If a person sleeps poorly, he becomes irritable, inattentive, his mood and ability to work deteriorates. Sleep disorders threaten not only physical and emotional exhaustion but can also lead to weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.
Sleep is a basic need of every person. Adults should sleep regularly for at least 7 hours a day. Children need from 10 to 17 hours for complete rest, depending on age. Often, to establish a healthy sleep you just need to change your diet and habits.
There are many sleep disorders: increased drowsiness, sleep, and wakefulness, sleepwalking, nightmares, and more. However, the most common is insomnia. Almost everyone has faced this problem at least once in their life. However, if you suffer from insomnia, this problem should not be neglected.
Symptoms of chronic insomnia to look out for:
- you regularly have difficulty falling asleep;
- you wake up several times a night;
- your sleep is short and anxious;
- you can’t sleep all night;
- you feel tired even after a long sleep and rest;
- regular nightmares;
- you feel confused, you find it difficult to concentrate.
Causes of chronic insomnia can be stress, depression, uncomfortable sleeping conditions (noise, light, room temperature, uncomfortable bed), hormonal changes, alcohol and drug use, change of time zones, prolonged pain.
Insomnia can also cause some illnesses or symptoms of illness. For example, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, mental disorders, and so on.
What not to do before bed:
- give up alcohol and smoking, especially at bedtime;
- avoid caffeine 6 hours before bedtime;
- do not eat heavy, spicy, sweet food 4 hours before bedtime;
- regular exercise during the day will have a positive effect on your sleep, but you should not train just before bedtime;
- remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, smartphones, from the bedroom, or at least turn them off 30 minutes before bedtime;
- if you have difficulty sleeping at night, do not sleep during the day;
- if you feel drowsy, do not get behind the wheel.
In no case do not self-medicate. You should consult a doctor if the sleep disorder lasts more than one month, and a change in diet did not help improve sleep.
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