How many people in this world have insomnia? A survey has been done and found that about 43% of the population suffers from sleep problems, a large part of which is insomnia. There are also other sleep disorders such as sleepwalking (sleepwalking), nightmares, narcolepsy (sleepiness), and sleep apnea syndrome. This article focuses on the causes, treatment and self-adjustment of insomnia.
Just as we cannot live without food, we cannot live without sleep. A newborn baby sleeps more than 20 hours a day, and as it grows older, sleep time gradually decreases. Primary and secondary school students need about 10 hours of sleep per day, adults need about 8 hours of sleep per day, and the elderly need about 5-7 hours of sleep per day. Of course, sleep time is not exactly the same according to the characteristics of each person. Some people sleep for a very short period of time each day, while others sleep for a longer period of time, and there is no health difference between the two groups of people.
So how long is a good night’s sleep? Generally speaking, there is no absolute standard to judge the time and quality of sleep, but for insomnia, the following points of reference are available.
1. whether one feels energetic after waking up the next day.
2. whether one often cannot sleep between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.
3, whether the feeling of not being able to sleep at night and not being able to wake up during the day
4, whether it takes too long to fall asleep
5.Whether it is a series of nightmares
6.Do you often wake up and then have a hard time falling asleep?
In the sleep clinic, you will encounter such friends who are overly concerned about their sleep time and always worry that they do not get enough sleep for 7 hours, even though they do not have all of the above. Obviously, these people are not “insomniacs”, they are just overly concerned about the amount of sleep they are getting. In short, the most important factor in determining how well you slept the day before is how energetic you are the next day.
Insomnia sufferers have similar feelings. They fear the night because it makes them afraid of sleepless nights and tossing and turning; they fear going to bed because it does not bring them a pleasant and comfortable sleep, instead, it is the beginning of their suffering. What makes us lose sleep? There are many factors that cause insomnia, and the following conditions are common.
a. The effects of physical illness, including the illness itself causing insomnia, and our own excessive fear of illness.
b. Excessive excitement or sadness during the day, suffering a serious psychological blow, etc.
c, not dealing with the matter at hand before going to bed, resulting in lying in bed and thinking about the problem.
d, unreasonable eating habits, such as drinking coffee, cola, tea and other stimulating beverages before bedtime, being too full or too hungry for dinner, drinking too much water before bedtime, etc.
e, poor rhythm of life: too much sleep or too long lunch break during the day, frequent late nights, lack of exercise, etc.
f, environmental factors: such as poor housing environment, or changes in living environment: such as moving, studying away, traveling, etc.
g, abnormal cognition of sleep: such as lack of “sleep sense”, excessive attention to sleep itself.
h. Older people often have daytime “napping”, which “consumes” the sleep time and causes a reduction in nighttime sleep time.
i. Insomnia caused by long-term use of certain drugs, or insomnia caused by the sudden discontinuation of certain commonly used drugs, etc.
If insomnia, how do we adjust?
1.Maintain a relaxed mood.
2.Create a relatively suitable sleeping environment: such as relatively quiet, not too cold or too hot, etc.
3, before going to bed, deal with the matter at hand, do not go to bed with things or problems.
4, the bed is a place to sleep, do not lie in bed to read or watch TV, watch cell phones.
5, have a sleepy feeling before going to bed, do not go to bed early, otherwise lying in bed will become increasingly anxious.
6, do not drink stimulating drinks in the afternoon: coffee, cola, wine, tea water, etc., it is best not to smoke.
7, do not eat too much or eat too little for dinner, do not drink too much water before going to bed (it will lead to frequent night rises).
8, wear loose cotton underwear when sleeping, choose warm, lighter bedding, too heavy or too tight clothing will affect sleep.
9, appropriate physical exercise in the afternoon can significantly improve sleep.
10, the first day of sleep is not good, the next day do not “make up sleep”, because “make up sleep” will be “biological clock” disruption;.
11, drink milk before bed, warm water soak feet will promote sleep.
12, if there is a physical disease, should cooperate with doctors to actively treat.
13, do more mental or physical activities during the day, on the one hand, to distract themselves, on the other hand, these activities themselves can improve sleep.
14, the occasional insomnia will not have much impact on human health, so it is unnecessary to be overly concerned.
15.Everyone’s sleep time and sleep rhythm are not exactly the same, please do not measure yourself by others’ standards.
16.Do not avoid seeing a doctor for insomnia that is difficult to regulate.
Finally, I wish you all a good sleep. By the way, we would like to remind our insomnia friends in the Lu’an (West Anhui) area that the Mental Health Center in Lu’an can protect your sleep.