What does insomnia lead to in women? Causes of insomnia in women and how to cope with it. Uncomfortable sleeping conditions

Every person has experienced insomnia at least once. It can occur in lovers looking dreamily at the Moon, and sometimes it overtakes a person struck by unexpected news. Everyone experiences short-term sleep problems from time to time. But if this condition continues for a long time and negatively affects the quality of life of the sufferer, then it is necessary to fight insomnia.

Insomnia: description of the problem

In the ancient fairy tale about the padishah and the little boy, there is a wise phrase: “Sleep is dearer than all gifts.” This is an absolute truth, since a person who is deprived of sleep for a long time becomes weaker both physically and intellectually. What is insomnia? In scientific terms, this is insomnia. This term includes a collection of various sleep disorders. The mechanism that causes drowsiness is regulated at the hormonal level.

Next come the successive stages of sleep. Our brain, like a computer, must complete a mandatory program to reboot the human body at night. “Sleepy” stages occur in strict order one after another, and interruption of this process threatens the emergence of a whole bunch of problems and failures.

You need to know that there are three types of insomnia:

situational: lasts less than a week, and is caused by regime failures, caffeine overdose;
short-term: can last about a month, the cause is severe and prolonged stress;
chronic: the most dangerous type that occurs against the background of serious illnesses: depression, chronic diseases, alcoholism; The duration of this type of insomnia starts from a month.

Causes of insomnia

The causes of insomnia can be episodic life circumstances. It is worse if it is caused by neurotic deviations or other disturbances in the functioning of the body. As a rule, the main causes of insomnia are:

mental or emotional stress;
stomach overloaded with food, especially before going to bed;
exposure to external irritating factors;
depressive states;
consequences of using certain medications;
physical inactivity;
nicotine dose before bedtime;
advanced chronic illnesses;
emotional instability;
too much caffeine.

There are reasons of a subconscious nature, for example, a person fears that he will be tormented by nightmares again.

If the problem is clear, then there are many ways, and they all deserve attention. Of course, what is better - to use medications or to use the resources of traditional medicine, everyone decides for himself, since everything depends on the individual characteristics and the reasons that caused the illness. A doctor who treats insomnia will help you understand the variety of provoking factors and the range of characteristic symptoms.

Non-sleeping symptoms

In fact, the main symptom is the only one: inability to sleep. But there are nuances. Sometimes patients complain that, having fallen asleep, they wake up almost immediately. There are cases of unproductive sleep when a person wakes up sleep-deprived. Often sufferers complain of lengthy but unsuccessful attempts to fall asleep, and this despite the fact that there is peace and quiet in the house. If such symptoms occur occasionally, then there is no point in asking how to treat insomnia. If signs of sleep disturbance become more frequent at any stage, you need to pay attention to the problem that has arisen, since the reasons can be quite serious.

Go away, please, insomnia: traditional therapy

Consulting a doctor or grandma’s recipes is a conscious choice of any adult. Many people prefer to keep medications out of their lives if possible. Accordingly, the question arises: “How to treat insomnia at home?” There are a lot of remedies in the arsenal of traditional medicine. For example, a classic recipe, known since the times of the Soviet Union: add sugar and a pinch of black pepper to a glass of milk. Drink this drink immediately before bed.

They also use such a well-known remedy as tea with mint and honey. If you drink it three times a day, you are guaranteed a calm and balanced state of mind and, as a result, healthy sleep.

Wine and vodka recipes

A decoction of wines with the addition of dill seeds enjoys constant success. The remedy is prepared as follows: take half a liter of red wine (preferably Cahors), boil it in an enamel container, and then add sixty grams of dill seeds to the broth. Next, you should wrap the product and wait about an hour. Strained wine is consumed before bed, but not more than 50 grams at a time.

We continue our entertaining story about how to treat insomnia at home with the help of strong drinks. This time homemade absinthe comes on stage: natural vodka infused with wormwood flowers. This magical remedy must be infused for a week, and then drunk 15 drops three times a day. It is advisable to take the miracle tincture before meals.

Herbal first aid kit

When insomnia strikes, nature will tell you how to treat it. The legendary sleep herb (5 flowers per 200 g of water), if boiled in a water bath and then strained, will help those suffering from sleep disorders. This remedy should be taken a tablespoon every two hours in the evening, but no more than three to four times.

Taking poppy seeds daily can improve sleep, but the dose should be no more than 3 grams. In just a few days, your sleep will improve.

Herbal mint-valerian tincture is good for normalizing sleep. Pour valerian roots and mint leaves (10 g each) into a liter of hot water, let it brew, strain and drink the decoction twice a day, 0.5 cups.

Go to the bathhouse, or Let's evaporate insomnia

If you are overcome by insomnia, how to treat an unpleasant illness, if not with bath procedures. The fact is that the bath is a magical remedy for many diseases. It successfully helps with joint pain, eliminates cholesterol, and ensures blood flow to all organs.

Among other things, the sauna relaxes and normalizes sleep. Of course, every procedure has contraindications. These are heart disease, hepatitis of various types, focal skin diseases, anemia, and brain disorders. In other cases, the bath is an excellent remedy, and not only for insomnia.

