How to deal with insomnia in special period

During the special period of prevention and control in novel coronavirus, each of us may have some worries, which will affect our sleep and lead to insomnia. This kind of insomnia is called acute insomnia. Insomnia can also be alleviated if people can adjust themselves in time after stressful events. Therefore, even if insomnia occurs, everyone should not worry, actively adjust their mentality and face, and accept it correctly. However, due to the need to fight the epidemic, most people need to be isolated at home, which is easy to break the long-established routine of work and rest, and some people even have bad sleep habits such as upside down day and night. The above factors may make acute insomnia gradually develop into chronic insomnia, and even lead to depression and anxiety.

1. How do ordinary people ensure sleep at special times?

The first is to ensure adequate sleep motivation. Generally speaking, the more sleep motivation you accumulate during the day, the easier it is to fall asleep at night. Sleep motivation is often closely related to waking hours during the day. The longer you stay awake, the more sleep motivation you have. Therefore, people who are isolated at home, regardless of whether they sleep well at night, don't make up sleep the next day, ensure normal work and rest, and try not to take a nap. If you must take a nap, it is best to control the time within half an hour, so as not to affect the sleep motivation of the next night and aggravate insomnia. In addition, moderate exercise can also increase sleep motivation.

The second is to maintain a stable circadian rhythm. Since ancient times, human beings have followed the law of sunrise and sunset, and people with irregular circadian rhythm are more likely to have sleep problems. Therefore, getting up regularly every day, regularly and quantitatively sunbathing and regularly arranging three meals a day can help us stabilize the circadian rhythm and promote sleep.

The third is to establish good sleep hygiene habits. First of all, remember that the bed is only for sleeping. Don't do activities unrelated to sleeping on the bed. Reducing the behavior of brushing the mobile phone in bed will reduce our sleep motivation on the one hand, and the blue light emitted by the mobile phone will inhibit the secretion of melatonin on the other hand, thus affecting sleep. Secondly, if you have the habit of fitness, it is recommended to finish it 4 hours before going to bed, and avoid high-intensity fitness activities, because fitness will increase our central body temperature, and the decline of body temperature will help us sleep. It is suggested to choose some gentle stretching exercises before going to bed, such as indoor yoga or walking, which will help us relax and sleep. Besides, it is also important to create a quiet and comfortable bedroom environment.

Second, how do medical staff fighting in the front line ensure sleep?

The vast number of medical staff fighting in the front line of anti-epidemic may face many sleep problems besides being isolated at home. They have been in a high-pressure environment for a long time, facing unprecedented work pressure and psychological pressure. The high intensity and fast pace of work cause excessive sleep stress, which leads to sleep anxiety and insomnia. In addition, frequent shifts will disrupt the previous biological rhythm, leading to sleep problems such as difficulty in falling asleep, easy to wake up, and fragmentation of sleep. Therefore, we should adjust our state in time to ensure a good sleep. Here are some related sleep knowledge:

First of all, we must understand that in the face of the epidemic, there are often some emotional reactions and physical discomfort, such as insomnia, dizziness, stomach pain, loss of appetite, memory loss, inattention, fatigue, inability to relax and so on. These are all normal. We should allow ourselves to have such a situation and not worry too much about these symptoms. We should actively make psychological adjustments and learn to accept our emotions, including anxiety, fear and anger. When necessary, you need the help of professional organizations to relieve your stress and discomfort and improve your sleep.

Secondly, arrange diet reasonably, ensure adequate nutrition intake, and conduct moderate muscle relaxation training during rest, including breathing training, meditation, mindfulness and so on. So as to relax yourself, and discuss and share your feelings and experiences with colleagues around you in time to support each other. Increase the social support system, keep in touch with relatives and friends, and seek or provide support and care.

The third is to establish good sleep hygiene habits. Don't sleep while playing with your mobile phone, and don't turn on the light. If you are on the night shift, you can wear sunglasses on your way home to reduce the influence of sunlight on melatonin. Take a hot bath before going to bed to relax and help you fall asleep. You can prepare an eye mask when you sleep to reduce the stimulation of light. If you can't sleep, leave the bed, do moderate activities, go to bed when you are sleepy, and don't lie down all the time.

Finally, if people still have sleep problems after the above three points, or can't adjust their sleep according to the above contents, they can consult a professional doctor, take appropriate drugs and keep enough sleep. At present, the commonly used sleep AIDS are zaleplon, zolpidem and dextrozopiclone. If you have a whole night's sleep (6 hours), you can consider taking eszopiclone before going to bed. If you need frequent shifts and short sleep time, you can consider drugs with short half-lives, such as zaleplon and zolpidem.

At present, in this special period, as long as everyone understands the relevant knowledge and technology of sleep hygiene and arranges their own work and rest reasonably, I believe everyone can take it easy and have a good sleep.

Here are some common relaxation training methods:

Method 1. Breathing relaxation technique.

Breathing relaxation can relax your body and help you sleep by actively regulating your breathing:

Preparation: Lie flat on the bed, straighten your feet side by side, straighten your hands naturally, put them on your sides, eliminate distractions and close your eyes slightly.

Action essentials: the first step: focus on the navel, or put your hand on the abdomen to concentrate; Step 2: inhale slowly through the nostrils, fill the whole lung with inhaled air, hold your breath for a few seconds, and let the oxygen exchange with the turbid gas in the blood vessels; Step 3: Breathe out the air slowly through your mouth. Repeat several times until you feel relaxed. Relaxation training can be carried out before going to bed, which can effectively relax the body and help sleep. After mastering this method skillfully, you can practice breathing anytime and anywhere, especially when you are fidgeting, which can relieve your mood as soon as possible.

Note: Inhale deeply and fully, that is to say, inhale as much as possible to make your abdomen feel flatulent; Breathe slowly and rhythmically and try to relax yourself; Every time you exhale, you can say "relax" or "quiet" in your mind and imagine that your body is relaxing and becoming warm and relaxed.

Method 2 Muscle relaxation technique

(1) Lean back on the sofa or recliner in a comfortable posture and close your eyes.

(2) Focus on the head, bite the bullet, make both cheeks feel very nervous, and then loosen the teeth, and the muscles of the molars will feel relaxed. Step by step-relax all the muscles in the head.

(3) turn your attention to the neck. First, try to make the muscles in the neck tense and feel sore, painful and tight, then all the muscles relax and feel relaxed.

(4) Focus on your hands and hold them tightly until your hands are numb and sore, and then your hands will gradually relax, put them in a comfortable position and remain soft.

(5) Focus on the chest, start inhaling deeply, keep it for a minute or two, and spit it out slowly; Inhale again and repeat several times to relax your chest.

In this way, and so on, focus on the shoulders, abdomen and legs, and relax one by one. Finally, relax and stay relaxed for a minute or two. According to this rule, you will learn how to relax all your muscles and remember the relaxation procedure. Do it once before going to bed to help you fall asleep.

Method 3 Meditation skills

Meditation, that is, deep thinking and imagination, is to stop the function of intellectual and rational cerebral cortex. Meditation can reduce anxiety, especially for those individuals who are stressed in the environment.

Basic essentials: During the whole relaxation process, keep breathing deeply, slowly and evenly, and you should be able to experience a warm current flowing in your body as you imagine. The content is ever-changing, which can be really specific or unconstrained style. But what can effectively help you relax is usually related to warm and comfortable imagination.

Operating steps: first, choose a clean place to ensure that it is not disturbed by others and there is no noise. Sit or stand. Then play a favorite light music, such as gentle piano music, flute music and so on. Imagine a happy and relaxed scene. When you listen to your breath, imagine the surging tide, which will improve your relaxation. Appreciate the smell of the sea, and imagine the waves beating gently against the coast with the rhythm of your breathing. Every time you exhale, the radio waves will sweep away your nervousness ... Looking at the white clouds by the sea, you feel very relaxed, very relaxed, as if you are getting closer and closer to the white clouds ... getting closer and closer ... gradually ... gradually ... you look like a white cloud ... floating off the ground and floating in the air. You are holding white clouds, like holding a pillow and quilt, like dreaming a beautiful dream. You feel your hands are relaxed, your hands are floating, your feet are relaxed and your feet are floating.