Sleep after stress: how to restore the body after a shock

In the frantic race called “life”, many live in constant stress. Busy at work or school, coming home to a pile of household chores, trying to do everything at once - it’s so easy to upset the nervous system. And if negative aspects of life, unjustified expectations, losses and falls are added to this, then depression is not far away. Such nervous tension primarily affects the ability to relax and sleep soundly. Insomnia and waking up in the middle of the night are something that people who constantly experience stressful situations may experience. How to restore sleep after stress?

general information

Sleep is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. At this time, the central nervous system processes information received during the day, and most organs and systems rest after exercise. On average, a person needs from 6 to 10 hours of sleep every day, especially at night. Failure of the falling asleep mechanism, frequent awakenings and a reduction in total rest time leads to the development of fatigue, decreased attention and concentration.

It is believed that sleep disturbances occur due to a failure in the hormonal regulation of this process. In particular, they are associated with increased levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormones at night.

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Stress relief

Mental health is a fairly important component of overall well-being. It is believed that it is emotional experiences that provoke the development of many diseases. Stress is a serious illness that requires special attention on your part. Since there can be so many reasons for its occurrence, it can be difficult to figure it out on your own. You may need specialist help.

It is believed that our descendants experienced stress only in case of danger to life. At this moment, a large amount of adrenaline was released in the body, and they urgently needed to make a decision: flight or fight. A similar scheme can be successfully used to restore mental balance. To do this, just include regular physical activity. In this case, all released substances (excess adrenaline, hormones) will simply be directed in the right direction.

If the appearance of neuroses was influenced by your work schedule or family problems, you should pay attention to these aspects. Perhaps your condition will be normalized by such simple actions as refusing to work overtime, a little rest alone or, conversely, in the company of friends. Don't deprive yourself of the luxury of days off. Every person needs proper rest. Labor standards were invented for a reason!

Monitor your condition. If it does not improve for a long time, it is time to consult a psychologist or psychotherapist. The specialist will select the most suitable therapy for you, which may include one thing or several measures and techniques at once.

Causes

Insomnia occurs for various reasons. The most common include:

• severe stress and chronic overload of the nervous system;
• chronic pain of any location;
• heart rhythm disturbances;
• hyperthyroidism (increased amount of thyroid hormones in the blood);
• heartburn;
• significant physical fatigue;
• restless legs syndrome;
• hormonal changes in the body (puberty, pregnancy, menopause);
• mental disorders and diseases: depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, etc.;
• taking certain medications (psychostimulants);
• drug addiction, alcoholism;
• coffee abuse;
• night apnea (breathing disorders in a lying position due to excess body weight, deviated nasal septum and other reasons);
• occasional night shift work;
• sudden change of time zones.

Pregnant women, the elderly, and people suffering from excessive nervous excitability are most prone to insomnia. In addition, the development of insomnia can be triggered by the following diseases:

• bronchial asthma;
• heart failure;
• prostatic hypertrophy;
• liver or kidney failure
• atherosclerosis;
• Parkinson's disease and other pathologies.

Types of pathology

Depending on the course of the disease, the following types of insomnia are distinguished:

• transient: lasts no more than a week, often occurs against the background of strong but short-term stress, jet lag, etc.;
• acute: sleep disturbances last from 7 days to 1 month, and also more often occur against the background of stress or severe fatigue;
• chronic: lasts more than a month, can be associated with various somatic diseases, constant stress, chronic fatigue, etc.

Another classification of insomnia is related to the cause of the problem. The following forms are distinguished:

• adaptive: occurs against a background of stress;
• psychophysiological: associated with a person’s fear of insomnia and is accompanied by an increase in anxiety before going to bed;
• idiopathic: appears for no apparent reason;
• behavioral: found in children, associated with the formation of incorrect attitudes, for example, the habit of falling asleep only with a bottle, while riding in a stroller, or with constant motion sickness;
• associated with poor sleep hygiene;
• associated with somatic pathology;
• arising against the background of mental illness;
• medicinal: appears due to taking certain medications;
• pseudo-insomnia: a condition in which a person falls asleep normally and sleeps for a sufficient amount of time, but subjectively believes that he is not getting enough sleep.

