Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and may appear sporadically or be frequent. This situation is more common in periods of stress, and may also be associated with diseases, such as depression, or be associated with situations such as pregnancy, menopause or in old age, periods that cause changes in the body's physiology.
To treat insomnia, it is very important to adopt good habits to re-educate the body to fall asleep at the right time, called sleep hygiene therapy, such as avoiding watching TV or looking at the phone at bedtime, avoiding bedtime each day at a different time and practice physical exercises during the day, for example. In addition, there are natural remedies, such as passion fruit or chamomile tea, which can be used to facilitate sleep.
Pharmacy sleep medications, like Diazepam or Clonazepam, for example, should be avoided, due to their risk of dependence and side effects, such as falls, and should only be used under medical advice.
Most common causes
The causes of insomnia can be related to stress, anxiety and even excessive consumption of stimulating foods, such as coffee. Other common causes of insomnia include:
- Depression; Hormonal changes, as in menopause. Learn what causes and how to overcome insomnia during menopause; Use of illicit drugs; Prolonged use of sleeping pills; Not having good sleep habits, such as not respecting bedtime and waking up; Jet lag syndrome or changing spindles schedules; Continuous changes in schedules, as occurs with professionals who work in shifts; Aging, as the elderly are more prone to changes in sleep and difficulty sleeping. Know the ways to fight insomnia in the third age to sleep better; Diseases, such as fibromyalgia, which generates pain throughout the body without apparent justification, causing tiredness.
The diagnosis of insomnia must be made through the assessment by the doctor of the sleep pattern, the use of medications, the degree of psychological stress, alcohol consumption and the level of physical activity. It must be based on individual needs because the need for hours of sleep is not the same for everyone.
How to treat
The main ways to treat insomnia include:
1. Natural treatment
The natural treatment for insomnia can be done with the intake of a calming tea, such as passion fruit, lemon balm or chamomile, for example, as they are medicinal plants that have calming properties that will help you sleep better.
To make chamomile tea, add 1 tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers in 1 cup and add boiling water and when warm, drink it.
In addition, it is possible to use natural herbal remedies, such as Valerian, which has sedative and analgesic action. See other options of Natural remedies and recipes to fight insomnia.
2. Sleep hygiene therapy
This is the main and most effective way to treat insomnia, and consists of adopting habits that facilitate falling asleep. Some examples are:
- Always lie down and get up at the same time; Avoid sleeping during the day; Do not watch television, use cell phones, computers or tablets 1-2 hours before bed; Avoid staying in bed throughout the day or doing various activities such as study, read or play with your cell phone; avoid excessive lights or noise in your room; prefer physical activities during the day; eat light foods before bed.
Learn more about how to do good sleep hygiene.
In addition, cognitive-behavioral therapy or alternative therapies, such as meditation, acupuncture, massage or phototherapy, for example, may also be recommended. Check out what are the main methods of sleep therapy for better sleep.
3. Drug treatment
Treatment for insomnia can be done by taking anxiolytic drugs or sleeping pills, as they are popularly called, such as Lorazepam, Clonazepam or Diazepam. See more examples at: Remedies to help you sleep.
However, these medications should only be used after medical advice and in very specific cases, as they can cause addiction and side effects, such as falls and changes in memory, and may even worsen an individual's sleep.
Check out these and other tips in the following video:
