Insomnia can be provoked by stress and unhealthy habits. Patients have sleep problems that tend to get worse. They believe that they either do not sleep at all or only sleep for a short period of time. Therefore, before the treatment, an objective diagnosis is mandatory. Insomnia can accompany the lives of people who are depressed and suffer from diseases that cause pain, high blood pressure, senile dementia, neurosis, etc.
Insomnia can be caused by:
- Sleep hygiene disorder
- Taking several psychotropic drugs
- Shift work
- Frequent changes of time zones
- Consumption of stimulant drinks
Also, sleep disorders (along with other neurological disorders) occur in more than 37% of those who have recovered from Сovid. The non-specific symptom has already received the scientific name “Сovid-associated insomnia”. It is distinguished by issues with falling asleep, awakening due to a feeling of lack of air, and the fear that the lungs will stop working during sleep.
How to fall asleep quickly?
There is a special application Journey based on CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia). The application has a seven-day trial period during which you can try all the features available for the Premium version. There is an online chat with a sleep coach who responds in real-time, as well as a huge library of sleep sounds, sleep music, and sleep stories recorded in the studio by professionals. The application is adapted for users of all ages. CBT-I is a clinically proven, pill-free sleep-improving approach recommended as the first treatment for insomnia.
Also, you can follow just a few simple rules to improve your sleep:
- Create a comfortable atmosphere in the room where you relax. It should be dark and cool. You should ventilate the room in advance, turn off the light and try to remove all distractions (turn off the TV, player, put away the phone, etc.).
- Use the bed only for sleeping. Do not work in it, read, or play with children.
- Devote evenings to rest, not to work and gadgets. Before going to bed, it is useful to lie down fully relaxed and meditate. You can take a bath, read your favorite book, and listen to relaxing music.
- Limit daytime sleep. If you want to take a nap during the day, then limit yourself to 20-30 minutes no later than 5-6 hours before a night’s sleep.
Important! The success of insomnia treatment largely depends on your mood. It is necessary to eliminate the fear of the problem.
But there can be a situation when you should consult a therapist. Every person needs to make an appointment with a somnologist in cases where:
- It usually takes at least 30 minutes for a person to fall asleep
- Sleep disruptions can be brought on by the light from a night lamp, calm noises, and other tiny distractions
- The person frequently wakes up at night and is unable to fall back asleep
- Daytime drowsiness
- Sleep does not bring positive emotions
- Your heart rate and blood pressure rise in the morning
- You have a headache in the morning
- Family members notice your strange behavior at night
Keep in mind that consulting a specialist is the best course of action for treating insomnia. First of all, a doctor needs to understand what triggers insomnia. Insomnia can be provoked by various diseases (arterial hypertension, arthritis, herpes, etc.). Before seeking medical help, the patient should keep a sleep diary for at least a few days, writing down his sensations, the duration of rest, and other important facts. This will allow the doctor to identify conditions that provoke insomnia and evaluate the patient’s sleep hygiene.
Today, therapy can be carried out using a variety of techniques. They are selected depending on the patient’s condition, lifestyle, diseases, and other important factors.
Encephalophony
This technique is based on listening to the recording, the basis of which is the EEG (electroencephalography) of the patient himself. Encephalopathy promotes harmonization of the work of the right and left hemispheres, restoration of the function of neuroplasticity (the properties of the human brain to change under the influence of experience), memory improvement, and helps decrease excessive brain activity before bedtime.
Light therapy
This method of prevention and treatment of insomnia includes the use of special glasses that generate light waves of a certain intensity and length. They allow you to normalize circadian (biological) rhythms (periods of sleep and wakefulness). This method is especially relevant for travelers who change time zones, as well as for people who work night shifts. It is also used due to a seasonal lack of natural light.
Cognitive Psychotherapy
The approach of cognitive therapy [mfn]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28392168/[/mfn] aims to ease worries that frequently cause sleeplessness. The patient identifies factors that interfere with their ability to get a decent night’s sleep with the help of the sessions. The basis of this therapy is talking and behavioral experiments. The patient is asked various questions and formulates correct judgments by answering. This way, you can come up with reasonable assumptions regarding the body’s need for rest and its sources of energy throughout the day.
Relaxation techniques
The goal of the therapy is to practice a certain set of exercises with alternating relaxation and muscle tension. This helps decompress and control emotions. The patient learns to relax properly, feel the body, and concentrate on breathing. Additionally, he receives settings that induce a state of calmness and self-hypnosis.
There are many approaches to treating and preventing insomnia. If the problem is provoked by diseases, they must be treated. For this, various drugs, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, massage, etc. can be prescribed. There are also online opportunities – with the help of applications on your phone, you can practice right from home.