An invitation to the sunset, or How to treat insomnia in old age

Many categories of citizens suffer from sleep disorders, and this cup has not passed from the elderly. This is not surprising, since insomnia is directly related to the nervous activity of the brain, and after sixty years of age, disruptions in this area are not uncommon.

Simple sleep disorders can be managed with home remedies.

Leave tea made from celandine and hop cones (1:2) for about 4 hours and take a glass before bed. An alcohol tincture made from the same ingredients helps a lot. Only a single dose is 1 tsp. It is recommended to take three times a day.
Mix 4 types of pharmaceutical alcohol tinctures: hawthorn, motherwort, valerian and peony extract. Use one dessert spoon at night.
Herbal tea has always been considered a salvation from insomnia. For example, strawberries, brewed and infused for 15 minutes, are great for helping you sleep. It's a good idea to add honey to the cup instead of sugar.
Oregano, mint and blackberries are also useful.

What else can you do to treat insomnia in older people? Light gymnastic exercises are a great way to get rid of adversity. But it is necessary to avoid physical overstimulation, as this can have the opposite effect.

Sleep little eye, sleep another: lulling the obstinate

Insomnia is a global problem that affects both women and men. How to treat insomnia in men? The solution to this problem is due to slightly different reasons for its occurrence than in women. As a rule, male insomnia is caused by fears of various types, problems at work, protracted family quarrels, diseases of certain organs and systems of the body. Of course, first of all it is necessary to eliminate the cause. In addition, a number of activities need to be carried out:

exclude caffeine from the menu, especially at night;
establish adequate motor activity;
add walks before bed to your daily routine;
At night, it’s a good idea to have light massage treatments and take an aromatic bath with rose or lavender oil;
maintain a sleep schedule: go to bed at the same time, not early, but not too late;
It is important to monitor the convenience of the sleeping place and comfortable sleeping conditions.

The use of sedatives and sleep-improving drugs is a last resort. The decision on such treatment should not be made independently; it is wiser to take the advice of a doctor who will tell you how to treat insomnia.

Insomnia during menopause

A woman is tender and beautiful at any age, but, unfortunately, there come periods when her health begins to seriously fail. Everyone knows about this stage in the life of ladies. The decline of reproductive function, or menopause, is a difficult transitional stage, and almost every woman at this time experiences sleep disturbances to one degree or another. How to treat The causes of this condition are usually classic menopausal changes in the female body: hot flashes, unreasonable anxiety, arrhythmia, sweating.

Since the consequences of chronic sleep disturbances can significantly aggravate the condition, the question of how to treat insomnia in women is certainly very important. In addition to the medications recommended by the doctor, there are traditional methods of getting rid of the problem. Herbal tea helps very well, especially with motherwort. This natural remedy is sold in pharmacies. Sleep will also improve after drinking mint and lemon balm tea, which should be consumed no earlier than half an hour before bedtime. Rosemary, infused in alcohol for 72 hours, can relieve insomnia during menopause if taken in an amount of 25 drops before meals. Dry sorrel leaves soaked in boiling water are also a good remedy. They should be consumed before meals, ¼ cup. But you still shouldn’t postpone a visit to the doctor.

Who treats insomnia

Which doctor treats insomnia? As a rule, this is a neurologist, since the problem often arises due to neurological disorders. Well, the answer to the question of where insomnia is treated is known to everyone - it is a district or private clinic. In the first case, it makes sense to contact the reception desk, whose staff will first of all refer the patient to a local physician. And only after the doctor, having examined the patient, writes out a referral, can you go to an appointment with a neurologist.

If this scheme does not suit you, there is another way, shorter, but not free. This is a private office or clinic. In such institutions, you can make an appointment with the right specialist even by telephone. Moreover, the patient, already exhausted by insomnia, will be spared from standing in line.

There is no need to hide the fact that many people do not know how to relax. This category is called workaholics. Constantly thinking about problems is a strong stress, which inevitably leads to insomnia. Scientists advise such persons to think over all unresolved matters and relive emotional moments before entering the bedroom. The bed is a place to sleep, so it is necessary to create a relaxing atmosphere there and throw away all problems. In addition, it is imperative to ventilate the room before going to bed in any weather. And moderate physical activity, preferably outdoors, also never hurts. Even an ordinary leisurely walk before bed can have a magical effect. Have a nice sleep!

Absolutely all people experience symptoms of insomnia, regardless of age, gender and social status. The only difference is that some suffer from this problem periodically, while for others it becomes a chronic condition. There are a huge number of reasons that cause insomnia. Insomnia is characterized by an inability to fall asleep and frequent awakenings. As a result, the next morning a person experiences severe fatigue, irritability, depressed mood, and his performance decreases. In this article we will look at what causes insomnia, what factors lead to this disorder and how to get rid of it.

Insomnia undermines health, can lead to depression, and reduce productivity

What is insomnia and why is it dangerous?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that often takes a chronic form and depletes the nervous system. This condition is very dangerous, it exhausts the body, leads to constant drowsiness, decreased level of work activity, and in the most severe cases to a nervous breakdown and mental disorders. Such dangerous consequences pose a potential threat to human life and health, especially in conditions that require maximum concentration and high reaction speed.

In addition, regular lack of sleep has a detrimental effect on health, causing disturbances in the functioning of the heart muscle, brain and endocrine system. Insomnia can take different forms, some people wake up from the slightest sound, others do not close their eyes until dawn or sleep in fits and starts, as sleep is interrupted several times during the night.

