Tips for falling asleep fast?

I'm a psychiatrist. I've had insomnia before. I know the pain.

Insomnia is a common problem in modern people, most people in their life more or less will have insomnia experience. For people with insomnia, it's not a long night, no sleep, but a thousand dollars can't buy good sleep. Generally, there are two ways to solve insomnia: drug therapy and non-drug therapy. Both methods are very effective, but in most cases, we still prefer non-drug methods because there are fewer side effects. This article will mainly introduce non-drug methods to improve sleep.

Definition of Insomnia

Insomnia is a subjective experience, mainly on the quality of sleep and sleep time is not satisfied, often manifested by difficulty falling asleep, often awake and wake up early. Specifically, sleep quality means whether you wake up in the morning and whether you feel uncomfortable and affect social functioning during the day, such as going to class or going to work. Sleep time should not be limited to the need to sleep for 8 hours a day, although in the long run, most people sleep about 8 hours a day is good for the body, for example, the National Sleep Foundation of the United States in 2015 recommended adults sleep 7 to 9 hours (6 to 10 hours is also acceptable), adolescents 8 to 10 hours. For the elderly, it takes seven to eight hours. But there are individual differences between those who need more sleep and those who need less, and sleep needs change with age and season. For example, Edison slept three or four hours a night, while Einstein slept ten hours a night.

So how long can't sleep is insomnia? Generally speaking, falling asleep for more than half an hour, waking up for more than half an hour, and waking up half an hour earlier than usual are three symptoms of insomnia, but this time standard is mainly for understanding, not absolute. The diagnosis of insomnia is complex and requires more time and frequency. Diagnostic criteria vary slightly. According to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria in the United States, sleep problems lasting more than one month are considered acute insomnia and those lasting more than three months are considered chronic insomnia.

Insomnia how to do?

The common causes of insomnia are stressful events in life, such as exams and deadlines. Some people are prone to insomnia under such stressful events, while others are not. Take it easy, develop good sleep habits, and lower anxiety levels to reduce insomnia. If you've been having insomnia for a while and have no stressful events, but still can't sleep, don't worry. Here are some tips to try.

1. Practice good sleep hygiene

Poor sleep habits can lead to insomnia, and good sleep hygiene is the foundation for better sleep. Sleep hygiene generally includes :(1) avoiding stimulants (such as coffee, strong tea and cigarettes) in the hours before bedtime; (2) Don't eat too much before going to bed, so as not to upset your stomach and affect your sleep; (3) Don't do anything too exciting before bed, such as playing games or watching horror movies; (4) The bedroom environment should be arranged for sleeping, such as quiet, dark, etc.; (5) Keep a regular sleep schedule. In addition, special attention should be paid to :(1) reduce the use of electronic devices, such as mobile phones and ipads, before bed, as the latest research shows that the light from electronic screens may reduce the secretion of melatonin, thus disrupting sleep rhythm. (2) Don't rely on alcohol to improve sleep. Drinking alcohol may improve sleep in the early stages, but it can disrupt sleep rhythms in the later stages, such as increasing the number of awakenings. Chronic drinking can lead to poor sleep at night and sleepiness during the day, as well as a host of other problems such as alcohol abuse.

2. Relax

Emotional and physical stress are common causes of insomnia, and relaxation can speed up sleep and reduce the number of awakenings. Remember: Sleep in the heart first. Common relaxation techniques include progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and abdominal breathing exercises. For these three relaxation methods, you can find some recordings on the Internet for practice, such as music meditation introduction exercise and psychological hypnotic music. If you understand English, this one is better: MindBody Lab. The above methods can be practiced without guidance before going to bed. Try other ways to relax, such as taking a warm bath, soaking your feet, and listening to soothing music.

3. Adjust your misperceptions

People with insomnia are often afraid of insomnia, too high estimation of the consequences of insomnia, so very hard to let themselves not insomnia, and just this leads to the tension before falling asleep, making insomnia worse, and so produce a vicious cycle. Breaking this cycle can prevent insomnia from becoming chronic. Adjust your perception of insomnia according to the following four points. (1) Long-term insomnia does have many disadvantages, but short-term insomnia is not too worried. It won't bring down the sky (you won't go crazy, rest assured), it won't cause you to fail in school or career, and there are plenty of ways to deal with insomnia, so don't focus too much on it. (2) Don't ask too much for sleep, such as the environment, sleep time and quality. Some people have high requirements for the environment. If there is a little noise around them, it will affect their sleep. If it cannot be changed, they can try to make themselves coexist harmoniously with the bad environment, and develop tolerance to the bad environment, as well as the ability to endure insomnia. (3) Don't blame insomnia for all your problems. (4) Don't feel like a failure because you didn't sleep well again.

4. Restore the original function of the bed

The function of the bed basically is sleep and room matter, other thing had better not finish on the bed, if read a book, watch TV to wait. Wanting to sleep while lying in bed is a good sign for the body to induce sleep, while feeling excited and nervous while lying in bed is a bad sign. To establish this reflex, follow these guidelines :(1) sleep only when you want to; (2) Don't think about things that make your mood fluctuate before going to bed, such as worrying or making plans; (3) If you don't feel sleepy after going to bed for 20 minutes, get up and leave the room and come back to sleep when you feel sleepy; (4) Get up at the same time every day, regardless of how you slept the night before; (5) Avoid naps during the day.

5. Sleep restriction

Sleep restriction is not to limit the amount of sleep, but to limit the time between going to bed and falling asleep to improve sleep efficiency. Many people with insomnia want to increase their sleep time, so they go to bed early and end up staying awake longer, reducing sleep efficiency and quality. Since sleep is regulated by biorhythm and sleep homeostasis, the driving force of sleep homeostasis can be increased by reducing bed awake time, and the regulation of biorhythm can be enhanced by maintaining a fixed time of waking in the morning. Specific methods are as follows :(1) reduce bed time, starting by adding 15 to 30 minutes to the average sleep time; (2) Get up at the same time every day, regardless of how you slept the day before; (3) If after 10 days, sleep efficiency falls below 85% (i.e. time spent asleep divided by total time in bed), reduce bed time by another 15 to 30 minutes; (4) If your sleep efficiency is above 85%, add 15 to 30 minutes to your bedtime. This method may reduce the amount of sleep in the early stages and make insomnia worse. But if you can do it for a couple of weeks, it's great.

With the exception of the first non-pharmacological approach, the other approaches alone are as effective as medications (best under professional guidance) and should, if possible, be superior to medications as a first choice for improving sleep. Some insomnia people on their own sleep and the actual situation of the estimate deviation, such as low estimate of their own sleep time. I have seen an old lady who complained that she had not slept for 5 days and watched TV at night, but in fact her family saw her snoring. So use a sleep diary to record detailed information about sleep, and ask your family member or sleeping partner to help you keep track of problems such as snoring and talking in your sleep. This can be used to identify insomnia and correct bad sleep habits if they are found.

In addition, insist on daily aerobic exercise has a moderate effect on sleep, but it is best not to exercise a few hours before sleep, exercise to improve sleep requires a certain amount of time, not a day or two can work. People with insomnia are not advised to try herbal remedies to improve their sleep. There is no evidence to support the effectiveness of these alternative therapies (placebos do exist) and they may cause unnecessary problems such as liver damage.

Finally, if you think you can't adjust your sleep well or you still can't improve your sleep after the above methods, you should seek help from medical personnel (sleep center or psychiatric department) in time. The above discussion is only for the simple insomnia patients, if there are obvious emotional and psychological problems, or other physical problems affecting sleep (such as severe snoring, restless leg syndrome, etc.) should be directly and timely to the medical staff for help.