Many roads lead to insomnia and many causes. Some of them are independent of us or have little effect on them - for example, certain physical or mental diseases. Usually, however, the reason for insomnia is ignorance and bad habits - depriving us of what is called sleep hygiene. Here are examples of unhygienic habits or inappropriate lifestyle leading to insomnia:
We disturb our own sleep rhythm
Our biological "chronometer" shows us the right circadian rhythm. Forced by work or other determinants, however, the style of our life can disrupt it. If we are awake and sleep at various times and we neglect the indications of our own clock, it unregulates and desynchronises in relation to external clocks. We break out of a certain rhythm and the result will sooner or later be insomnia. Usually this happens after a few sleepless nights.
If we spend too much time in the daytime, the result will be the difficulty of falling asleep at night.
So if we have a tendency to react to sleep disturbances with insomnia, then we should try to get up consistently more regularly at a certain time. We should do it even if it is combined with compulsion and reluctance. For example, we are awakened by three alarm clocks, buried in various parts of the bedroom, after which we quickly go under a refreshing shower. Because of these frequent and usually banal regulatory disorders that occur during weekends, we often encounter serious difficulties with falling asleep on a Sunday night earlier.
In order to understand the suggestions well, it should be added that no one here is suggesting to abstain from evening or night meetings with friends in favor of regular sleep. Let's remember about Omar Khayyam's reflection: Recently, I have happily feasted with my friends. Today, one by one, they are plunged in their sleep. The angel of death guards them. They had a few queues too early.
Avoid chemical sleep hygiene destructors - popular stimulants such as:
- coffee - nicotine - alcohol - drugs
Caffeine from coffee disturbs sleep
There are a lot of people and those who drink during the day "sea of coffee" and sleep well at night. For many people, however, eating anything that contains caffeine before going to bed can disrupt the unpleasant sleep. It should also be remembered that caffeine is contained in some publicly available medicines as well as in chocolate.
Nicotine "knocks" out of sleep
Nicotine can also have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system. It was shown that people who smoked about half a pack of cigarettes a day fell asleep harder than non-smokers. In addition, a fatiguing sub-cough cough, occurring at night, is a significant disorder of night sleep.
Alcohol weakens sleep and awakens
Many people believe that alcohol acting relaxing helps to fall asleep. Sometimes this view works, but usually small doses of alcohol may also stimulate, not to mention the lingering danger of becoming addicted to this "form of therapy". Even if the alcohol in its initial phase recedes the tormenting thoughts and causes a deeper initial sleep, in the second phase of the night it reduces it, causing a faster awakening and return of the mass of thoughts. The sleep of people addicted to alcohol is fragmented and weak. It is characterized by a great number of revivals at night. The structure of sleep is also disturbed (disturbance of the proportions of individual phases, too few REM phases). In some addicts, sleep apnea is recorded. On the other hand, fatal consequences can be sipping alcohol from sleeping pills!
Drugs interfere with sleep and can cause insomnia
From documented studies, marijuana interferes with natural sleep by extending the time required to sleep and shortening the REM phases. Cocaine acting in the first hour euphoric in the next causes depression. As a result, cocaine causes insomnia, shortening both the period of deep sleep and the phase of REM sleep. Amphetamine and related agents have a similar stimulating effect on the psyche. After discontinuation of these measures, the patient feels, among other things, persistent insomnia, which prompts him to accept the drug again. Heroin also suppresses sleep to a large extent by suppressing the activity of the central nervous system. It shortens both the deep sleep phase and the REM phase. Finally, it also regulates the periods of sleep and wakefulness. Of course, the emergence of narcotic addiction is a much greater disaster than just sleep disorders, but these are one of the many problems that addicts are plaguing.
Leeks and types of meals and falling asleep
There is no scientific data on whether there are meals to sleep better. The time of eating is important. Especially a large dinner, consumed less than 3 hours before the rest will definitely disturb sleep. It can become heavy, does not give rest, and often with tormenting nightmares. In particular, beware of food that may cause indigestion or heartburn, that is, greasy snacks and those containing a large amount of garlic. Sometimes foods that produce a lot of gas and abdominal bloating can also make it difficult to sleep well. Everyone knows their dietary options and should remember them, especially at the time of late supper.
Insomnia suffers quite often people who are intensely slimming.
Insomnia will appear especially in the second half of the night, when famine makes itself felt. It is connected with general nervousness and irritation. The patients suffering from anorexia are sleeping, but this is a more serious problem that requires comprehensive treatment.
Food allergy and sleep
Allergies to certain foods may also be marked by sleep disorders. Quite often, food allergy in young children is the cause of abdominal colic, and pain causes the child to wake up. The use of an elimination diet in children and adults usually solves the problem of allergy and secondary insomnia.
Eating at night and insomnia
Habitual night food, interrupting sleep, can have many causes. In the first place, the phenomenon of possible hypoglycemia should be ruled out. However, if the night-time diet turns out to be just an unhealthy habit, then you should gradually limit yourself or ask for advice to the psychotherapist.
Physical effort can "fall asleep" - but ...
Regular use of movement has a beneficial effect on our entire physical and mental condition. However, strenuous, "heroic" and irregular physical efforts at bedtime should be avoided. Therefore, it would be advisable to have a break of 3-4 hours between exercises and going to rest.
Noise and light disturbs falling asleep and worsens the quality of sleep
Generally, noise reaching our bedrooms worsens the quality of sleep. Even when we are convinced that we have become accustomed to him. Polisomnographic examinations carried out in the homes of patients living near the airport showed in most of them that even those who are supposedly "accustomed to the noise", sleep shows numerous irregularities. Of course there are people who have a habit of falling asleep only when the radio or TV is on. They even say that without it they would not have fallen asleep at all. Fixed irregularity, however, does not automatically become regular. The necessity of using such "sleepers" indicates only the existing psychological problem. While young people can still sleep at 100 decibel noise, others are already awakening a 15-decibel whisper. We are also awakened by noises to which we are sensitized (the quiet whimper of the child awakens the mother) or "sensitized" (the quiet buzzing of the mosquito).
A similar situation is with light. You should sleep in a darkened room - bedroom. If there is too bright light from the street side, thick curtains should be provided. There are, of course, people who can fall asleep only when the electric light is switched on, but the basis of such behavior is usually the established states of anxiety.
Ph.D., MD Janusz Krzyżowski. Psychiatrist