The result of insomnia is the same - the next morning a person experiences severe fatigue and depression, as if he had not slept at all.

The diagnosis of insomnia is made by a doctor when problems with falling asleep plague the patient at least three times a week, for at least a month. At the same time, somnologists distinguish between temporary (when sleep problems occur periodically) and chronic insomnia (when the problem persists every night for a long time).

Symptoms of pathology

Symptoms of sleep disturbance manifest themselves differently in all people, and can be expressed in one or several signs at once, among which are:

inability to fall asleep before dawn, even with severe physical and mental fatigue;
constant awakening from any sound or rustle;
malaise and broken state in the morning;
drowsiness and lethargy during the daytime;
decreased performance;
absent-mindedness during the day;
problems falling asleep, which can last up to 3-4 hours;
waking up earlier, long before dawn, without going back to sleep.

The presence of even one of the above symptoms indicates a sleep disorder. To understand how to overcome insomnia, you need to identify the cause that caused the problem.

Often, to get rid of lack of sleep, it is enough to eliminate what is causing insomnia

Causes of insomnia

The effectiveness of treatment for this pathology directly depends on the cause of its occurrence. It is often not so easy to understand why insomnia occurs. There are a number of factors that provoke insomnia.

Poor sleep hygiene. The most common causes of sleep disturbances are: an uncomfortable bed, an unsuitable pillow, a hard or squeaky mattress, stale air in the room, and an uncomfortable temperature. In addition, early awakening is often caused by sunlight entering the room through an uncurtained window. Close proximity to a restaurant or nightclub is another cause of insomnia and neurosis.

Stress. Regular stress and conflicts often lead to sleep disturbances. A special category should include people who greatly exaggerate the problem situation. Such people think about this topic for a long time before going to bed, which does not allow them to fully rest. As a result, temporary insomnia appears, which can become chronic. This psychosomatics is more characteristic of the fair sex.

Insomnia due to stress can happen to anyone, because stressful situations happen to everyone. As a result, changes occur in the functioning of the nervous system, and as a result, instead of preparing to go to bed in the evening, it comes into an excited state.

Characteristic features of insomnia during stress are:

fear of falling asleep;
disturbing dreams, which may include nightmares that contribute to frequent awakenings;
dizziness and lightheadedness;
rapid heartbeat and arrhythmia;
tremor of the limbs and internal trembling;
headache and migraine.

Disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. Pathologies in the nervous system can also trigger the development of insomnia. In such a situation, inhibition processes occur in certain parts of the brain, and the body does not get the opportunity to fall asleep. Insomnia can develop under the following conditions: depression, neuroinfection, concussion, neuroses of various origins, etc.

Nervous sleep problems are characterized by the following features:

sensitive and restless sleep;
problems falling asleep;
inability to sleep until the morning;
interruption of sleep in the middle of the night without the ability to fall back to sleep.

Additionally, these symptoms are accompanied by signs of a specific neurological disease.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder when a person is unable to get proper rest.

Dietary disorder. Improper and unbalanced nutrition can lead to insomnia. Too much dinner taken right before bed has a negative impact on the body's condition. Discomfort in the stomach and heaviness may prevent you from falling asleep until the morning.

Somatic diseases. In addition to the above reasons that influence the development of insomnia, this condition can also be caused by other health problems. Thus, proper healthy sleep can be interfered with by: angina pectoris, stomach ulcers, arthrosis, hypertension, allergic reactions, dermatitis, etc.

Even the most seemingly insignificant health problem can provoke insomnia, but the problem often disappears on its own when the disease is cured. The situation is worse in the presence of chronic diseases, in which case a doctor should deal with the problem.

Snore. A specific process that accompanies breathing during sleep with a distinct low-frequency and rattling sound. Snoring is usually caused by a lack of oxygen. As a result, the person is forced to wake up in order to start breathing normally again. In advanced situations, a person can wake up up to thirty times during the night.

Use of stimulants. Stimulants often lead to sleep disturbances. Not only medications, but also products such as black tea, coffee, dark chocolate, alcohol, energy drinks and some types of drugs can act as stimulants. All these substances prevent a person from falling into deep and prolonged sleep.

Elderly age. Elderly people are much more likely to develop insomnia. During this period, the body loses the ability to maintain its former physical activity, which means that a person needs much less time to fully restore strength. As a result, the duration and quality of sleep is reduced.

Insomnia in women

The causes of insomnia in women lie in the peculiarities of the body's structure. A common cause of sleep disturbances among the fair sex is the need to sleep lightly when she has an infant, because he requires increased attention not only during the day, but also at night.

Another factor that provokes insomnia lies in the instability of hormonal levels; this natural phenomenon regularly occurs even in completely healthy women. Thus, experts have found that the quality and duration of sleep directly depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle.

The extent of the disease is determined by the quality of sleep, how you feel in the morning and the time it takes to fall asleep

With the onset of pregnancy, the reasons for insomnia only increase. In the first trimester, normal sleep is hampered by global hormonal changes, as well as the expectant mother’s anxiety about the baby’s health. The second trimester is considered a relatively calm period for a woman. But by the end of gestation, many problems appear that interfere with proper sleep. It becomes much more difficult for a woman to find a comfortable position for sleeping, and a frequent urge to urinate appears. Many pregnant women are bothered by heartburn, shortness of breath, heaviness and swelling in the legs, and lower back pain. In addition, closer to the due date, the feeling of anxiety intensifies, preventing the woman from relaxing and sleeping peacefully throughout the night.