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Symptoms

Symptoms of insomnia vary, but they are all associated with decreased sleep duration. The disease can manifest itself:

• difficulty falling asleep: a person tosses and turns for a long time, looking for a comfortable position, etc.;
• single or multiple awakenings during the night followed by lack of sleep;
• early awakening, due to which the total duration of sleep does not exceed 6.5 hours.

Lack of sleep inevitably affects a person's condition during the daytime. He feels weak, irritable, tired already in the morning. Excessive sleepiness leads to decreased concentration and slower thought processes. Human performance decreases significantly, and the number of errors increases.

Try sleep deprivation

Another effective, although rather controversial, way to restore sleep patterns is to not sleep for exactly 24 hours. When the long-awaited evening finally arrives, you will probably fall asleep as soon as your head touches the pillow.

This method is, of course, cool. But researchers were able to prove in An Unconventional Release from Depression the connection between daily lack of sleep and the activation of a certain type of brain cells that produce the protein adenosine. It is extremely important for sleep regulation: a sufficient amount of adenosine helps normalize the sleep-wake cycle.

Important details:

• Since the method is quite severe, you can resort to it only after consulting a doctor - the same therapist.
• During periods of sleep deprivation, avoid driving or performing other tasks that require alertness and concentration.

Diagnostics

A somnologist diagnoses insomnia. First, he carefully interviews the patient to identify the main complaints. Information about the prevailing symptoms, their duration and frequency of occurrence is especially important for the doctor. A screening examination is prescribed to identify possible causes of sleep disorders:

• general blood and urine tests;
• consultation with an ENT doctor;
• neurological examination;
• 24-hour ECG monitoring (Holter), etc. depending on indications and symptoms.

It is mandatory to compile a sleep diary, in which, based on the results of each day, the following is indicated:

• medications used;
• time of last meal;
• drinking alcohol, coffee, tea, smoking;
• features of the sleep environment (noise, heat, stuffiness, etc.);
• bedtime;
• quality of falling asleep;
• number of night awakenings and their duration;
• wake-up time;
• well-being after waking up.

Every detail matters for a detailed sleep analysis. Technical aspects (time of falling asleep, number of awakenings, etc.) can be recorded using ambulatory actigraphy. The diagnostic method involves the use of a special device that records movements. The diary is kept for at least a week and allows you to evaluate all the characteristics of the patient’s sleep.

Treatment of insomnia

The treatment for insomnia depends on its cause. If sleep problems arise against the background of any physical disease, it is necessary to eliminate it or reduce the severity of symptoms as much as possible.

To eliminate insomnia itself, medicinal and non-medicinal means are used. Doctors have a large number of drugs at their disposal that affect one or another aspect of sleep. Most often used:

• sleeping pills: make it easier to fall asleep and reduce the risk of waking up at night;
• tranquilizers: prescribed for concomitant anxiety;
• melatonin: a hormone produced by the body at night; promotes sleep; the drug is especially relevant when changing time zones or the need to restore the normal rhythm of sleep and wakefulness after several night shifts.

Drugs of these groups should be used exclusively as prescribed by a doctor, since uncontrolled use can lead to addiction, and sudden withdrawal can lead to serious insomnia. The exception is herbal-based drugs (motherwort, valerian, etc.), but they should not be abused.

Psychotherapy has a good effect on insomnia, especially if the problem is caused by acute or chronic stress. Typically, cognitive-behavioral techniques are used. They help the patient:

• successfully cope with the influx of anxious thoughts;
• tune in to a positive perception of reality;
• independently eliminate factors that contribute to excessive anxiety;
• promptly seek help from loved ones and doctors, as well as accept their help.

