Good sound sleep.
How to improve an adult's sleep.
Good, sound sleep is an unaffordable luxury these days. The dynamic rhythm of modern life, poor nutrition, a monstrous flow of information prevents our body and our brain from quickly going into the world of dreams in the evenings. You are probably familiar with this situation: you feel very tired during the day, but, nevertheless, you cannot fall asleep quickly; at night you constantly wake up from an unreasonable feeling of anxiety. There are a lot of people like you. According to statistics, about half of the adult population regularly experiences sleep problems. Of course, no one has yet died from insomnia, but lack of sleep leads to nervous exhaustion and destroys our immune system and reduces brain performance.
Most people struggle with sleep disorders with the help of medications; some individuals try to improve sleep with the help of alcohol (for example, cognac). But medications can make it even more difficult for you to fall asleep without them. Alcohol, at first glance, allows you to sleep soundly. In fact, during a “drunk sleep” the body does not rest, but processes alcohol. Such a dream cannot be called healthy.
But you can achieve good, sound sleep without resorting to sleeping pills.
It is enough to make it a rule to follow a few simple recommendations. You need to take care of your sleep; we ourselves interfere with our lifestyle and habits to fully rest our body at night.
So, what methods can you use to improve an adult’s sleep?
Proper nutrition and good sleep.
What you eat can affect how you sleep. The main recommendation: do not eat less than 3 - 4 hours before bedtime, especially heavy, fatty, high-calorie foods. (For example, smoked meats, fried meats, canned foods, ketchup, chocolate and alcohol).
Most often, sleep disturbances can be associated with a lack of melatonin in the body, a hormone that regulates our biological clock and is responsible for sleep. Thanks to this hormone, we fall asleep. The pineal gland is responsible for its production, pineal gland, located in our head. This gland actively reproduces the hormone at night.
With age, melatonin production gradually decreases in every person, so young people, especially children, rarely experience sleep problems. Older people sometimes resort to artificially increasing the hormone by taking hormonal drugs. But every medicine produced pharmaceutical industry, there are contraindications and side effects. And not all of them have been sufficiently studied.
At the same time, there are food products that contain melatonin in ready-made form. These are oats, corn, rice, raisins, tomatoes, barley. Cherries are also a natural source of the sleep hormone. Doctors advise eating a handful of these berries an hour before bed.
In addition, there are foods that help your body produce melatonin. These are products containing building materials for this hormone: the amino acid tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6.
Tryptophan is found in pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds and walnuts.
Milk is a good combination of tryptophan and calcium. Warm milk with honey is an ideal sleeping pill for children, why not follow their example? Chamomile tea is another natural drink that is relaxing, sedative and slightly hypnotic.
It should be borne in mind that melatonin does not accumulate in the body, so it is necessary to create conditions for its constant production.
Sleep and coffee.
If you really need good, healthy sleep, you will have to give up coffee and all drinks containing caffeine (cola, energy drinks, strong tea). The fact is that caffeine stops the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
But some adults are not ready to make such “sacrifices.” Such gentlemen and comrades are so dependent on caffeine that they cannot completely wake up in the morning without a cup of aromatic coffee. In this case, you have to compromise and give up caffeine in the afternoon.
Still, give it a try, to some extent coffee can also be considered a drug, so to give up caffeine, you will have to experience “caffeine” withdrawal for some time, but your reward will be improved sleep quality and relief from addiction.
Sleep in the same place, at the same hour.
You should make it a rule to go to bed and get up in the morning at the same time and in the same place. The most difficult time to go to bed is on the weekends; in the evening we want to watch TV longer, surf the Internet or spend time in good company, and sleep longer in the morning. But in this case, you are likely to have trouble sleeping at the beginning of the work week.
The sleep hormone - melatonin begins to be actively produced from 8 o'clock in the evening, and the maximum activity of its synthesis occurs from midnight to 3 o'clock in the morning. In the morning and pre-dawn hours, melatonin production decreases sharply. Therefore, in order to get a good night's sleep and gain strength, it is advisable to accustom yourself to going to bed early, in accordance with the biological clock of an adult.