Causes of insomnia in men

The hormonal system in men is much more stable and all changes occur gradually. However, this does not mean that there are fewer reasons for insomnia in men. In the modern world, most representatives of the stronger sex are chronic smokers. Nicotine has a detrimental effect on the functioning of the nervous system, leading it to an excited state; in addition, it causes oxygen starvation in the body. This greatly affects the quality of your sleep.

Drinking alcoholic beverages negatively affects not only the entire body, but also prevents a person from getting a good night’s sleep. Although alcohol promotes drowsiness, it significantly impairs sleep itself. The body, instead of fully resting during the hours allotted to it, is forced to spend resources on breaking down and eliminating ethanol. In addition, regular consumption of alcohol in the evening in order to relax and relieve stress after a hard day leads to the fact that after a short time, a man loses the ability to fall asleep without another portion of alcohol.

A high level of responsibility in the workplace and the need to provide financial support for the family also act as causes of insomnia in men. Financial difficulties contribute to the fact that a man is constantly in a state of hidden stress, unable to relax and distract himself from disturbing thoughts. Such tension leads to exhaustion of the nervous system, spoils health and causes sleep disturbances. A stressful situation can be aggravated by generally accepted norms that a man should cope with problems on his own, without asking for help from outsiders, not to complain or share his emotions and experiences. As men age, they experience problems with urination caused by prostate disease, which interfere with proper sleep.

Chronic insomnia causes poor health, headaches, decreased performance and, as a result, disorders of many organs and systems.

How to deal with insomnia on your own

Having dealt with the question of why insomnia torments people at night, let's talk about simple rules that will help normalize the sleep process. These tips are suitable if sleep problems are caused by disrupted sleep patterns, stress or poor lifestyle. To get rid of the problem on your own, the first step is to review and normalize your daily routine. It is necessary to accustom yourself to fall asleep and wake up at the same time, and the duration of sleep should be at least eight hours. This rule should be followed even on weekends. The desire to sleep until lunch on Sunday will result in you again suffering from insomnia on Monday night.

Any physical activity, sporting events and training should end 4 hours before going to bed. The last meal should take place no later than seven in the evening, dinner should consist of easily digestible foods.

You can relax before bed in a warm bath with the addition of herbal infusions or aromatic oils. Immediately before falling asleep, you should ventilate the bedroom; this is especially important to do during the heating season, when the air in the room is very dry. It is necessary to renounce all disturbing thoughts and negative emotions. You shouldn't spend time looking at a computer screen or on your phone before bed.

If the reason that provoked the lack of sleep is more serious, then you may not be able to do without visiting a doctor.. A somnologist treats insomnia. Most often, for sleep disorders, specialized medications are prescribed that have a sedative or hypnotic effect. However, most drugs for the treatment of insomnia are toxic and have a huge number of side effects. Uncontrolled use of such medications can negatively affect the condition of the entire body and cause serious damage to health. Among other things, strong sleeping pills are addictive. In this regard, these medications can be taken only in the most severe cases and only after consultation with a doctor.

Among the factors contributing to the development of insomnia are stress and anxiety, including about insomnia itself. For one or two nights, sleep may be disrupted due to time differences due to flying to a different time zone, conflicts at work, personal worries, a new responsible project, and other reasons. Short-term insomnia can be triggered by negative events: the death of a loved one, a breakup with a loved one, loss of a job, as well as the fear of becoming seriously ill.

Long-term (chronic) insomnia is most often caused by various physical disorders (for example, fibromyalgia), which make it difficult to sleep soundly when a person experiences severe pain or discomfort, or tosses and turns from side to side. Mental disorders, in particular depression, also play a major role in the occurrence of insomnia. Some patients suffering from this disease sleep a lot and soundly, while others often wake up at dawn and lie in bed for a long time, hoping in vain to fall asleep. Chronic insomnia also affects people with shift work schedules who are forced to sleep at different times of the day, as well as those who suffer from sleep disorders, such as apnea (sleep apnea).

Another classic cause of insomnia is excessive consumption of coffee (caffeine). Most people realize that if they drink a couple of cups of strong coffee after dinner, they are unlikely to be able to fall asleep. But everyone usually forgets that there is a lot of caffeine in tea, Coca-Cola and chocolate. Some over-the-counter medications, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, allergy and arthritis medications, decongestants and cold medications, and analgesics, also have a similar invigorating effect. In women, appetite suppressants can cause insomnia.

And finally, many patients who take first-generation beta blockers for hypertension, angina and other heart diseases often sleep poorly due to nightmares that sometimes become a side effect of such use.

Self-administration of over-the-counter sleeping pills or alcohol before bed also worsens insomnia. Alcohol helps you fall asleep, but disrupts sleep at a later stage. Additionally, over time, those who abuse sleeping pills or alcohol become addicted to these substances and need to continually increase their dosage to achieve the same effect.