In some cases, sleep disorders can be effectively eliminated with the help of hypnosis.

Homeopathy - why it should be used in treatment

Homeopathic medicines will help you cope with insomnia during a nervous state. They are absolutely safe for health because they are made from natural and healing products and plants. In addition, homeopathy contains environmentally friendly ingredients that simply cannot have a negative effect on your health.

Attention! Treatment of neurosis and insomnia with the help of “serious” medications is prescribed only if the diseases occur in severe cases and seriously threaten the patient’s health.

Homeopathy is a group of safe and completely natural medicines that have virtually no contraindications or side effects on the human body when taken regularly.

Every person can take homeopathic remedies.

Medicines that effectively eliminate nervous excitability and normalize night sleep.

Sonilyuks

A drug that has a completely natural base. It contains only useful and safe natural ingredients that have a positive and gentle effect on the central nervous system. The medicine does not cause side effects or addiction, so you can safely take the full course - this has been repeatedly proven by experts.

In addition to individual intolerance by the body to one or more components of the drug, Sonilyux has no contraindications to taking the drug. The active ingredients of the medicine are: alishan gaba, lofant, beaver stream, as well as 32 medicinal herbs.

Thanks to this composition and proper use of the drug, it is possible to fall asleep quickly and soundly, as well as overcome the symptoms of a nervous disease. Sonilyux also helps eliminate anxiety, frequent emotional outbursts and excessive aggression.

This medicine is actively used for insomnia and psycho-emotional lability. This natural drug calms the central nervous system, increases the body’s protective properties, and also increases the body’s vitality.

Thanks to the collection of herbs that are beneficial to health, the patient’s body is able to completely relax, thereby restoring normal, complete sleep. Even children aged 2 years or more can take the medicine. The drug is not addictive, which is considered its undoubted advantage.

These types of homeopathic remedies are considered the main ones, which are prescribed to patients with nervous disorders and insomnia. To improve the effect of drugs, the doctor can prescribe the use of traditional medicine recipes and attending psychological classes, which will quickly normalize the patient’s health.

Possible complications

Most people do not perceive insomnia as a serious problem. Meanwhile, chronic lack of sleep can trigger a complex of pathological changes that can provoke:

• a noticeable decrease in immunity: during sleep, the body restores strength and produces cytokines, which are one of the important components of the immune system; their lack leads to a decrease in resistance to colds and other infectious diseases;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• development of pathology of the cardiovascular system: chronic lack of sleep leads to instability of blood pressure, changes in heart rate, and an increased risk of dangerous conditions;
• weight gain: in an effort to regain strength in another way, a person begins to subconsciously reach for high-calorie carbohydrate foods, which leads to weight gain; in addition, lack of sleep provokes a decrease in the production of hormones responsible for the feeling of satiety;
• exhaustion of the nervous system: insufficient night rest reduces the ability to concentrate on any activity, the speed and quality of thinking suffers;
• depression, anxiety disorder: these conditions often form a vicious circle, further exacerbating the severity of insomnia;
• decreased libido: when there is a lack of strength, the body “turns off” the least important aspects of activity, which is expressed in the absence of libido, anorgasmia in women, impotence in men.

In addition, a sleep-deprived person can find himself in a dangerous situation, causing harm to himself and others while driving a car or working with mechanisms that require constant concentration.

About the harmful effects of poor sleep

Knowing how to normalize sleep, it is important to understand why it is needed. Rest should be arranged so that the body has time to “reboot”. During sleep, muscles relax, immunity is restored, and metabolic processes are launched. If you follow the regime, hormonal levels and water-lipid balance are normalized.

Changes that occur to a person in the absence of normal sleep:

1. In a week, stable aggression, constant chronic fatigue will appear, and performance will decrease.
2. After 2 weeks, visual acuity will decrease, memory and brain activity will deteriorate.
3. In a month, problems with the heart, hematopoiesis, and blood pressure will begin. This can cause a heart attack, stroke, provoke diseases of the musculoskeletal system, excess cholesterol will appear and, as a result, diseases of the endocrine and lymphatic system.

