Tips for getting a good night’s sleep and overcoming insomnia

Several keys to make the most of those hours that should be dedicated to sleep.

When we think of sleeping difficulties probably the first thing that comes to mind is the word "insomnia". But sleep disorders are not only reduced to insomnia, but this is the most prevalent sleep-related problem in our society.

Below you will read some tips for getting a good night's sleep that are very easy to apply. These measures to achieve a good rest are known as "sleep hygiene".

The problem of insomnia

Insomnia is a disorder that can affect all ages and affects both men and women, although it is more prevalent in women, especially after the climacteric period.

In our society the vast majority of people get little and bad rest.In fact, Spaniards sleep an average of 40 minutes less than the rest of Europeans. This is largely due to our nighttime schedules, a trend we share with Argentina and other Latin American countries.

About 40% of the population suffers from sleep problems, in fact it is estimated that we lose about 480 hours of sleep a year.In fact, it is estimated that we lose around 480 hours of sleep a year.

The consequences of not resting

Sleep is a necessity; in fact, if a person did not sleep at all, he/she would die in no more than 7 days. People who do not manage to rest well in the short term see their physical, mental and emotional health impaired and, in fact, are 40% more likely to suffer a traffic accident.

Among the most important repercussions of a lack of rest are an increase in accidents (traffic and occupational), mood and behavioral problems, as well as the ability to concentrate and concentrate on work.and the ability to concentrate and retain information, which leads to failure at school. It also accelerates aging, decreases libido and makes it more difficult to lose weight.

Elements that are detrimental to sleep hygiene.

It is clear that sleep is not only important, it is indispensable, and although we know that it is a necessity it is also a habit subject to certain routines.. If we abandon or change these routines, the habit of sleeping can be damaged.

Stress, obesity and sedentary lifestyles are three factors that negatively affect rest, so we must adopting a healthy lifestyle and keeping stress at bay will help us to rest and will favor our rest and will have an impact on our health and well-being.

There are specialists in sleep medicine who can help us when we have tried everything to sleep, without success. However, most people who visit a specialized sleep unit do so because of insomnia caused by bad habits, which can be easily corrected with so-called "sleep hygiene". can be easily corrected with so-called "sleep hygiene".. Sleep is something that takes up a third of our lives, so let's get it right.

Hours needed for rest

The number of hours a person needs for restful sleep is very relative, it depends on genetic factors and the age of the individual.. The number of hours needed to rest ranges from 5 or 6 to 9 or 10 hours of sleep.

To know the hours of sleep you need you can:

• Add the hours you sleep during the week and divide by 5.
• Add the hours you sleep during the last three weekends and divide by 6.
• Compare; the results must be balanced, otherwise we are subtracting hours of sleep on working days.

Substances that sabotage rest and substances that promote rest

Being awake or asleep is related to the presence or absence of certain chemical substances in the brain.During the day catecholamines such as adrenaline and hormones such as cortisol (our Biological alarm clock) keep us awake. At night these chemical messengers decrease and melatonin is generated, which helps us to rest.

This chemical balance can be disturbed by other chemicals that we introduce into our body, for example through our diet. Caffeine is an example.. In addition to chemicals, regularity of meals, body temperature and exposure to sunlight also modulate the sleep-wake cycle.

Sabotage rest

Coffee, tea, mate, cola, tobacco and alcohol increase the chances of insomnia. increase the chances of suffering insomnia, as well as gastritis and other digestive problems.

The case of caffeine

Any stress-related illness will be aggravated by the use of caffeine, so in these cases it is necessary to avoid it. The best time to take caffeine is during breakfast and should be eliminated from noon onwards. and should be eliminated after midday.

The effects of caffeine last in the organism for a greater or lesser number of hours, depending on the individual, and may extend beyond seven hours. Excessive consumption increases the risk of palpitations, chest pains and coronary diseases.