Insomnia is extremely common during pregnancy. In the first trimester, a woman often wakes up to go to the toilet. Later, sleep is disturbed due to nightmares or the inability to find a comfortable position. After the birth of a child, the young mother constantly lacks sleep, her body does not receive proper rest. But at this time the woman does not sleep not because of insomnia as such, but simply because she is incredibly overloaded - there are too many worries with the newborn. She has to feed the baby several times a night, get up to change his diaper or wet diapers. A young mother has a lot of worries around the house. And if there are other children, the load increases many times over. In addition to these many responsibilities, a woman often works either full-time or part-time. A mother does not close her eyes at the bedside of a sick child or instantly wakes up when she hears the cry of a frightened baby who had a terrible dream. All these factors lead to insomnia. Many young mothers manage to sleep only 2-3 hours a day, and in fits and starts, very lightly. Consequently, they lack such an important phase of REM sleep. Women who suffer from postpartum depression are even more likely to develop insomnia.

Another critical period in a woman's life when sleep is often disturbed is menopause. The reason for this is hot flashes, which in themselves are quite unpleasant and difficult. Because of them, premenopausal women often wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes several times. Even those who are not at all bothered by hot flashes during sleep are tormented by incomprehensible fatigue due to a lack of estrogen, which also aggravates depressive disorder.

Consequences of insomnia

When a woman lacks sleep, she constantly wants to sleep - she easily falls into a drowsy state as soon as an opportunity presents itself or when she can relax (for example, during a lunch break). She is unable to wake up in the morning without an alarm clock, and during the day she constantly invigorates herself with strong coffee. Other characteristic consequences of insomnia are increased irritability, fatigue, groundless conflicts with loved ones, friends and colleagues.

S. Aizenshtat

“Insomnia in women, causes of insomnia” article from the section

Disturbance in the duration and quality of sleep is called insomnia. Any completely healthy person can encounter a similar condition. However, according to statistics, representatives of the fair half are much more likely to be susceptible to this disease, unlike men. Therefore, it is worth finding out what are the causes of insomnia in women and how to eliminate this pathology.

Why does insomnia occur in women? First, let's look at what insomnia is. A disorder in which a person does not rest fully is called insomnia. Moreover, this pathology is not always accompanied. This disease also includes factors such as:

nap;
anxiety;
the appearance of nightmares.

Often, the process of falling asleep occurs easily, but at the same time it is only superficial.

Important: As a rule, to fully recuperate, a person requires an average of about 8 hours of sound sleep. Of course, this figure varies slightly depending on the individual needs of the body.

If a person is overtaken by insomnia, it is important to promptly identify what caused this pathology. Because you can get rid of this problem only by eliminating the source.

Causes of insomnia

As a rule, disturbances in night rest in women are provoked by hormonal imbalances and poor lifestyle choices. In addition, age-related changes occurring in the body have a strong influence.

So, why does a woman suffer from insomnia? There are several factors that provoke this pathology:

uncomfortable sleeping conditions;
poor nutrition;
disruption of biorhythms;
taking medications;
stressful situations and anxiety;
phobias, psychological origin;
physiological disorders.

In addition to the above, the symptom of insomnia among representatives of the fair half of humanity is also provoked by various diseases.

Uncomfortable sleeping conditions

If the conditions for night rest are created uncomfortable, the woman will be bothered by insomnia. Poor hygiene includes the following:

increased or decreased temperature indicators;
excessively bright lighting in the sleeping area;
dry air;
uncomfortable sleeping place;
unsuitable underwear;
external stimuli in the form of loud sounds.

The consequences of these conditions include difficulty falling asleep or waking up at night with inability to fall asleep.

Poor nutrition

Almost every person knows that falling asleep on a full stomach is harmful. However, going to bed hungry at night will also have a negative impact. Because in both situations, heaviness is felt in the abdominal area, inevitably leading to.

If you consume after 20:00 such products as:

coffee;
chocolate products;
energetic drinks;
alcohol.

Sleep becomes superficial. In addition, the person will be tormented by frequent awakenings. These symptoms may occur because these foods stimulate the nervous system and make it difficult to fall asleep.

Disruption of biorhythms

Often the development of insomnia occurs due to a disruption in biological rhythms. As a rule, pathology occurs due to long flights and time zone changes. This leads to the fact that the hormonal background and nervous system stimulate the process of wakefulness. Due to which a person cannot fall asleep.

In addition, disruption of biorhythms often manifests itself in children during adolescence. This is due to the fact that a girl or boy is more active in the evening, and prefers to rest during the day. Accordingly, in the future it becomes difficult for them to fall asleep at the right time.

The main signs of jet lag:

high activity in the evening and at night;
problems falling asleep;
feeling drowsy during the daytime.

In addition, a person may feel a loss of energy during the daytime.

Taking medications

Why does insomnia occur? Often, taking certain medications has a strong effect on a woman’s nervous system, thereby provoking its activity. These drugs include the following:

antidepressant drugs;
medicines used to treat nervous disorders;
medications used to treat bronchial asthma;
medicines to eliminate heart pathologies;
diuretics.

If the lack of sleep is caused by taking medications, then eliminating the problem will not be difficult. To do this, contact your doctor, who will adjust the dosage of the medications you take.

Stressful situations and anxiety

Insomnia is often caused by a malfunction of the nervous system. As a rule, the culprit of this condition is stress.