It is important to know! If you violate the regime for a long time, then after a year a healthy person turns into a hysterical patient who reacts sharply to any situation.

Prevention

Prevention of insomnia includes a set of measures aimed at making it easier to fall asleep. For them to be effective, it is necessary to maintain sleep hygiene:

• try to go to bed at the same time;
• exclude watching TV and using gadgets 30-60 minutes before bedtime;
• ventilate the bedroom well, provide access to fresh air;
• if necessary, darken the room;
• an hour before bedtime, take a walk in the fresh air; It is better to postpone full-fledged sports activities to the first half of the day, since they have an stimulating effect;
• exclude heavy foods in the evening, and also minimize the consumption of coffee and strong tea in the afternoon;
• before bed, take a shower or warm bath, listen to relaxing music;
• Minimize (or better yet eliminate) smoking and drinking alcohol.

Additionally, the following will help to relax the body:

• aromatherapy: essential oils of lemon balm, chamomile, lavender, ylang-ylang have a calming effect; you can use an aroma lamp or add a few drops of oil to the bath water;
• massage: a light foot massage, kneading the head and neck, in the absence of contraindications, will help relieve nervous tension that has accumulated during the day;
• herbal teas and decoctions: mixtures with the addition of mint, lemon balm, chamomile, hops, valerian and other sedative herbs are taken in the form of an infusion or decoction half an hour before bedtime;
• meditation, yoga, breathing exercises: promote relaxation and get rid of excessive anxiety.

In addition, doctors recommend avoiding overwork and ensuring proper rest every day. It is necessary to regularly give the body some physical activity: walking, swimming and other calm sports. This will be an excellent prevention not only of insomnia, but also of many other diseases.

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Doctors' opinion

Doctors say that the main problem causing sleep disturbances in humans is an incorrect lifestyle, as well as a lack of preparation for rest. To speed up the process of falling asleep, preferably in the evening:

• take a walk in the fresh air for 5-20 minutes;
• visit the restroom to have a bowel movement.

It is not recommended to engage in strenuous physical activity. Better to relax a little.

In any case, it is recommended to consult a specialist at the first signs of illness to prescribe the correct treatment and adjust your daily routine.

So we figured out how to restore night sleep. Insomnia adversely affects work and health. It is worth remembering that with this illness it is impossible to concentrate as much as possible and perform all work duties. In addition, it is important to remember that insomnia may be the first symptom of serious complications.

Treatment of insomnia at the Energy of Health clinic

If you suffer from insomnia, doctors will come to the rescue. We offer:

• screening and targeted examination to most accurately determine the cause of the violation;
• consultations with experienced specialists: neurologist, psychotherapist, endocrinologist;
• selection of safe and effective drug therapy, control of treatment at all stages;
• training in self-help methods for insomnia;
• restorative massage and acupuncture to relax and stabilize the nervous system;
• organization of sanatorium-resort treatment if necessary.

Advantages of the clinic

The multidisciplinary medical center offers each client a full range of medical services, including:

• comprehensive check-up diagnostic programs to identify various pathologies;
• modern methods for identifying various diseases;
• consultations with relevant specialists;
• selection of treatment on an individual basis;
• modern complex methods of therapy, including medication, physiotherapy, massage, exercise therapy and other procedures according to indications;
• minor surgical operations in one day;
• own day hospital;
• issuance of certificates and opinions;
• work within the framework of the voluntary health insurance program.

We do everything to make every visitor comfortable and convenient. We offer appointments by appointment, without queues or long waits. Motorists can use free parking near the clinic.

Insomnia is a problem that can significantly impair the quality of life. Forget about long minutes and hours spent in the dark without sleep, get rid of lethargy and drowsiness during the day. Sign up for examination and treatment at the Health Energy clinic.