“Insufficient sleep can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, immune deficiency and psychological problems,” says Susanne Sokoll-Seebacher from the Pinsdorf pharmacy.
At night, the brain processes the events of the day and processes what has been experienced. The body regenerates itself, all repair mechanisms of our cells run at full speed. The metabolism and the immune system are boosted. “The need for sleep is very individual and genetically determined. The basic rule is: the optimal length of sleep is achieved when you are able to perform well during the day and are not tired,” says the pharmacist.
The causes of insomnia can be complex. Physical, neurological or mental illnesses can be behind it. “Therefore, you should have long-lasting sleep problems clarified by a specialist.”
If no organic causes can be found, it is called primary insomnia. “As a first step, I recommend paying attention to healthy sleep hygiene and examining your living conditions more closely,” says Sokoll-Seebacher. Here are a few tips:
- Try to maintain a regular sleep-wake cycle Your body gets used to the bedtimes. Dark, quiet and cool – these are ideal sleeping conditions.
- Avoid strenuous exercise two hours before bedtime the body needs a certain amount of time to get back into the resting mode. Remember that even an evening walk can be too much for the elderly.
- Avoid high-fat meals in the evening these make it difficult to fall asleep. Eating late is often not a good idea either.
- alcohol Often makes it easier to fall asleep, but disturbs peaceful sleep in the second half of the night and causes the dream phases to decrease.
- If all this does not lead to a restful sleep, try herbal ingredients such as passion flower, hops, valerian, lavender and lemon balm. These plants all have a sleep-inducing effect. However, if you suffer from the urge to urinate at night, do not use tea preparations and prefer tablets, drops or the practical spray form instead.
- vitamin B supplements in combination with lecithin and magnesium are highly recommended and have a good effect on stress-related sleep disorders.
- melatonin, the natural sleep hormone, also plays an increasingly important role in the treatment of sleep disorders. Combined with the extract of the sleeping berry (Ashwagandha), which is used in Ayurvedic medicine for insomnia, good results are achieved with problems falling asleep.
- Essential Oils such as lavender, orange, stone pine, petitgrain and lemon balm for fragrance lamps and scented stones or simply dripped onto a cloth, are sleep-inducing. A “sandman mixture” with essential lavender oil, orange oil, stone pine oil and fennel oil, which not only promotes sleep, but also has a slightly antispasmodic effect on stomach ache, has proven itself. Applying this mixture to the sole of the foot has an excellent effect on the foot reflex zones.
Source: Nachrichten