At times of stress, a woman’s adrenaline increases, activating the nervous system. As a result, the work of the parasympathetic department, responsible for drowsiness, decreases.

If a person is subject to severe anxiety, his night's rest has the following features:

the appearance of fear and anxiety;
the time to go to bed at night can take more than half an hour;
the sleep itself will be short with several awakenings throughout the night;
Often a woman is tormented by nightmares;
a feeling of trembling throughout the body.

In addition to the signs described above, the woman is worried about symptoms of rapid heartbeat and severe headaches.

Phobias, psychological origin

Sometimes, representatives of the fair half of humanity are tormented by the lack of normal rest due to fear of the approaching night. This symptom is provoked by a nightmare you had the day before or by a reluctance to rest without a loved one.

The reason for this lies in the active work of the sympathetic department. In this case, the young woman will experience the following symptoms:

inability to sleep within 2 hours;
poor sleep due to nightmares;
feeling of lethargy in the morning after waking up.

It is important to highlight that such symptoms only bother a person in his sleeping place. In other words, if you go to sleep in another room, you won’t have any problems sleeping.

Old age

Another problem that can cause insomnia is older people. Closer to old age, the physiological need for proper rest becomes less.

As a rule, in elderly people, such a pathology is accompanied by the following symptoms:

waking up before sunrise;
going to bed earlier;
fatigue felt throughout the day.

Similar symptoms appear in almost all older women.

Nervous system diseases

If a person has a failure in the full functioning of the nervous system, depression, mental disorders, neuroses and even neuroinfections often occur. When such pathologies appear, the balance in the processes of waking up and falling asleep is disrupted. And the signs indicating this disorder are as follows:

problems falling asleep for several weeks;
falling asleep quickly and waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall asleep again;
waking up from the slightest rustle in the room.

Sometimes insomnia bothers a person all night. Therefore, if such signs appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Ailments of a somatic nature

Among the reasons that insomnia appears are illnesses of a somatic nature. As a rule, pain caused by an illness of any organ often leads to lack of sleep. In addition, in addition to the appearance of insomnia, a woman will be bothered by pain in a certain area of the body, headaches and a feeling of fear.

In most cases, the following ailments lead to the appearance of insomnia:

infections of various etiologies, accompanied by chills;
diseases of the heart muscle;
peptic ulcer;
rash on the skin, accompanied by severe itching;
arthritis and arthrosis;
hypertensive crisis.

Important: Almost every disease has a side effect in the form of sleep disturbances. At the same time, such a failure can be eliminated in one way, by getting rid of the true provocateur.

The main condition for victory over the lack of night rest is to establish the true cause that provoked such a pathology.

Bed-wetting

According to studies, about 20% of preschool children are susceptible to enuresis. At the same time, adults also suffer from this disease. But bedwetting provokes the development of insomnia.

Important: Nighttime urinary incontinence occurs due to endocrine disease, allergic response and the development of neuroses.

If you suffer from enuresis, the course of this disease will be accompanied by the following symptoms:

fear of falling asleep;
Frequent awakenings at night to empty the bladder.

Despite the fact that enuresis most often affects children, women also often experience this pathology. Especially during the period when menopause develops.

Apnea syndrome and snoring

If a woman suffers, her dream will have the following signs:

holding your breath for a few seconds, such episodes can occur several times throughout the night;
feeling of lethargy and extreme fatigue in the morning after waking up;
severe headaches in the morning and during the day.

In addition, this pathology greatly affects performance throughout the day.

Symptoms of the disease

According to statistics, over 40% of people around the planet are dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep. Moreover, in the overwhelming majority, it is a malfunction of the nervous system that leads to a lack of proper rest.

Important: Lack of night rest in women is characterized by long-term severe symptoms. At the same time, insomnia does not manifest itself; as a rule, it is accompanied by pathologies.

Insomnia is a disease. It is diagnosed if the following symptoms are present:

if the process of falling asleep lasts several hours;
a person is worried;
awakening occurs early;
Brain activity noticeably decreases; problems with concentration appear;
a person constantly feels tired;
performance decreases;
aggressiveness appears;
loss of appetite;
weight loss.

Sleep problems in women affect their emotional state. Moreover, signs of lack of proper rest significantly affect the appearance of the fair half. First, dark circles appear under the eyes, then the skin turns pale and acquires an earthy color. Therefore, it is so important to start treatment in a timely manner.

How to overcome insomnia

How to cure insomnia in women? First you need to find out what caused the appearance of this pathology. If a representative of the fair half has diseases of a chronic nature, visiting a highly specialized doctor is mandatory.

In this case, following the simplest rules will help eliminate this condition:

if your professional activity involves mental stress, make time for physical activity, this will help balance the balance;
try to organize your menu in such a way that it contains more healthy products;
practice sleep hygiene;
get ready for bed only when you feel tired and slightly drowsy;
try not to go to bed during the daytime;
Do breathing exercises regularly.

Important: In some cases, to identify the provocateur of the development of insomnia, consultation with a somnologist, psychiatrist and neurologist is required. This is the only way to find and eliminate the failure that led to the development of this pathology.

Lack of proper rest is a dangerous condition for the body. Therefore, it is not recommended to ignore it. If you have been experiencing insomnia for more than 2 weeks, visit your doctor. He will identify the problem and prescribe the appropriate medication to correct the condition.