The place where you spend the night should be associated only with sleep. Your bedroom, your bed, should be associated with silence and relaxation. If possible, do not watch TV in the bedroom, do not lie on the bed with a laptop or tablet, and do not even talk on the phone where you sleep. Let this room become for you an abode of sleep and only sleep.
As a result, you will train your body to instantly switch off in this environment.
Comfortable, clean bed and complete darkness.
The bed or sofa should not creak. The bed should not be too hard or too soft, as this may cause you to wake up at night when you toss and turn in your sleep. If your pillow or mattress is many years old, be sure to change it. In addition to discomfort, such a bed is home to millions of people who also prevent us from sleeping.
One more thing important condition: you need to sleep in complete darkness, unless of course you suffer from nyctophobia (fear of the dark). Please keep in mind that when artificial lighting melatonin is produced very poorly, and when sunlight not produced at all!
So in the northern latitudes, where in the summer it’s completely short night, it is advisable to curtain the bedroom windows with thick curtains. Of course, young people, for example in St. Petersburg, do not need this advice. Guys and girls walk in white nights until the morning. But at a young age, the body tends to quickly recover after sleepless nights. In adulthood and old age, daylight can interfere with the natural biological rhythm of the body.
Before going to bed, be sure to ventilate the bedroom for 10 - 15 minutes, because in a closed room the humidity level increases and the amount of oxygen decreases.
Daytime sleep.
A simple but important recommendation: if you don't get enough sleep at night, you'll probably want to sleep during the day. Try to fight sleep and wait until evening as a last resort, allow yourself a short nap after lunch, but no more than 20 minutes, and most importantly, do not hit the pillow after 4 pm. At night you will again not be able to fall asleep, and during the day you will want to sleep, it’s a vicious circle. Don’t throw off your biological clock; our body is initially programmed to be active during the day and recuperate at night.
Irritating factors for sleep.
In Russians folk tales There is a proverb: the morning is wiser than the evening. Vasilisa the Wise puts Ivanushka to bed, a fool who tomorrow, according to the story, may have his head cut off. What a dream this is! But popular wisdom is right; a solution to the problem can only be found with a fresh mind. A person who has not had enough sleep thinks even worse in the morning than in the evening after a hard, eventful day.
Therefore, before going to bed, you need to unload your head as much as possible. Don't watch news programs before going to bed; as a rule, they contain nothing but negativity. Don't watch horror or action films. Don't try to make serious decisions and try not to think about problems, being excited will also negatively affect your work pineal gland brain.
Internet and social media before bed can also lead to insomnia. The bright light of the monitor and smartphone display suppresses the production of melatonin. In addition, in bed you will involuntarily “digest” the information received (likes, comments, and so on). At least an hour before bedtime, you should be “offline”.
All these sleep irritants should be kept out of your sight. Activity brain activity should be minimal.
Walk and warm bath half an hour before bedtime.
Obviously, a walk before bed will help you take your mind off problems and calm down only in good weather along quiet deserted streets, in a park or square.
A warm bath with mild aromatic oils such as peppermint, chamomile or lavender can also help you relax. Do not use citrus scents (orange, lemon). Such baths, on the contrary, help you wake up. Warm bath or warm shower means that the water temperature should be approximately equal to body temperature, that is, 37 degrees. Hot water, just like a cold one, will lead to the opposite effect - it will thoroughly invigorate you.
Obviously, before going to bed it is necessary to exclude any physical activity. But this only applies to late evening workouts. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle can cause sleep disturbances. Lack of stress on the muscles leads to a decrease in metabolism and an imbalance of serotonin and melatonin, which leads to disruption of the sleep-wake cycle. In other words, our body is programmed for active life during the day and complete relaxation at night. According to statistics, people who work hard physically are less likely to suffer from insomnia.
Therefore, even 1 hour of exercise 2-3 times a week will help improve your sleep.
Even in childhood, mothers, grandmothers and, of course, doctors told us that sound sleep is the key to health. However, even then many of us thought that this was just a phrase that should not be paid attention to special attention. But over time, we ourselves noticed: as soon as we don’t get enough sleep or go to bed late at night, in the morning it turns out that our “head is heavy,” we don’t want to do anything, some kind of internal lack of composure and external fatigue appear, although we just woke up and should be full of strength. This is where the realization of how important sleep comes.
