5 ways to get rid of insomnia caused by dystonia

Vegetative-vascular dystonia or autonomic dysfunction is a syndrome that includes various disorders of the functioning of organs and systems. The immediate cause of the development of VSD is a disorder of nervous regulation. Currently, this pathology is diagnosed in almost every fourth child and in 70% of adult patients. Sleep disturbance in VSD is a serious problem, which often only an experienced psychotherapist can cope with.

How to get healthy sleep back

Since VSD is, first of all, a disorder of the nervous system, poor sleep with this pathology is quite an expected phenomenon. Almost all patients suffer from insomnia. There are several options to solve the problem:

1. With the help of medications. Before using medications, it is advisable to consult a specialist and use them only in extreme cases.
2. Talk to a psychologist or try different relaxation techniques.
3. Change your diet and try not to overload your nervous system before bed.

But, in any case, it is worth understanding the reasons why you are suffering from insomnia. Then the treatment will become much more effective.

Additional measures

In addition to the use of homeopathic and medicinal preparations, the behavior of the patient himself can affect the restoration of sleep during VSD. Knowing the problem you are facing, you can make every effort to quickly get rid of it. To do this, you just need to adjust your lifestyle.

To sleep peacefully and soundly, follow these rules:

• Avoid vigorous physical activity in the afternoon. Muscle tension can cause nervous system stimulation, which can prevent you from sleeping well.
• Avoid excessive mental activity before bed, and don’t finish projects until late at night. The brain, being in good shape just a few minutes ago, will not be able to quickly relax for a night's rest; it needs time to prepare, and you must provide it.
• Do not watch TV or read e-books before bed, do not sit at the computer. The light that these devices emit inhibits the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, so you won’t be able to rest properly at night.
• Avoid receiving negative information before going to bed, don’t quarrel with anyone or sort things out, leave it until the morning. Try not to watch news and films that put your psyche in tension, otherwise you may encounter nightmares and poor superficial sleep.
• Don't plan for tomorrow and try to abstract yourself from everything. A proper rest is possible only if your thoughts are not occupied with “important matters”. When your eyes close, your brain still cannot adjust to rest and continues to work actively, which is why you may see unfinished work in your dreams, relive your previous day, etc.
• Don't overeat at night. Provide yourself with a light dinner no later than 20:00. Fatty, heavy food eaten in large quantities before bedtime interferes with normal sleep, and lovers of late-night snacks often have nightmares in their sleep.
• Maintain a rest routine. It is best to go to bed at 22-24 hours, but keep in mind that if you are not yet ready for a night's rest, you should not take a horizontal position in bed. It is important that you develop a clear association: bed = sleep. Wake up at the same time even on weekends, this will help to establish a schedule.
• Eliminate caffeine-containing drinks, energy drinks, alcohol from your diet after 15:00, and also try not to indulge in sweets. All these products increase the excitability of the nervous system and interfere with normal sleep.
• Stop smoking; this habit is especially dangerous for people with VSD, so it needs to be eliminated. Instead of smoking a cigarette, eat a vegetable or fruit, so you will get more benefits.
• Take baths before bed, add herbal infusions or essential oils to them. This will help you completely relax and fall asleep quickly.
• Ventilate the room before going to bed; it should be cool, not hot. It is best if the window in the bedroom is open all night.
• Maintain good sleep hygiene. Choose a comfortable mattress, an orthopedic pillow and soft-touch bed linen, sleep in comfortable pajamas, it is advisable that during your night's rest your body is not burdened by clothes at all. Close curtains and doors tightly to prevent noise and light from disturbing your sleep.

The connection between insomnia and panic attacks

Panic attacks are a special condition when a person experiences anxiety, fear of death, and excessive sweating. This condition is constantly accompanied by a very rapid heartbeat. When PA occurs, a person, in principle, cannot fall asleep, since his entire nervous system is in an excited state.

Due to disturbances in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, insomnia with VSD is often accompanied by panic attacks. This is understandable, since falling asleep when you are overcome by panic is really problematic.

Consequences of insomnia with VSD

Insomnia with vegetative-vascular dystonia must be treated regardless of whether it is the cause of the disease or a consequence. If the problem is left unattended, the vegetative-vascular disease will worsen. And as a result of constant disruptions in night rest, unpleasant complications develop:

• attacks of uncontrollable aggression, irritability;
• memory problems, even blackouts;
• obesity;
• failure of the immune system;
• heart problems, tachycardia;
• hallucinations;
• diabetes;
• developmental delay;
• tremor, convulsions;
• decrease in body temperature.

If insomnia is left untreated, the situation will only get worse. And if at the first stage a person simply cannot fall asleep for a long time, at the second stage nightmares appear, the patient often wakes up, then at the very last stage of the disorder quite realistic hallucinations appear, in particular at night. In order to avoid serious complications, it is necessary to seek help in time.

Tormented by insomnia, look for the reason

Lack of sleep doesn't happen on its own. In any case, this process has reasons that may be hidden in constant stress, panic and anxiety. Also, do not forget about the presence of somatic diseases that can affect sleep. For example, blood pressure and insomnia are directly related, since few people succeed in falling asleep with high blood pressure. Also, asthma, arthritis and breathing problems can cause lack of sleep and shallow sleep, which will lead to constant fatigue.

Can a phobia cause

A phobia is a type of panic fear. Some people are afraid of heights, some of water, and there are even more exotic phobias. But a small number of people on the planet have hypnophobia - this is the fear of dying in their sleep. A person cannot sleep normally because he is constantly haunted by the fear of sudden death at night.

Another phobia that can cause poor sleep is nightmares that replay daytime fears. For example, you are afraid of spiders, but you dream about them as soon as you fall asleep. It is clear that you may not be able to fall asleep, and lack of sleep becomes a constant companion, affecting the health of the entire body as a whole.

With VSD, insomnia is characterized by the fact that it is very difficult to fall asleep, sometimes you have to toss and turn for 2-3 hours, the sleep is superficial and with frequent awakenings. As a result, in the morning a person feels broken and broken.

How to identify symptoms of VSD

Insomnia during the course of dystonia is expressed by some characteristic symptoms, thanks to which it is possible to accurately recognize the disease. Some patients characterize insomnia by a long absence of falling asleep, others say that they have no problems falling asleep, but at night they often wake up due to nightmares.

If insomnia develops with VSD due to stress, the patient will notice the following symptoms:

• shallow sleep, which can be interrupted by any noise or bright light;
• lack of opportunity for the patient to get enough sleep;
• dizziness and drowsiness during the day;
• a person really wants to sleep, but he cannot fall asleep;
• headaches;
• tremor;
• development of nightmares;
• frequent heartbeat.

Insomnia often develops due to diseases of the central nervous system, namely depression, asthenia, and neurosis. Such problems prevent the human body from relaxing, which prevents him from falling asleep quickly and soundly.

If insomnia has developed as a result of nervous disorders, the following symptoms will indicate this:

• difficulty falling asleep - sometimes you have to lie in bed for more than 2 hours to fall asleep;
• complete lack of sleep at night;
• frequent awakenings, which indicates a person’s shallow sleep, due to which it is impossible to get a good night’s sleep.

Sometimes insomnia during VSD occurs due to somatic diseases, namely:

• asthma;
• apnea;
• arthritis;
• prostate hypertrophy;
• Parkinson's disease.

In some cases, nighttime sleep disturbance occurs due to medications that the patient should take to cure autonomic dysfunction. Also, the development of the disease is caused by frequent drinking of alcohol, which completely eliminates the desire to sleep.

Treatment of insomnia

Before starting treatment with medications, experts advise trying various types of relaxing techniques. Here are just a few of them:

1. Relaxation according to Jacobson. This is a special technique that includes a set of exercises to relax individual muscle groups.
2. Relaxation using the Jacobson method. Consists of three phases: tension-relaxation, observation, relaxation of consciousness.

Each of these two methods helps to reduce anxiety levels and tidy up the nervous system. As a result, sleep becomes deeper and more peaceful, anxiety goes away and panic attacks at night recede. Relaxation according to the Jacobson method includes exercises for various muscle groups.

