Contents
General description of the disease
Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, sensitivity to sounds, and insufficient sleep duration to help the body recover normally. In this case, a sufficient and normal number of hours of sleep is considered to be 6-10 hours.
Systematic sleep deprivation can lead to the development of a chronic form of insomnia, which in turn can cause severe mental disorders, uncontrolled sudden movements of the limbs during sleep and a disturbance in the rhythm of breathing, leading to a lack of inhaled oxygen.
Types of insomnia:
- violation of falling asleep – fear of a person not to fall asleep, increased anxiety, excitability;
- Intrasomy – frequent awakenings during the night, a feeling of insufficient depth of sleep;
- disorders associated with waking up too early;
- hypersomnia – excessive sleepiness during the day due to lack of sleep at night or as a result of sleeping pills.
Causes:
- shift work schedule, including 2nd and 3rd shifts;
- bad habits;
- uncomfortable indoor conditions (stuffiness, noise, city lighting);
- change of time zones when moving to a new place of residence or during business trips;
- high urbanization and long-term traffic in big cities;
- constant stressful situation at work or in the family;
- chronic depression;
- improper diet and physical activity;
- disruption of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive or nervous systems;
- hypoglycemia (impaired blood glucose metabolism).
Insomnia symptoms:
- poor falling asleep;
- sensitivity of sleep;
- frequent awakening and difficulty falling asleep again;
- sleep disturbance occurs 3 or more times a week;
- malaise and weakness during the day caused by insufficient sleep;
- feeling anxious;
- tremors and heaviness in the muscles of the whole body;
- redness of the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, dry lips.
Healthy foods for insomnia
General recommendations
When treating insomnia, an integrated approach is needed, which includes changing the diet, physical activity and work activity. There are several basic principles that must be followed to normalize sleep and fall asleep faster:
- go to bed and get up at the same time – if you need to get up every day at 8 o’clock in the morning, then go to bed and sleep no later than 22: 00-24: 00. The same regime should be maintained during the weekend. Otherwise, an excessive desire to sleep on Sunday morning can lead to difficulties getting up on Monday;
- in the evening you need to go to bed if drowsiness occurs;
- the temperature in the bedroom should be 16-19 ° С, and the level of noise and lighting should be minimal;
- before going to bed, you should not perform any active actions, but if possible, relax as much as possible. The most favorable time for active classes is considered the morning hours and the time from 16:00 to 19:00;
- so that everyday thoughts do not disturb the mind while falling asleep, you should analyze tomorrow for 10 minutes before going to bed and plan all actions;
- the bed should not become a work area. It should be comfortable, comfortable and used only for sleep and sex;
- you should not consume tonic drinks, heavy foods and stimulating drugs after 16:00;
- 2 hours before bedtime, you can eat only light food or drink fermented milk drinks;
- do not drink a lot of liquid at night. Excessive fluid can provoke a night time urge to go to the toilet, after which it will be difficult to fall asleep;
- if the body needs a daytime sleep, then it should be no more than 30 minutes;
- take a warm bath with relaxing essential oils 2 hours before bedtime;
- make it a mandatory ritual to carry out daily evening walks in the fresh air or have sex.
Healthy foods
The hormone melatonin, which is produced by the human body, is an essential component of healthy and deep sleep. Its low level in the blood leads to the causes of insomnia. You can increase the level of this hormone by eating certain foods:
- cherry, sweet cherry, cherry plum – natural sources of melatonin. Before going to bed, they should be eaten 100-120 g;
- milk and dairy products – tryptophan and calcium in them contribute to the early fall asleep;
- bananas – stimulate the production of hormones, and potassium and magnesium have a relaxing effect on the nervous system and muscles;
- nuts, lean meats, and whole grain breads are rich in B vitamins, which are involved in the synthesis of tryptophan and melatonin.
Also, proper nutrition affects the normalization of sleep, which includes rationally selected foods that combine a balanced set of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. These products include:
- vegetables (lettuce), herbs (dill, basil), fruits (mulberry, lemon);
- microalgae (spirulina, chlorella);
- Whole grains (brown rice, oats, grains)
- all kinds of edible mushrooms;
- sea fish and shellfish.
Folk remedies for insomnia
In traditional medicine, there are a large number of medicinal recipes to help cope with insomnia. Here is some of them:
- tincture of the root of the peony evading. To do this, you should purchase a dry peony root in a pharmacy and fill it with alcohol (40 vol.) In a ratio of 1:10. The tincture should be kept in a dark place for a week, and then taken 30-40 drops 3 times a day. The course of treatment should be carried out for at least one month.
- infusion of medicinal herbs. A mixture of flowers (peony, tea rose, chamomile, ivan tea) is brewed as a soothing tea before bedtime at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. collection for 250 ml. boiling water.
- infusion of herbs of mint, lemon balm, valerian, cyanosis, black elderberry, hops and St. John’s wort. A mixture of dried herbs (1 tsp) should be poured with boiling water (200 ml), let it brew for 15-20 minutes and drink half an hour before bedtime.
Dangerous and harmful foods for insomnia
To prevent insomnia, you should exclude or limit the use of foods and drinks containing caffeine: strong black tea, coffee, cocoa, cola, energy drinks, chocolate and others.
It is also better to avoid the use of hot spices and seasonings that unnecessarily irritate the mucous membranes and can interfere with sleep. It is necessary to completely remove from the diet foods containing monosodium glutamate, unnatural food colors and impurities of heavy metals.
To get rid of insomnia, you should also eliminate or minimize alcohol consumption and the number of cigarettes smoked during the day.
Attention!
The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!