Today, the problem of poor sleep worries many people. various reasons, and we will try to look at what helps to get good sleep.
Some factsThere are many remedies that can restore sound sleep: among them there are general ones that will not harm everyone, and special ones, the choice of which depends on why sleep is disturbed.
Discipline – main secret good sleep:
These were general rules which everyone must adhere to. Now let’s get down to the methods that help solve the problem of poor sleep caused by increased emotionality and nervous excitability.
If, when falling asleep, thoughts swirl in your head, preventing you from falling asleep, then there is a good, harmless remedy that doctors prescribe for children suffering from hyperactivity: pine baths. Take dry extract or balm with pine and fir oil and take a bath with this remedy every other day before going to bed. It helps you relax, and, despite its simplicity, it is very effective for sleep disturbances and other problems associated with frayed nerves.
MedicinesIf above methods will not be enough, then funds will come to the rescue official medicine for sound sleep, which are used, for example, after stress: valocardine, barboval - these are considered to be heart medications, but they can be used as mild tranquilizers that suppress excitability nervous system. You cannot use them every day: if you are experiencing depression, it is better to consult a doctor. Most likely, he will prescribe you valerian tablets or more serious ones - adaptol or afobazole. It is better not to resort to sleeping pills so that the body does not learn to fall asleep on its own.
Secrets of healthy sleep from yogisAnd the last method to help you get healthy sleep (but far from the least effective) 
– exercises for sound sleep. Yoga helps you get a good, sound sleep already on the first day of full-fledged practice, but if you have no desire to do it, then take on only one exercise: in bed, lying on your back, with the lights off and with eyes closed, feel how your whole body relaxes. Focus on what you see (with your eyes closed) or on your breathing: how the air fills your lungs and how they narrow when you exhale. Don't think about anything, let thoughts pass you by. Don't focus your attention on them if they arise. Your task is to monitor either your breathing or what is in front of you with your eyes closed. Take a closer look. Within 15 minutes you will fall asleep.
After a hard time working day or on the eve of important life events, a person definitely needs to have a good rest. Sound sleep heals the body, calms the soul, provides tone and good mood. But the insidious Morpheus does not pay attention to everyone. People suffering from insomnia look tired, get sick, and complain of confusion. Let's look at the reasons for regular lack of sleep, get acquainted with useful recommendations specialists.
Sometimes people provoke themselves chronic lack of sleep. So, the “stealers” of a night's rest are:
- alcohol;
- anxiety;
— discomfort due to difficult life circumstances;
- caffeine;
- nicotine;
- overeating;
- stress.
2. Nicotine is a powerful trigger for insomnia. To ensure yourself a good rest, try not to smoke after 19.00. And best of all, quit smoking!
3. In the evening, avoid discussions on complex and unpleasant topics and watching news, especially political ones. 80% of people cannot fall asleep because even while lying in bed they continue to think about the events of the past day.
4. Try to finish all your work no later than 21.30. The point is that best time going to bed - 22 hours, leave half an hour for relaxation and water treatments. Try sleeping between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am for at least two weeks and see how much your well-being improves and how easily you fall asleep.
5. During shift work, establish night sleep won't work. Will reduce negative consequences night wakefulness nap. By the way, it is relevant only in the first day after lack of sleep! Sleeping in on weekends makes no sense - the body does not know how to improve brain function after the fact.
It has been proven that eating certain foods and dishes can trigger insomnia or, conversely, make you want to hug your pillow.
A tasty alternative to sleeping pills and sedatives may be:
— walnuts;
— a mug of warm milk + banana;
- dried apricots;
- turkey meat;
- honey in small doses;
- baked potatoes;
- cottage cheese;
- dates.
The list can be supplemented with any products containing calcium, magnesium, tryptophan, B vitamins. Just remember that the last substantial meal should be taken no later than 2 hours before bedtime. If you go to bed at 10 p.m., try not to eat after eight. And of course, make sure that dinner is light.
Causes of insomnia include:
— Oriental (especially Chinese) cuisine;
- fatty foods (pork, lamb, cream, cheese);
- greens;
— lemon juice;
- carrot;
- sweets;
- refined products;
- some varieties of apples.