We invite you to watch a video that clearly shows what happens to a person due to lack of sleep.

Traditional method of treatment

Many people are confident that folk remedies for insomnia in women are an excellent alternative to synthetic drugs. However, such remedies should only be used after consulting with your doctor.

Sleep disorders can be treated with tinctures, decoctions and herbal teas. The following herbs are used for their preparation:

mint and lemon balm;
dandelion and chamomile;
valerian root and hop cones;
hawthorn fruits and oregano herb.

You can purchase these components at a pharmacy. And to prepare tinctures, use a thermos. The finished infusion is filtered and consumed before bed.

Important: Drinking a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey is considered an effective sleeping pill. It is advisable to drink the mixture an hour before bedtime.

Today, the most effective folk method of combating is considered to be an infusion of chamomile inflorescences with honey. To prepare it you will need to stock up on the following ingredients:

25 liters of water;
1 tbsp dried chamomile inflorescences;
1 teaspoon of honey.

Chamomile inflorescences are added to boiling water, everything is mixed thoroughly, then the container is wrapped in a towel and sent to settle for 3 hours. Next, the resulting mixture is filtered, honey is added and drunk warm 2 hours before bedtime.

This method will help cure insomnia in just a week. It should be emphasized that a homemade infusion of chamomile and honey is recommended even for pregnant women, but only after consulting a doctor.

In general, reviews of folk remedies are only positive, since they have no side effects.

Unconventional method of treatment

Surely every representative of the fair half of humanity, suffering from sleep disorders, wondered how to get rid of this pathology without resorting to medications. If you are experiencing a similar problem, use the following methods:

You can do moderate physical activity; to do this, spend an hour walking or cycling every day;
review your diet and introduce more fruits and vegetables into it;
set a night rest mode;
start reading before bed;
take baths with the addition of a decoction of string.

All these techniques will allow you to relax and get a good night's sleep. Please note that self-medication is extremely undesirable. If you have problems sleeping and traditional methods do not help eliminate them, consult a doctor.

Prevention

If sleep disturbance lasts no more than 2 days, it is too early to panic. However, in order to prevent the transition of a short-term disorder into long-term insomnia, follow a few rules:

have dinner at least 2 hours before bedtime;
if you like to play sports with increased loads, try to reschedule classes for the first half of the day;
an hour before bedtime, turn off the TV;
make it a rule to take a warm bath 30 minutes before bed;
install a lamp in the bedroom and avoid bright lighting;
do not drink strong coffee or eat chocolate before going to bed;
ventilate the bedroom;
give preference to bedding made from natural materials;
Sleeping pills can only be taken as prescribed by a doctor.

Important: If you don't fall asleep within an hour, try reading. This way, sleep will come faster, and you will be able to relax.

And in conclusion, it is worth emphasizing that every adult should understand that the appearance of insomnia is associated with a certain negative factor that develops in the body. Therefore, if this condition has been observed for two weeks, a visit to the doctor should not be postponed.

We can talk about insomnia when falling asleep lasts more than half an hour, there is a sleep deficit (sleep from the time spent in bed is less than 85%) and such disorders recur at least 3 times a week.

Insomnia does not include conditions in which a person lacks sleep for social reasons (urgent work, small child, sick relatives) or cases where the individual need for sleep is less than generally accepted.

Insomnia occurs for two reasons - external and internal.

External causes of insomnia in women are most often poor sleep hygiene and stress.

Sleep hygiene includes following simple rules:

it makes sense to lie in bed without sleep for more than 15 minutes; a longer stay, and especially dozing, reduces the duration and depth of sleep;
getting up at the same time - both on weekdays and on weekends; the habit of sleeping off on holidays leads to long-term difficulty falling asleep;
there should be no clock in the bedroom so that there is no temptation to constantly control the time;
do not smoke at night and do not drink alcohol before bed - falling asleep quickly after drinking causes rebound insomnia;
exercise no later than 6 hours before going to bed;
a heavy dinner or hunger are equally harmful; the best snack before bed is kefir with cookies or a piece of boiled meat;
not to be afraid of insomnia, but in the absence of sleep, do something useful - finish reading a book or watch a calm movie.

Internal causes of insomnia are associated with breathing disorders during sleep, which occurs in the elderly, and disorders of the circadian (daily) rhythms or biological clock.

Sleep consists of 2 phases - fast and slow. Sleep is a special state of consciousness when different brain structures are activated at different times. The fast phase is the time for processing daily information, the slow phase is the restoration of energy costs. For proper rest, at least 5 cycles are required, consisting of fast and slow phases. Each person's need for sleep is different; physiological duration is considered to be from 5 to 12 hours.

Women over 50 are more likely to experience REM sleep disturbances (). This is falling asleep early, then sleeping briefly and waking up in the early morning or at the end of the night. With this disorder there is always evening sleepiness, when it is almost impossible to stay awake.

Young girls often suffer from slow phase disorders. This manifests itself in the fact that sleep comes after midnight, and in the morning it is almost impossible to wake up on time.

Why do girls have insomnia?

Based on statistical data, it was found that young and middle-aged women need from 7 to 9 hours to maintain health. If a girl sleeps less than 6 hours a day, she begins to get sick.

