I. The amount of sleep a person needs each day
The average daily sleep time for healthy adults is 7.5 hours. During a person’s life, sleep time tends to decrease gradually with age: newborns can sleep more than 16 hours a day, school-age children no less than 9 hours, young adults 7-8 hours, and in old age, the average daily sleep is only 5-6 hours.
The above “standards” of sleep time are only the general patterns shown in healthy people; there is no objective standard of “normal” sleep time for all people. Some people may be born with fewer hours of sleep than most people, while others may need a little more sleep. Whether you sleep for a longer or shorter period of time each day, as long as this time is relatively stable, you feel relaxed and comfortable after waking up, your mind is clear, your daytime activity alertness level is appropriate and you are efficient, your sleep is normal.
The duration and quality of sleep can also fluctuate to some degree for each individual. Occasional sleep deprivation or insomnia will not cause long-term or lasting adverse health effects.
Second, stimulus control treatment
Under normal circumstances, the bedroom and bed environment will induce the “desire” to sleep, so that people fall asleep more quickly. Insomnia patients often form bad conditioned reflexes to sleep time and environment due to excessive consideration of whether they can fall asleep or not, which manifests itself in the form of entering the bedroom and bed, but the brain gets excited and it is difficult to fall asleep. Stimulation control therapy aims to correct this poorly conditioned reflex and re-establish the conditioned reflex between the bedroom and bed and fast sleep.
Specific requirements: do not do things in the bedroom and bed other than sleep and sex. If you cannot fall asleep, get up, leave the bedroom and go to another room; return to the bedroom and bed only if you feel sleepy; if you still cannot fall asleep, repeat the above steps. Also do, regardless of how much sleep you feel throughout the night, get up regularly every day, and insist on the same on holidays; avoid lying in bed during the day, and if you need a nap, then only arrange one at noon time, whether you fall asleep or not, and keep the lying time within 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Third, relaxation training
The purpose of relaxation training is to reduce the physical tension before going to bed and the insertion of sleep disturbance during sleep time, such as involuntarily floating thoughts.
Specific practices are as follows.
1. lie flat on the bed or sit in a comfortable chair and adjust to the most comfortable position.
2, close your eyes, then inhale deeply and exhale slowly.
3, slow exhalation, feel the shoulders sink and shoulder muscles relax.
4, continue to inhale deeply, then exhale slowly, feel the shoulders sink and relax while feeling the muscle relaxation gradually expand to the upper extremities, fingertips, trunk, lower extremities, toes and other parts.
5, continue to inhale deeply, exhale slowly, feel the muscles of the shoulders, torso and limbs relax, and the neck and head also get relaxed at the same time.
6.Continue several cycles of deep breathing, slowly exhale when feeling the relaxation of the muscles of the whole body, feel relaxed and calm, then you can fall asleep.
Fourth, develop good sleep habits
1, adhere to the good sleep habits: to relieve insomnia, improve sleep treatment has a very good auxiliary therapeutic effect.
2, regular exercise: moderate amount of exercise, the duration of each time not less than 30 minutes, but after 8 p.m. should not be strenuous exercise.
3, passive body heat: such as hot baths, sauna, evening time, can have the effect of increasing deep sleep.
4, maintain the appropriate bedroom temperature: slightly cooler may help sleep, while a warm room will improve wakefulness.
5, control the light: late at night to avoid strong light stimulation, you can use lampshades, curtains or eye masks. If you wake up at night, do not turn on the big light, you can use a small night light with soft light.
6, control noise: in an environment where there is noise pollution but cannot be controlled, you can use ear plugs, double windows or other items with sound insulation.
7, control the intake of coffee and tea: and avoid drinking for at least 8 hours before going to bed.
8. do not resort to drinking alcohol to induce sleep: and quit smoking, as nicotine is a stimulant that can interfere with sleep.
9. drink water: not too much later in the day, as frequent urination can increase awakenings.
10. scientific eating: eating too much or on an empty stomach may prevent sleep, and not eating indigestible food within 2 hours before bedtime.
11. Avoid overexciting activities before bedtime: such as watching horror or action movies, listening to rock music, writing articles, participating in heated discussions, etc.
V. Drug treatment
If, after the above adjustments, you still cannot fall asleep. You can consider using medication to improve sleep. Medication needs to be done under the guidance of a doctor.
Currently, commonly used sleep medications include: zolpidem (Synthroid), half to 1 capsule at bedtime; eszopiclone (Scholastin), 1 capsule at bedtime; lorazepam (Rolla), 1 capsule at bedtime; clonazepam 1 capsule. Because sleep medications can easily become addictive when taken for a long period of time (e.g., for more than 1 year continuously), it is recommended that they be taken on an as-needed basis rather than daily. If sleep is persistently poor, the medication can be taken continuously for a short period of time. Short-term continuous medication (e.g. 3 months) usually does not lead to drug addiction, so there is no need to have the burden of thought.
If the above sleep medications are not effective, consider using antidepressants with sleep effects, such as mirtazapine (Remeron) 15mg-30mg/night, or small doses of antipsychotics, such as quetiapine (Seroquel) 12.5mg-25mg/night.
Medications should always be used under the guidance of a physician, never take them on your own.