue light that comes from computer screens, phones and televisions. It reduces the amount of this hormone, resulting in insomnia. Therefore, try to turn off all your gadgets 1.5-3 hours before bedtime.

What causes sleep problems?

The most common reasons are stress and irregular routine (we wake up early on weekdays, and sleep for half a day on weekends). Sleep disturbances are also associated with excess light (including artificial light from gadgets and computer monitors) in the evening, which in turn interferes with the production of melatonin, the sleep and night hormone.

There are many reasons for the development of insomnia; it is necessary to identify the behavioral component, and then figure out whether there are mental pathologies, depressive disorders, or somatic diseases. It is important that the doctor correctly diagnoses and not just prescribe sleeping pills.

Aromatherapy for a relaxing holiday

Using aromatherapy for anxiety and insomnia is not only useful, but also pleasant. Certain smells have a relaxing effect on the nervous system and the entire body. By filling your bedroom with them, you will quickly and easily fall asleep and fully restore your strength in the morning.

You can use special oil for aroma lamps:

• lavender;
• fir;
• anise;
• pink;
• orange;
• clove;
• oil of lily of the valley, cypress or lemon balm.

You can also make an aromatic bag for yourself that is placed next to your bed or under your pillow. You can use one or more herbs, which need to be placed in a fabric bag and sewn up.

Phytoncides (volatile components of essential oils) will have a beneficial effect on your entire body, they will help you fall asleep quickly, and make your sleep sound and restful.

How to fall asleep in 120 seconds

If the methods described above for quickly falling asleep do not work for you, it’s time to resort to “heavy artillery.”

Paradoxical intention

Just tell yourself: I don't want to sleep. Some studies have shown that many people are helped to fall asleep faster by being told not to sleep, to which the brain reacts like a capricious child who does everything in reverse. Surprisingly, it works.

Visualization

In a 2002 study, Oxford University researchers found that people who "distracted" their minds with relaxing images fell asleep much faster than subjects who did not use this technique. It is ideal for those who have learned to count sheep in their imagination. Try to imagine an image that you associate with relaxation and serenity. For example, a waterfall, a river, a forest thicket, the aroma of wet moss. The main thing is that this image does not load your brain with additional associations and anxiety.

Causes of sleep disorders in the elderly

At night, many older people experience a feeling of anxiety and restlessness, succumb to internal experiences, analyze their day, feel sorry for themselves, and remember their untimely departed friends and relatives. All this affects the quality of rest - old people fall asleep for a long time, often wake up and sometimes even walk at night, staying in the “kingdom of Morpheus”.

Insomnia can be caused by:

• incorrect daily routine - often retirement leads to the fact that a person stops following his usual schedule, goes to bed late and is in no hurry to get up in the morning;
• lack of physical activity - old people simply do not expend accumulated energy and do not have time to get tired;
• diseases accompanied by pain - chronic pain, neurological diseases, pathologies of the cardiovascular system prevent a pensioner from sleeping if they are not treated;
• depression – problems that accumulate like a lump, leading to chronic lack of sleep;
• long-term use of sleeping pills – long-term therapy with sedative medications does not make them effective, reduces their effectiveness and triggers the opposite effect;
• conditions that require improvement - unsuitable humidity, temperature, lighting, uncomfortable mattress, too warm or cold blanket, high pillow negatively affects the comfort of the sleeping person;
• life's troubles, stress, unpleasant events do not allow you to relax and fall asleep quickly;
• high blood pressure, snoring, tachycardia, poor cerebral circulation and other somatic diseases in people over 60 years of age negatively affect the quality of rest of an elderly patient;
• senile dementia, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc.

It is difficult to fall asleep after a heavy dinner; insomnia often accompanies those who do not go to bed on an empty stomach. Contrary to the popular belief that alcohol accompanies relaxation, drinking alcohol excites the nervous system and interferes with proper rest in old age.

Ways for those who are still awake

If all of the above does not help, let's turn to the following methods:

9. Take a bath

Give yourself a bath with valerian. Here is the recipe: take 100 grams of valerian root, pour in a liter of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes in a water bath, then remove from heat and cover with something on top. After 45 minutes, strain the infusion and enjoy. If you have a cat, keep him away from the bathroom.

10. Lavender oil

Another plant that helps you sleep is lavender. Rub lavender oil onto your temples before going to bed.

Remember that sometimes insomnia can be a sign of serious illness. If you are not satisfied with the quality or duration of your sleep for a long time, do not put off visiting a doctor - he will tell you what to do for insomnia specifically in your situation.

Insomnia - what is it?

Insomnia is a special condition of the body that is accompanied by sleep disturbances. As a result, not only the duration, but also the quality of rest and the process of falling asleep suffers. Therefore, a person experiences great difficulties during the day, yawning, loss of strength, weakness, and bad mood appear. There are several forms of insomnia:

1. ​Disturbance in falling asleep.
2. ​Abrupt and frequent awakening at night.
3. ​Fear of sleep occurs when, while falling asleep, a person is afraid of waking up unrested.
4. ​Poor sleep pattern.
5. ​Complete lack of night rest.

In addition, this pathological condition is usually divided into acute and chronic. In the first case, insomnia lasts no more than 3-4 weeks, in the second, the disorder lasts for over a month.

Treatment of senile insomnia at the Doctor SAN clinic

At the Doctor SAN clinic, we perform a broad diagnosis of sleep disorders before prescribing treatment for insomnia in older people. After a detailed interview, the doctor will determine the remedy suitable for a particular patient.

In the vast majority of cases of sleep disturbance in elderly and elderly people, the use of psychotherapy methods shows a good effect, and hypnotherapy sessions are also recommended for patients. And only if there is a special need, the doctor will prescribe a sleeping pill suitable for a specific situation.

If there is a suspicion of pathology of internal organs, additional examinations will be recommended. Here you can undergo ECG, EEG, ultrasound. Also in our clinic you can get advice from a therapist, endocrinologist, neurologist-epileptologist. If necessary, you can contact a somnologist and get a polysomnogram. In the vast majority of cases where sleep disturbance occurs in the elderly, treatment leads to a significant improvement in the patient's condition.

Insomnia in old age. Causes

Old age is caused by a number of reasons that are completely different in nature. These are mainly age-related physiological transformations occurring in the body:

• Increased nervous excitability.
• Deterioration of cerebral circulation due to lack of melatonin.
• Cases of apnea (suspension of breathing during sleep) become more frequent over the years.
• Cardiovascular diseases and central nervous system pathologies.
• Uncomfortable condition of the limbs and cramps in them.
• Changes in biological rhythms.

Other reasons:

• Depression and being under stress.
• Decreased social activity.
• Limitation of physical activity.
• Drinking drinks containing caffeine.

Medicines can also cause insomnia. Often the cause of insomnia is a side effect from the use of medications:

• Heart medications (against arrhythmia, glycosides).
• Antibiotics (pharmacological group quinolones).
• Psychotropic drugs.
• Hormonal substances.
• Drugs for the treatment of cancer.

Diagnosis of insomnia

In order to correctly diagnose the cause of insomnia, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive examination. The doctor at the Doctor SAN clinic in St. Petersburg will examine the patient and interview him in order to make the correct diagnosis. The patient will greatly help the doctor by frankly describing the nature of the problem and the moment of insomnia.

In order to make an accurate diagnosis, we use the following diagnostic methods:

• MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging
• Ultrasound examination (ultrasound)
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Laboratory research.