A restless night can negatively impact your speed and clarity of thinking, appearance and mental balance. In order to ensure good rest, you need not only to follow a diet, but also to adhere to some simple rules. We present a step-by-step program, the observance of which will promote proper healthy sleep.
Creating an atmosphere of peace.
Declare your bedroom a relaxation area. Ideal conditions include:
— the presence of a firm and most comfortable bed;
- cool and clean air in the room;
— fresh bed linen;
- calm colors of walls, curtains and surrounding objects.
An important factor that helps you relax and fall asleep is complete silence. A dripping faucet, a ticking clock, or a running air conditioner are often the causes of insomnia, therefore, everything that is broken needs to be fixed immediately, and the rest needs to be turned off.
Maximum relaxation.
In the afternoon, try not to be influenced by irritating factors. About an hour before going to bed, take a bath with soothing aromatic oils or herbs (lavender, marjoram, sandalwood). Drink a mug of warmed milk or a glass of kefir, fermented baked milk, or homemade yogurt.
While lying in bed, do a simple relaxation exercise: imagine that your body is a jug of warm liquid and your muscles are completely relaxed. Close your eyes. Start "filling" from the tips of your toes or the top of your head, mentally moving up/down.
Nice thoughts.
The most common way to combat insomnia is counting, but there are more effective options. For example, if you can’t fall asleep for a long time, you need to imagine yourself snoring sweetly in a warm and very cozy crib. After which you need to do the exercise described above and concentrate on regular breathing.
Typically, an adult needs 7 hours of sleep. During illness and during stressful periods, this time can increase significantly. But if you feel energetic in the morning, then everything is fine. There was enough sleep.
Everyone knows that good and healthy sleep is the key to vigor, good mood, and, of course, health. Scientists have proven that the healthier a person’s sleep, the stronger his health, better appearance and figure. Healthy sleep has always been a cure for depression, nervousness, stress and many other not only mental ailments, but also physical ones. After all, we all know that if you have a cold, you need to wrap yourself up warmly and go to bed, in the morning it will be much easier. Therefore, healthy sleep can rightfully be called the source of longevity. But how to achieve healthy sleep? There are a couple of simple but effective tips.
The question may seem trivial at first glance, but could you personally answer it? During healthy sleep, the brain gets rid of all the negativity and unnecessary information that has been accumulated during the day. If the sleep is disturbing, the brain will not be able to relax, and in the morning, even if you overslept required quantity hours, you will be haunted by a feeling of fatigue and weakness. Some are fleeing disturbing dreams with the help of sleeping pills. But this is a dubious solution, since the body gets used to these drugs, and the symptoms only get worse. After some time, the sleeping pill may stop working altogether. So medicinal method- last resort option.
In fact, more than a third of the world's population suffers from various sleep disorders. Naturally, insomnia affects their performance, and the productivity of daily life decreases. Without healthy sleep, human health suffers, especially during stressful periods. Even if you experience insomnia from time to time, this is already a warning sign. It is possible that periodic insomnia will develop into daily insomnia.
A person suffers from lack of sleep much more severely than from hunger. Few people can withstand more than two days without sleep: a person begins to fall asleep involuntarily, and even during the working day there are short dreams, invisible to others, coordination and memory are impaired, well-being and vision deteriorate.
An adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep to get enough sleep. But the amount of sleep needed may vary for different people. Try to determine how many hours you personally need to sleep in order to feel good and energetic in the morning. But do not forget that attempts to “sleep it off” can lead to the opposite effect: you are guaranteed to feel unwell for the whole day. In general, you need to get out of bed on time.
1. You should not eat immediately before bed. It's better to do this 2 hours before bedtime. 
This is especially true for fatty, heavy foods. The reason is that a full stomach will not promote healthy sleep and can cause insomnia or nightmares.
2. Go to bed no later than 22-23 hours. This is the most favorable time for going to bed, when the body is relaxed, you feel tired and you can easily fall asleep. But, in general, when choosing the time when you are going to go to bed, you need to be guided by these numbers: an adult gets enough sleep in 7-8 hours, normal sleep, which will restore all basic functions, lasts 5-6 hours. The most useful time for sleep - between eleven o'clock in the evening and five o'clock in the morning. If you really can’t go to bed at this time, remember that you need to sleep between two and four o’clock in the morning in any case. It is not advisable to sleep during the day, especially before sunset.