Although it is a very accepted substance, of common use in our society and apparently innocuous, we must not forget that, like alcohol, if it is not used properly, it can cause palpitations, chest pains and coronary diseases, if it is not used properly, it can lead to addiction problems, with its corresponding withdrawal syndrome.with its corresponding abstinence syndrome.

Chocolate and cola soft drinks add to their addictive potential not only high amounts of caffeine, but also high levels of sugar.

The case of alcohol

Alcohol, contrary to popular belief, also hinders sleep because although it is true that one falls asleep more easily when consuming alcohol, rest is fragmented and not very restorative, as it prevents reaching the deep sleep phases and also impairs REM sleep. also impairs REM sleep (paradoxical sleep, in which memory is consolidated). Alcohol should be avoided in the three or four hours before bedtime.

Other substances

The nicotine, the marijuana, the cocaine and the amphetamines also impair sleep, in addition to other harmful effects on health. The latter, moreover, can promote the onset of nightmares. There is also a long list of drugs that can alter sleep, these are just some of them: antidepressants, antihypertensives, antiasthmatics, oral contraceptives.

Substances that help you sleep well

Tryptophan is the natural precursor of serotonin, a neurotransmitter essential for good mental functioning.a neurotransmitter essential for good mental functioning.

We can add tryptophan in our diet, especially at dinner. We will find it in eggs, ham, poultry, oily fish, dairy products (a natural sedative) and to a lesser extent in rice, barley, wheat, bread, pasta and tapioca, also in potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin and nuts.

Vitamin B6 helps in the metabolism of tryptophan, it is present in eggs and in all types of meat and fish, so including these foods in the including these foods at dinner can help us rest..

Complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, pumpkin, rice and pasta also promote sleep. If you are a vegetarian you can substitute meat with tofu or nuts. Lime blossom, verbena, chamomile, valerian or passionflower can also be useful.in infusion or in grajea. A scented bath or massage with essential oils can also help to relax and induce sleep.

Awakenings

People who are following a diet sometimes wake up at night wake up during the night because of hunger because they are eating foods low in sugar (they have hypoglycemia). To avoid that hunger wakes us up we can eat a small snack before going to sleep, although it is advisable not to be in a hurry when we want to reduce our weight: slowly but surely. If the forays to the refrigerator are very repeated, it may be a psychological problem that requires a more specialized treatment.

Sleeping with the television or radio on can also wake us up. Some people claim that this helps them sleep, but this is inadvisable: the noise, light and radiation emitted by the television disturbs and fragments our sleep.

We will not leave any furniture or objects that we might trip over in our passage between the bed and the bathroom, and on cold nights we will have a blanket, comforter or thick socks at hand, so that if we need it, we will not be so that if we need it we won't be looking for it in the middle of the night.

Keep in mind that drinking too much water can make it easier to get up to go to the bathroom.

The bedroom and the bed

The bedroom should be the sanctuary of sleep, it should have a comfortable bed and the mattress should be changed every ten years. The silence, the darkness and an ideal temperature for the rest (that which is between 18 and 22º), will facilitate the sleep.

The bedroom furniture and the activities that take place in it are much more important than many people think. In the bedroom it is enough that there is a bed and little more than that, work desks, stereos, televisions and other furniture or appliances that are not intended for rest are superfluous.

Ideally, we will limit our activity in the bedroom to the act of sleeping or making love, it is very important that these are the only activities we do in bed, because if we do other things like watching TV, listening to music, eating, studying, surfing the Internet .... we confuse our brain and break the unconscious associations that help it to automate the act of getting into bed and sleeping.

We can listen to soft music or read a little before going to bed, but this should not be done in the middle of the night.But this should not be done in the bedroom and in any case we will not do it in bed, nor will we listen to the latest CD of our favorite heavy metal band or make a dense or particularly stimulating reading.

Avoid clocks, put the alarm clock facing the wall. Make your bedroom a timeless space.