• For legs. It is necessary to bend and tuck your toes, increasing the compression force. Hold at the maximum moment for a few seconds, and then relax. Repeat the exercise several times. It is important to concentrate on different sensations and remember them. The next exercise for the leg muscles is to tense and relax your extended toes. Then raise your legs from the surface by about 15 cm, and hold this for some time. Then lower and relax.
• For arm muscles. Clench your right hand into a fist for a few seconds and then relax. Repeat with the left hand, and then with both. Bend your arm at the elbow, tighten your biceps, then straighten and relax. Repeat with the other hand, and then with both. Strain your arm, biceps, triceps, and hand at once, pressing into the floor. In turn, you need to repeat with each hand and simultaneously with both.
• Abdominal and back muscles. You need to take a deep breath and at the same time tense your abdominal muscles. Stay in this position for a few seconds, and then exhale and bring the muscles into a relaxed state. In a lying position, you need to lean on your elbows, heels and shoulders, while raising your hips. You need to stay in this position for a while, then lower your pelvis and relax. You can do it differently - raise your chest above the floor, while leaning on the back of your head and elbows.
• Heads and faces. Press your chin to your chest while lying on the floor. The shoulders should, on the contrary, be pressed to the floor. Again the state of relaxation and tension alternates. Alternate relaxation and tension of the jaw muscles, four to five times in a row, and then listen to your feelings. It is also useful to wrinkle your forehead, hold it in this state for a few seconds and relax. Place the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and remain in this tension for several seconds, then return everything to its original position. Make the same alternation with the eyelids, closing them and relaxing them.
• Final exercise. As a result, it is necessary to simultaneously tense all the muscles of the body and remain in this state for several seconds, and then relax as much as possible.

The Jacobson method of progressive muscle relaxation is great for everyday use. It is very important during the full complex to be in complete harmony with yourself and, when relaxing, to concentrate on the difference in sensations.

Medicines

No one, of course, has canceled drug treatments for insomnia. But, in any case, such drugs should not be prescribed to yourself without consulting a specialist. We'll look at each of the most popular drugs so you know roughly how beneficial or harmful they can be.

Why is Afobazole used for VSD?

VSD and insomnia always go hand in hand due to the characteristics of the nervous system in this pathology. If you answer the question whether Afobazol helps with insomnia in this case, then you can answer yes. Its main effect is to relieve irritation and unnecessary anxiety. The main positive aspect of this drug is the absence of dependence, which occurs with many sedative drugs.

How to take Phenibut for insomnia

Phenibut certainly helps with insomnia. It improves brain activity, and was developed by Soviet scientists. The drug is usually taken in a course of 2-3 weeks. A consultation with a doctor is required, who will be able to more accurately, depending on the condition, adjust the dosage and, possibly, extend the course of treatment.

Folk remedies safe for dystonia

In addition to the medications prescribed to a patient for dystonia, he can drink medicinal tinctures and decoctions made from medicinal plants and herbs. However, before you start taking such recipes, you should definitely consult your doctor, as taking teas incorrectly can worsen your current health condition.

Traditional recipes help:

• get rid of nightmares;
• normalize your sleep schedule;
• eliminate spasms and eye twitching, which are considered signs of VSD;
• save a person from waking up at night;
• make your sleep more sound.

It is worth taking folk recipes after 2-3 weeks of insomnia, when the body needs proper rest.

Attention! Traditional methods cannot be addictive, which means that after normalizing your night's sleep, you can easily stop drinking them.

People who have a tendency to develop allergies should use alternative treatment with caution.

The most famous remedies for insomnia:

1. You can make a tincture that calms the central nervous system. To do this, take crushed valerian root (a teaspoon) and then pour a glass of boiling water. After this, the infusion should be left for 2 hours. To cure insomnia, you need to take 100 ml of medication. This is done before bedtime.
2. To make a medicinal decoction, you need to mix 500 ml of wine (preferably red) with 50 grams of dill seed, then boil the mixture for 20 minutes. Then the broth is removed from the stove, cooled and filtered. It is recommended to drink 2 tablespoons before bedtime.
3. Hemp seed tincture: take 40 grams of seeds and pour 250 boiling water. Leave the liquid to infuse for 40 minutes. The infusion should be drunk warm - half 30 minutes before bedtime, and the rest before putting it to bed.
4. Lavender oil will help you fall asleep quickly and soundly - to do this, you need to take it out and apply a small amount to your temples or hands.
5. Chronic insomnia can be easily cured by taking sleep herb tea. Take 15 inflorescences of the plant and pour boiling water into a glass. In 15 minutes the healing tea will be ready. You should drink it before bed to relax the body and calm the central nervous system.

Such folk recipes should be made only after they have been prescribed by a doctor.