3. Sleep better with your head to the north or east. Feng Shui has nothing to do with it. The point, rather, is the need for correct orientation of the body from the point of view of coordinating electromagnetic fields. But this point can still be argued.
4. It is better to sleep on a flat, hard surface. On soft mattresses, the body sags, the spine is deformed, and blood circulation to the brain and various organs is disrupted. In addition, sleeping on soft beds can lead to pinching nerve endings. If it is not possible to purchase a hard bed, simply cover yours with a board made of boards or plywood. You can put a thin mattress on top. The pillow should also not be too fluffy and voluminous, let it be 
small, dense and flat. This pillow will support cervical region spine, will not interfere cerebral circulation. But you shouldn’t give up your pillow completely, especially if you have asthma or cardiovascular failure.
5. The less clothing you wear while sleeping, the better. Let the body breathe, let nothing constrain or squeeze it. If the room is cold, it is better to cover yourself with another blanket rather than wear warm pajamas.
6. Sleeping on your side is the best. During the night, a person turns over several times from one side to the other automatically, so that internal organs did not experience any discomfort. Also, sleeping on your side is good for your back and reduces the likelihood of snoring. If you wish, you can sleep on your back. But not on the stomach, this is the most worst option.
7. Try to close windows at night to avoid drafts. Or open the window but close the door. Drafts are the cause of colds, especially at night: a sleeping person throws off the blanket when he gets hot, and then a draft awaits him. Another option is to ventilate the room before going to bed. As a last resort, sleep in socks. In general, best temperature for sleep +18-20 degrees.
8. Remove the ticking clock from the bedroom, turn the electronic clock so that you do not constantly see its dial, otherwise you will involuntarily follow the countdown and earn insomnia.
9. Human sleep consists of cycles, each of which consists of phases of “rapid” and “slow” sleep. They come in different depths. In healthy people, the sleep cycle approaches 60 minutes, but it can vary from 60 to 90 minutes. But by morning the cycles stretch out, the proportion of “rapid” sleep increases (this is the period when we see dreams). To get enough sleep, you need to sleep through 4 such biocycles. But you can sleep for 6 cycles. It is important to plan your sleep so that waking up is not 
It happened in the middle of the cycle, otherwise the person will feel overwhelmed all day. The ideal (although not always feasible) option is to wake up not by an alarm clock, but by an internal need. If you have to wake up to an alarm clock, calculate your sleep cycles. The most extreme option is to sleep through 2 biocycles, but it is better not to experiment this way often.
10. If you like to sleep, there is one rule for you: don’t lie in bed! As soon as you wake up (on your own, not from external factors), do not roll over, even if there is still time left before the alarm clock. Stretch, throw off the blanket and stand up. Because if you go to sleep again, even if you feel refreshed, it will be difficult for you to wake up a second time. You will be lethargic and exhausted until the evening, you will want to sleep during the day.
11. Before going to bed, try to relax, free yourself from the experiences and emotions that you experienced during the day. Get ready for good, healthy sleep and recuperation. Before going to bed, analyze your thoughts, words, actions during the day, and throw unfinished matters out of your head until next morning. And don't worry about what awaits you the next day. All the same, experiences are meaningless until the moment comes when everything is decided.
12. You can try to fall asleep listening to quiet, pleasant music. There are many collections of relaxing music on the Internet, you can choose any one that suits you. You can play recordings at night with the sounds of nature, sea surf, rustling leaves.
13. Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine before bed. In general, the less of these substances you consume during the day, the better. For example, alcohol, although it makes you sleepy at first, after a few hours, on the contrary, it helps to awaken the body. Caffeine is present not only in coffee, but also in tea, chocolate, Coca-Cola and some painkillers. Before going to bed, you should drink a soothing decoction of herbs, for example, chamomile, mint, hops, valerian, lemon balm. A glass of warm milk with a tablespoon of honey helps.
