Insomnia (synonym: insomnia) is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling asleep or premature waking up. Chronic insomnia impairs the patient's concentration and mood.
Sometimes irritability, anxiety, anxiety and fatigue occur. In severe cases, symptoms also affect people's social and professional lives.
With insomnia, the patient is unable to recover normally after a hard day. A healthy person should fall asleep no more than 30 minutes after going to bed. Average sleep duration: 6 to 8 hours.
Why does insomnia occur?
It is not always possible to establish the exact cause of insomnia. There are many risk factors that can contribute to sleep disturbances. About 4 out of 10 people over 65 suffer from insomnia.
Common causes include stress and poor sleep hygiene. Less common causes include sleep apnea, psychostimulants (caffeine), drugs (alcohol), or medications. Diseases (thyroid diseases, hormonal disorders, rheumatism) and environmental influences also have an adverse effect on a person’s sleep.
The main causes of insomnia:
• The use of caffeinated drinks (coffee or cola) in the late evening or before bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep;
• Alcoholic beverages contribute to falling asleep, but worsen the architecture of sleep;
• Too much rest and sleep;
• Lack of exercise.
Folk remedies for insomnia can impair the quality and duration of sleep with regular use. To tranquilizing and sleeping pills, tolerance is quickly developing - addiction. If you take them daily, a larger dose will be required each time. Result: the inability to fall asleep without a folk remedy.
Folk remedies for insomnia: phytotherapeutic methods
1. 3-4 teaspoons of Valerian officinalis root mix with boiling water (90 ° C) and drink 2 hours before bedtime.
Doctor's comment: many clinical trials in comparison with placebo were carried out with monopreparations of Valerian officinalis. A meta-analysis of 6 studies in 2006 showed that valerian improves statistically significant sleep quality, but this conclusion contradicts the 2007 critical analysis. Hypnotic effect does not occur immediately, but after 2 weeks of continuous use.
In 2002, a study of mentally retarded children showed a significant improvement in the quality and duration of sleep. Recently published trials contradict each other: some show a beneficial effect, while others do not. The clinical effectiveness of valerian has not been proven, therefore, it is not recommended as a sleeping pill.
2. Pour 2-3 teaspoons with boiled water and take 3 times a day.
Doctor’s comment: Melissa officinalis has long been used to treat spasms or colds with a mild cough. Tea products are also effective for muscle tension, soreness, or to prevent seizures. In clinical studies, a slight anxiolytic effect was detected, but the plant did not help get rid of sleep disorders.
When taking Melissa officinalis drugs, serious side effects do not occur. However, longer road trips should be discarded when taking higher growths. The prescription is useless because there is no clinically significant effect.
3. 20 g of chamomile drug pour boiling water and take during the day.
Doctor's comment: Chamomile has an anti-inflammatory effect with local and oral administration. Cohort studies have shown a slight anxiogenic effect, which is associated with certain components of the essential oil (alpha-bisabolol, guaazulene, camazulene and farnesene), flavonoids and lactones.
Anti-inflammatory activity is comparable to low-dose cortisone. Other flavonoids present (eupatuletin, quercimetrin) and coumarins are responsible for the digestive and antispasmodic effects. Chamomile is used for dysmenorrhea, intestinal cramps, muscle disorders and rheumatism.
Recent Italian studies have shown that with insomnia, tea is ineffective because it can increase anxiety. The recipe is harmful.
4. The use of extracts or capsules with Hypericum perforatum.
Doctor's comment: phytochemicals in St. John's wort have an antidepressant effect. Hypericin, pseudohypericin and hyperforin are the most important psychoactive substances of the plant. Most scientific studies have been conducted with St. John's wort extract, which contains 0.3% hypericin.
The composition of various drugs is very different. Some contain only hypericin, but still prove effective. St. John's wort blocks the reverse neuronal uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. It also inhibits reabsorption of GABA and L-glutamate. Approximately 20% of hypericin is absorbed and enters the bloodstream 1 to 2 hours after application. Hypericin has a relatively long half-life and remains in the bloodstream for more than 24 hours.
Several small studies show that St. John's wort is more effective than placebo in treating mild to moderate depression. The plant is as effective as tricyclic antidepressants. This conclusion is supported by various meta-analyzes and the Cochrane review. Comparison with selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) does not show a consistent picture, so it cannot be concluded that St. John's wort is effective in severe depressive disorder.
Due to the antidepressant effect, the structure of sleep can be normalized. However, antidepressants do not have a statistically significant effect on mentally healthy people. Therefore, ineffective for short-term treatment of insomnia.
Folk remedies for insomnia: food
1. Take an infusion of oats with food 5-6 times a day.
Doctor's comment: Oats contain beta-glucans: specific polysaccharides that are part of the cell wall of all cereal plants. In oat grain, these fibers are found mainly in the outer layer. Beta glucans make up almost half of the total fiber in oats. 100 g of oatmeal contains about 4.5 g of beta-glucans.
Phytochemical compounds in oats do not have a statistically significant effect on the mental state of patients. The effect is not proven, therefore, the infusion of oats is not recommended for consumption in order to treat insomnia.
2. Rosehip with currants.
Doctor's comment: The first study in people with major depressive disorder did not reveal the antidepressant effects of bearing. A more recent study, which studied people with milder depressions, revealed a slight timoleptic effect. In the case of moderate to severe depression, there is evidence of effectiveness.
With insomnia, currants and rosehips have not been studied in any study. Therefore, you should abandon an unverified tool.
3. Tincture of horseradish.
Doctor's comment: Horseradish contains vitamin C, B1, B2 and B6, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Horseradish tincture has a slight anti-inflammatory effect, but anxiolytic and hypnotic effects have not been identified. In horseradish there are no substances that would improve the course of sleep or falling asleep.
Folk remedies for insomnia: oils
1. Essential oils.
Doctor's comment: Essential oils are relatively easily absorbed into the blood when inhaled. Some of them are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, but mostly they enter the bloodstream through the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. They affect the whole body: through sensory cells of the nose, information about the aroma reaches the brain.
Flavors affect emotions, the autonomic nervous system, hormone production, or the immune system. The clinical effectiveness of aromatherapy has not been proven. In some people, essential oils cause severe allergic reactions - angioedema or severe hyperemia of the mucous membranes. Sometimes the recipe is dangerous, but in general - useless and harmless.
Folk remedies for insomnia either do not work, or have a slight tranquilizing effect, comparable to placebo. Strong sleeping pills - the root of mandrake, aconite - can lead to poisoning. It is recommended to refrain from using unverified drugs and consult a doctor for symptoms of insomnia.