18 years is the age when the body produces maximum amounts of melatonin, or the main sleep hormone. By the age of 20, its amount decreases, decreasing significantly after 60 years.

If you follow physiological laws, then girls should sleep peacefully for the time allotted to them by nature. However, the number of girls who are bothered by insomnia is growing every year. At best, this problem is recognized, and at worst, girls deny the very existence of insomnia. For many, “compensatory” sleep on weekends, falling asleep in transport or while studying has become the norm.

The cause of insomnia among young girls is the craze for gadgets and the constant desire to be online.

Under natural conditions, the alternation of sleep and wakefulness is determined by the change of day and night. Fading daylight stimulates the production of melatonin to help a person fall asleep. If there is no darkness, then sleep can only occur in an overly tired and exhausted person.

Young girls standing in front of a glowing gadget screen inhibit the production of their own melatonin. In addition, the brain receives a continuous stream of information, unsystematic and diverse. Whatever pours from the screen, the brain must systematize it and somehow process it. This work excites many structures, and after turning off the gadget, sleep does not occur for a long time.

Many people consider surfing the Internet a vacation. This is truly a vacation if your stay does not exceed 30-40 minutes. When traveling for a longer period of time, the brain is overloaded with information that has nothing to do with real life. The brain has to process and store absolutely everything it encounters until needed.

The brain does not separate information into necessary and meaningless. We then have to live with what we thoughtlessly “pushed” into our brain. An abundance of unnecessary information can lead not only to insomnia, but also to neuroses, vegetative dystonia and other troubles.

What keeps women over 30 from falling asleep?

The thirty-year mark is the most “family” time. Up to 30 and a little after is the period when a family appears, children are born, and a career is built. This is a period of maximum activity, regardless of the woman’s actual success in the family or work. Few people manage to go through this period without deep emotional turmoil.

A woman in her prime has a lot of reasons to worry: women's health, finding or losing a partner, pregnancy and childbirth, daily family worries or divorce and its consequences. What matters is not so much the sign of emotions - positive or negative - but rather their strength and duration. Creating a harmonious union with a beloved man requires no less strength and emotion than overcoming the consequences of divorce and worrying about the problems of children.

Many women of this age are unsettled by postpartum depression and figure problems, which are intertwined into one whole. The maternal instinct that arises after childbirth often does not allow the young mother to relax even at night, when she continues to catch the baby’s breath.

After 30, some women begin to take preliminary stock of their lives, comparing reality with the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of their youth. Life is cooler than fiction, and rarely does anyone’s desired – and imagined – coincide with reality.

It is much more difficult for a woman with children to achieve career heights; no one makes allowances for the existence of children. Many people have to make a choice between children and career. Of course, children and family are not comparable to any career. However, the bitterness left after the inevitable choice can bother you for years to come.

In addition, no one will cancel women's intrigues and gossip in the work collective, which also does not add joy. Many people are prevented from enjoying life by material problems, including living together with their parents.

Dangers after 40

Mature age has a lot of its “pitfalls”. This is, first of all, the natural passing of close relatives with whom we spent part of our lives. Women are much more emotional than men; they feel more subtly and deeply. It is difficult for many to understand the natural course of things; after the death of relatives, a woman may be tormented by a feeling of guilt or internally reproach herself for a lack of attention and care.

Some women after 40 begin to experience warning signs of menopause in the form of irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, mood swings, and blood pressure numbers. In their careers during this period, women try to make up for what, in their opinion, was lost in connection with childcare. In addition, by this time chronic diseases begin to manifest themselves, worsening the quality of sleep.

Drug treatment

The goal of drug treatment is to quickly restore sleep under stress in order to give the woman the opportunity to “disconnect” from the experiences that torment her. Depending on the specifics of the situation, the doctor chooses drugs from one of the groups:

tranquilizers - Phenazepam, Lorazepam and the like;
Z-drugs – Zopiclone, Zolpidem, Zaleplon;
melatonin preparations – Melaxen, Circadin;
doxylamine succinate blocker – Donormil.

Z-drugs are also considered to be the most physiological. These substances are short-lived, leaving no aftereffect after the end of activity.

In other words, these drugs have no effect other than as a sleeping pill. They are produced under the trade names Somnol, Relaxon, Hypnogen, Snovitel, Andante and others.

The advantage of these drugs is that they quickly reach a peak concentration, providing sleep of sufficient duration, and are eliminated from the body completely, without leaving behind a “tail” in the form of drowsiness and decreased concentration.

Psychotherapeutic treatment

The most important part of getting rid of insomnia, which begins simultaneously with drug treatment. The meaning of psychotherapeutic influence is lifestyle modification, when a person consciously eliminates the causes of insomnia.

The most progressive technique is stimulus-control therapy. Its essence is to restore the natural association of bed with sleep. To do this, you need to get out of bed and leave the bedroom whenever sleep does not occur within 20 minutes.

You cannot do any extraneous activities in bed - neither read, nor watch gadgets or TV shows. You should only return to bed if you feel drowsy again. At first, the patient has to do several such cycles per night.

Other effective techniques are also used - paradoxical intentions, imagery therapy, sleep restrictions and time control, cognitive therapy.

Overcoming insomnia requires joint concerted efforts between the doctor and the patient.