14. Before going to bed, it is very useful to take a warm shower, or even better, a warm bath. You can add flavored sea salt, essential oils, herbal infusions. The water should be warm or comfortably hot. But it’s better to postpone a cool shower until the morning to cheer up before the work day.
15. If possible, take a walk in the park or alley before going to bed and get some fresh air. This will contribute falling asleep quickly.
Unfortunately, various sleep disorders are very common among people. Sleep disturbances often occur with cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and infectious diseases. The quality of sleep is affected by shift work, frequent business trips with time zone changes, stress, and depression. Moreover, sleep disorders do not depend on age; they can manifest themselves in a child, a teenager, or a mature person, both single and married. But the problem is that a person, even knowing that he has problems with sleep, does not apply for medical care and relies “on chance” that everything will return to normal on its own.
Insomnia healthy person may be caused nervous overexcitation or action 
neurotropic medications. Depending on the cause of insomnia, the method of its treatment is determined. Sometimes insomnia can be a consequence of mental or somatic diseases.
There are four types of insomnia:
Difficulty falling asleep. This is when a person cannot fall asleep for a long time, tosses and turns in bed half the night and even resorts to sleeping pills to correct the situation.
Intermittent sleep. A person often wakes up in the middle of the night, often such awakenings are associated with causeless anxiety and unfounded fears.
Waking up too early. This type of insomnia often develops in older people. There are no problems with falling asleep, but waking up early morning, without the ability to fall asleep again, it’s very exhausting.
Bad dream. This is when, after a sleep that seems to be full at first glance, there is no feeling of rest, but instead one feels weak and exhausted.
It is important to treat insomnia before it becomes chronic, lasting several nights in a row. This is a serious disorder that disrupts the natural sleep cycle.
General signs, by which it is possible to determine the presence of insomnia in a person, are:
Sleep problems occur at least three times a week for at least a month
Concern about insomnia and its consequences
Severe illness or impairment of social and occupational functioning that is associated with sleep disturbances
Consequences of insomnia:
Pressure surges
Exacerbation chronic diseases-mood changes
Attention disorder
Impaired concentration and performance
Daytime sleepiness
Unreasonable feelings of anxiety or disappointment
Caffeine addiction
Alcohol abuse
1. If you can’t sleep, get out of bed, read, do something until 
You won’t feel tired or drowsy again. Trying to fall asleep without desire is stupid, it won’t work anyway. The body itself will tell you when “the time has come.”
2. Don’t worry too much about insomnia. Excessive worry will only make the situation worse. Don't be afraid to get little sleep and don't be nervous if you can't sleep. Get enough sleep the next day.
3. Do something physical exercise before bed, but not with heavy loads. And you can’t go straight to bed after them. You can take a walk on fresh air. Do some hardening. Which normalizes the functioning of the nervous system.
4. Follow the rules of healthy sleep (some of them are written above)
5. Try not to sleep during the day, no matter how much you want to. It’s better to take a walk, do something, hold out until the evening, and fatigue will allow you to fall asleep peacefully.
6. Do not drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks in the evening.
7. You can’t have a big dinner before going to bed. If you really want to. Drink a mug of green tea with honey or a glass of kefir.
8. Wake up with positive emotions, set yourself up for a favorable day ahead.
9. Don't lie in bed for a long time after you wake up.
10. When you wake up, do some exercises to finally wake up.
11. Do not take prescribed medications immediately before bed (except sedatives).
12. Sleep in spacious, comfortable clothes made from natural fabrics, without elastic bands, buttons or zippers. Or sleep without clothes at all, if the situation allows.
13. Ensure that you are quiet and free of irritating odors. Too dry indoor air or stuffiness can also cause sleep disturbances.
14. Try to cover everything possible sources light, close curtains and blinds tightly, try to abandon the night light if you used one. IN dark room relaxation of the body will go faster.
15. Go to bed at the same time, develop your own schedule for waking up and going to bed.
16. Make sure your insomnia is not the cause psychological problems, depression or some kind of physical illness. In this case, it is better to consult a doctor for qualified help.
We hope that, thanks to our tips, you will never have problems sleeping. We wish you healthy sleep and vigorous awakenings!