Some remedies for noise are to use earplugs, thick curtains, carpets or rugs, double glazing of windowsdouble glazing on windows and in extreme cases cork on the walls or anti-noise boards.

Before going to sleep

After 18:00 we should disconnect from work, and do light exercise in the three hours before dinner. Never intense exercise (this is better in the morning), because it increases the corporal temperature and this clears us. Dinner should be lightWe can introduce foods that facilitate sleep, ideally we will have dinner two hours before going to bed.

Avoid alcohol and copious dinners; especially when the heat presses, it is a factor that hinders sleep. On particularly hot nights, the pillowcase can be put in the refrigerator for a few minutes before going to bed. a few minutes in the refrigerator before going to bed.

In the two hours before bedtime we can schedule the next day, but we should not exceed more than 15 minutes, it is about reviewing the agenda, not to get to work. We can make a list of issues that concern us or pending tasks and forget about all that until the next morning.

During this time before going to sleep, avoid arguing, getting hooked on a TV program or a movie that ends late. It is also advisable to set a time when we will turn off the computer, exposure to blue lights, etc., and to avoid the use of the computer.Exposure to the blue lights emitted by devices with screens such as telephones, televisions or computers sends signals to our brain that make it think it is daytime. There is a free software, f.lux, that eliminates these blue lights.

Performing relaxation techniques will help reduce the tension accumulated during the day. Regular schedules and sleep-inducing rituals will help us send signals to our brain that tell it that bedtime is approaching.

Other tips for a good night's sleep

To enjoy a good sleep hygiene, follow these other tips.

1. Sleep-inducing rituals

Each animal species has its specific rituals for sleep, dogs turn over themselves on what will be their bed, humans sleep in bedrooms: a specific area in our home dedicated to sleep, and we like it to be always the same.

We, too, can put certain rituals into practice: putting on our pajamas, brushing our teeth, drinking a glass of milk, reading for a while... these are actions we all do.... are actions that we do every day (we can skip a day, but this should be the exception and not the rule).

As an example, we can use as rituals:

• Turning off the television, drawing curtains, preparing clothes for the next day, preparing the table for breakfast, taking down the garbage, walking the dog, going to the bathroom. for the next day, prepare the table for breakfast, take the garbage down, walk the dog, go to the bathroom....
• Go to sleep when you are sleepy, ideally we should always go to sleep at the same time, the brain of an adult is programmed for that time to be between 11 and 1 am.
• Set regular schedules to go to sleep and get up, even on weekends.
• Do not toss and turn.

In line with the above, if after 10-15 minutes we do not fall asleep we will get up, we will go to another part of the house to do something monotonous and boring until we get sleepy and then we will try again. Surely it will have an effect, but if it does not, we will repeat the process, avoiding tossing and turning in bed without sleeping. The bed is for sleeping, not for tossing and turning thinking "I can't fall asleep".

2. Medication for sleep

Sleep medication (hypnotics) are very useful if used correctly, but this always involves supervision by a professional. this always implies the supervision of a professionalThe use of these medications is limited in time and in the right dosage. These medications cause tolerance and dependence, this means that if misused they are a remedy that instead of solving the problem aggravates it (and can complicate things a lot).

3. Naps

The nap is recommended if it is taken between 2 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon and does not last more than 20 minutes, ideally 8 hours after waking up in the morning.. If you suffer from insomnia, it should be avoided.

4. Insomnia and mental disorders

It is known that anxiety disorders and mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder) are closely related to the quality and quantity of our sleep. when our rest is spoiled, the disorder worsens. and, likewise, when we rest better, the disorder subsides.

A final clarification

All these guidelines are useful for people who suffer from transient insomnia due to bad habits related to sleep, for people who suffer from insomnia as a symptom of a more complex symptom picture this may be useful but insufficient, in these cases the help of a professional may be required to treat the primary problem.

Bibliographical references:

• Estivill,E. & Averbuch, M.. (2006). Recipes for a good night's sleep. Barcelona: Plaza & Janes Editores.