Six Steps to Prevention of Insomnia
Before you begin a treatment, the patient must make a series of measures that can help prevent insomnia.
The first thing to consider is that not everyone who has difficulty sleeping, is a true insomniac. The individual must remain calm and not be obsessed with his inability to sleep, because if you do, you will find it increasingly difficult to achieve.
It is not necessary to sleep 8 or 10 hours a day, being able to live perfectly but only sleep five hours a day. Each person has some individual needs, and sleep less than others does not mean that one is really insomniac.
On the other hand, is quite common for elderly patients sleep less at night, but that does not mean that there may be damage to your body, but is a normal physiological state that accompanies old age.
It is important to avoid insomnia taking a series of measures:
a) Bedtime. The dream has a rhythm, that if we miss, it can lead to alterations of it. First, the individual should try to sleep more or less the same time every day, because if you lie down, the body does not recognize that it’s his “bedtime” and not going to do. Staying awake in bed, especially when the next day must wake up early, can lead to anxiety causes a difficulty in sleeping.
b) Time to wake up. It is also important to record that the time you get up, determines the time at which we enter sleep. It should therefore always try to get up at the same time, including weekends, or at least make these hours do not differ too much.
c) Naps. A person who has insomnia, you should never attempt to recover the lost sleep during the day, as this will aggravate their insomnia at night. The individual should try to stay awake. After the meal, which is the time at which a nap often, you should perform some activity to distract us and prevent us slept.
d) Food. It is not advisable to go hungry or eat when your stomach is too full. We must also bear in mind that certain foods can stimulate the cerebral cortex, especially stimulants such as tea coffee, tea or mate. Therefore, should not consume these substances in the afternoon, as a rule, and should be avoided in patients with insomnia. Similarly, foods such as milk, rich in tryptophan can produce some sedative effects.
e) Exercise. Perform an exercise throughout the day can cause fatigue beneficial, but if done three hours before bedtime can lead to nerve stimulation. Thus Avoid exercising late in the afternoon.
f) Ritual. Following a series of steps before bedtime, such as pajamas, brushing teeth, brushing hair or taking a bath, may suggest to the agency about bedtime.
The most important thing is that the individual to relax before bedtime. There is no point trying to sleep when you’re hyperexcitability, as previously may be useful measures of relaxation. The atmosphere in the room should be adequate, with lighting, temperature and noise levels appropriate.
In addition, the individual must avoid all situations that trouble you, so you should avoid looking at the clock. If even then the person can not sleep, it is preferable to get out of bed and wait for the dream, rather than stay in bed.