Sleep therapy is made from a set of treatments that exist to stimulate sleep and improve pictures of insomnia or difficulties sleeping. Some examples of these treatments are the performance of sleep hygiene, behavior change or relaxation therapies, which can help re-educate the body to sleep at the right time and have a restful sleep.
Treating insomnia is critical to regulating the body's hormone levels, recharging the energies and improving the functioning of the brain. However, it should be remembered that the use of medications, such as anxiolytics, should only be used when indicated by the physician, due to the risk of side effects such as dependence and falls.
The main forms of sleep therapy are:
1. Sleep Hygiene
This method consists of changing daily behaviors that impair sleep, avoiding sleepiness during the day, as they re-educate the body to have a restorative sleep.
The main ways to perform sleep hygiene are:
- Sleep in a quiet place, without noise, and be dark, so that the body can relax, avoiding awakenings throughout the night;
- Create a routine, to educate the body to sleep and to wake up at the same time, avoiding sleeping during the afternoon, so that you can rest well at night;
- Perform physical activity during the day, because exercises are excellent for the regulation of hormones that improve sleep, however should not be done at night because the body's stimulus can last a few hours and hamper sleep;
- Eat light foods so that the body does not spend much energy performing digestion, in addition to avoiding smoking, ingesting alcoholic beverages or stimulants after dark;
- Do not watch television, stay on the phone or computer before bed;
- Avoid using the bed for activities other than sleeping, such as studying, eating or staying on the phone.
In this way, the body is conditioned to feel sleep at night, since the good habits for the sleep are stimulated. See other tips for sleeping well.
2. Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy is a set of techniques for correcting behaviors and attitudes that lead to insomnia, such as making a sleep diary, in which the person records bedtime and waking hours, how often they wake up, or what thoughts they have when they have insomnia . In this way it is easier to identify what may be influencing the alteration of sleep.
However, sleep restriction therapy is a method that proposes that the person remain in bed only during the period of sleep. In this way, you avoid lying down without sleeping for more than 30 minutes, preferring to get up, do other activities and go back to bed when your sleep comes back.
In addition, there are programs known as Mindfulness, which are forms of group psychotherapy, composed of weekly meetings to perform exercises such as meditation, body exercises and concentration to solve chronic problems such as stress, depression and insomnia.
Psychotherapy is also a good way to treat insomnia because it helps resolve internal conflicts associated with this problem, and is very useful for children, especially those with hyperactivity or autism.
3. Relaxation Therapy
Some relaxation techniques such as meditation, breathing exercises, massage and reflexology help to improve the physical and mental tension that may be leading to lack of sleep.
4. Alternative treatments
Despite little scientific evidence, alternative therapies can bring good benefits for the treatment of many people's insomnia, and may even make the use of medications unnecessary.
Powdered herbal treatments, capsules or teas, such as chamomile, valerian or lemon balm, for example, are natural methods to increase relaxation and combat insomnia but should preferably be used with the knowledge of the physician.
Acupuncture is another technique that stimulates body points, which help rebalance the energy of the body and decrease stress, anxiety and insomnia, for example.
Orthomolecular therapy is another alternative form, which promises to treat hormonal or chemical imbalances of the body, from the replacement of vitamins and minerals. In the case of insomnia, it is important to maintain the levels of magnesium, tryptophan, vitamin B3 and niacin, so that there is adequate production of serotonin and melatonin, substances related to well-being and sleep. See the list of tryptophan-rich foods.
Phototherapy is also a type of treatment that consists of regular exposure to light, through special lamps, which help in the treatment of insomnia.
When to use medicines
When sleep therapy does not produce results, medications such as Sertraline, Trazodone or Mirtazapine, for example, or anxiolytics such as Clonazepam or Lorazeplam, prescribed by your GP, neurologist or psychiatrist, may be needed.
The use of medications should be the last option, or used when there are neurological problems associated with insomnia due to its ability to cause dependence.
These treatments help sleep and prevent the person from sleeping for a long time, which can cause various health problems, because during sleep the brain reorganizes itself, regulates hormones and replenishes the energy of the brain and muscles.
The amount of sleep required may vary, but usually is between 7 or 8 hours a night. In addition to the aforementioned treatments, trying to eat to stimulate sleep is also important. See, in the following video, what to eat to help in the treatment of insomnia:
