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Nowadays, 35% of the elderly have trouble sleeping. The older a person gets, the more often such violation occurs. The sleep disorder can be reflected in different ways such as the difficulty of falling asleep, waking up early, intermittent or shallow sleep. A person may be disturbed by vivid, unpleasant dreams, he may experience fear of the night of dreams, not feel relaxed in the morning. Thus, problems are gradually accumulating: anxiety and tension are growing, which makes it harder to fall asleep, and the period of night rest lasts less. To normalize the regime, it is necessary to determine why it is violated.
Generally, insomnia is classified as a just sleep disorder connected to age-related changes, but in 10% of cases, it turns into a chronic disease.
Of course, there are so many definitions of insomnia among specialists, however, it is generally defined as a difficulty of falling asleep or staying asleep, resulting in a loss of rest that causes distress or makes everyday activities difficult. For many years, sleep disorder has been linked to depression, weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and memory and attention impairments. Moreover, it has the potential to make you appear older. So, let’s check out what happens to us and how to prevent the development of insomnia.
If you can’t fall asleep after a scandal at work or home, after a hard flight or negotiations with business partners – it’s quite normal. It’s a stressful situation and your body needs to get back to its normal.
However, you should consult a doctor if sleep disorders remain for more than a month or two after the stressful situation. The fact is, your body isn’t able to cope with the problem on its own, and lack of sleep is one of the main causes of health problems, which increases the risk of diseases linked to the nervous system, such as hypertension, asthma, ulcers, etc.
So what can you do to normalize your sleep? The fact is you need to follow some general rules.
Whenever you feel like you are losing control of your sleep regime, it’s crucial to understand the cause and later try to solve the problem.
Research shows that most individuals require 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. However, the reality is you don’t need to track your sleep time but just keep a sleep regime.
Napping throughout the day makes you less likely to fall asleep when it’s time to sleep at night. While drinking alcohol before bed might help you fall asleep, it can also keep you up later in the night. Dwelling on your difficulty to sleep might aggravate the situation.
Try to keep your sleeping hygiene.
Generally, the diagnosis of insomnia is based on the patient’s complaints and physical condition. At the same time, the actual duration of sleep is not that important; the average minimum is a 5-hour limit, however, if a patient sleeps so short for some days it will highly affect their mental and physical health.
To diagnose insomnia you have two distinct criteria;
For most of the time, the patient who has insomnia may be asked to keep a journal for a month, recording their periods of waking up and sleeping. A somnologist’s consultation and sleep study are recommended when insomnia is accompanied by breathing flaws (obstructive apnea) and motor activity, as well as the ineffectiveness of pharmacologic therapy. Computer study provides a broad picture of sleep, estimates the duration of its stages, and assesses the work of the entire body while sleeping.
Insomnia diagnosis is not clear-cut; nevertheless, it is frequently difficult to pinpoint the exact reason or the mix of variables that produced insomnia. Consultations with limited experts are frequently necessary to detect somatic pathology.
Transient insomnia usually goes away on its own or after eliminating the causes of its occurrence. Subacute and even more chronic insomnia requires a more careful approach, although the treatment of the root cause is a fundamental factor.
As we all know, insomnia also affects mental health and thus it is effective to consult a psychotherapist as well. Psychotherapy assists you to get rid of psychological pain, stress, and getting mental In the treatment of insomnia, acupuncture, and phototherapy (high-intensity white light treatment) have demonstrated promising effects. Without the use of drugs, daily falling asleep at the same time, the exclusion of daytime sleep, and active daytime alertness can treat insomnia in the elderly.
Insomnia therapy is complicated, requiring meetings with associated professionals, the administration of drugs, and the use of various accessory approaches.
For most of the time, your doctor assists you in overcoming crises, as well as dealing with neuroses, tension, and apathy. Several sessions of psychotherapy are scheduled at the discretion of the professional.
For example, hypnosis is one of the therapeutic options. The technology is utilized for serious offenses.
There are several medications available to improve sleep quality. Proper medication should aid in regulating sleep while avoiding major side effects and interfering with daily activities. Prescription medications based on melatonin, the sleep hormone, are available. The medication is useful against persistent insomnia, particularly in the elderly.
Remember: there are several contraindications to hormonal medications. Melatonin, for example, should not be recommended to pregnant women or adolescent females. Medication should be arranged with a gynecologist in each circumstance.
It is critical not to self-medicate. Uncontrolled use of sleeping tablets and other prescriptions will, at best, produce the foreseen results, and, at worst, will cause negative effects. Insomnia will worsen, and drugs will have a bad impact on general health. A doctor’s consultation is required.
If you’ve been experiencing difficulties sleeping for a few weeks as a result of stress in your life, it will probably go away once you’ve moved past the disturbing occurrence.
However, if you have a chronic case of insomnia that has been bothering you for years, you must put in the effort and dedication to resolve it. The sleep specialists can assist you in determining the reasons for your insomnia and recommending a treatment strategy. But, it may take months to get to a better position. The good news is that research suggests that with the aid of your health care experts, you can overcome insomnia.
Creating a stable sleep pattern can help prevent insomnia or alleviate the patient’s condition. To do this, you need to go to bed and wake up consistently at the same time. It is recommended to avoid vigorous exercise and drinking any caffeinated beverages a few hours before bedtime, While physical exercises at the beginning of the day will be very useful. The bedroom should be cool and dark, and the bed should be used only for sleeping. It is also important to observe the points of sleep hygiene – this term refers to the general principles of behavior but normalizes sleep.
These principles are the basis of proper sleep which must be followed. This includes minimizing the use of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, striving for regularity and effectiveness of sleep episodes, minimal use of medication sleeping pills as well as minimizing daytime sleep. regular exercises and promoting a positive sleep environment will help you to overcome insomnia.
However, it is always critical to remember that whenever you feel like you don’t get enough sleep for a week or more you should consult a doctor.
Keep in mind that sleeplessness might increase your chances of getting into an accident, especially an automobile accident. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, be cautious when driving.
