2024-02-04 10:00:00
You suffer from insomnia? You are not the only one. Many people have problems sleeping well, especially after 50 years, when hormonal changes, stress and bad habits affect the quality and quantity of our rest. So, What do you have to do to be able to sleep?
Healthy habits that make a difference VIDEO
He Dr. Oscar Larrosa Gonzalomember of the Spanish Sleep Society (SES) and member of the Spanish Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (SENFC), with more than 20 years of experience in sleep medicinesuggests that “it is necessary to understand that the dream does not appear when the person wants it to”, that is, It’s not as simple as going to bed, turning off the light and closing your eyes.. “It is a process that requires prior preparation, with a routine and behavioral patterns that adapt to biological rhythms“, Explain.
For this, the neurophysiologist Larrosaclinical-care manager of the Sleep Medicine Unit at MIP Salud in Madrid and doctor specializing in sleep medicine at Neuroekin (Neurorehabilitation Clinic) in Vitoria-Gasteiz, offers us 5 very effective and practical techniques to fall asleep and sleep well again, and explains how everyday factors such as feedingaspects such as menopausecan affect our circadian rhythm and cause insomnia. What are your tricks?
Does eating affect sleep?
Yeah. Dr. Larrosa Gonzalo explains that, regarding nutrition, “you have to go to bed with digestion done and avoid heavy dinners because they do not favor the quality of sleep.” If you feel hungry when you go to bed, it is advisable to take a light snack (for example, a fruit or similar), to prevent hunger from waking us up.
Besides, “You have to avoid very fatty, very caloric or very sweet foods. Carbohydrates cause drowsiness, but if they are abundant at dinner they can wake us up.” vitamin C at night should be avoided, and legumes They must be taken with caution and moderation at night, since, as the specialist points out, they cause gas and heavy digestion that can affect sleep. Is Better to consume them at other times.
Also, we must pay attention to the caffeine. “After 6 p.m. it can alter the onset of sleep. The same thing happens with tea cupwhich converts to caffeine in the body and can disrupt sleep,” he says. “The chemical structure of tea theine is the same as that of caffeine, but it is called that to differentiate its origin. In the same volume, there is twice as much caffeine in coffee as in tea,” corroborates the pharmacist Mº José González Corbella between his ‘Nutritional strategies to avoid insomnia’. “Y watch out for energy drinks and soft drinks which usually have caffeine and are gaseous, since they make digestion difficult at night,” says the sleep doctor.
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What effects does alcohol have on sleep?
The neurophysiologist also emphasizes the importance of drinking alcohol at night. “Alcohol, which is frequently used as a hypnotic, It is a very bad idea after 6 pm if you have certain difficulties sleeping”, especially in adulthood.
“It can induce sleep, but causes a definitive and early awakeningand a more superficial and interrupted sleep, so it is not advisable,” he points out. “In addition, increases snoring and promotes sleep apnea“.
How does menopause affect sleep?
Another issue is why insomnia is caused during menopause. “Women in menopause and postmenopause frequently have sleep rhythm disturbances due to hormonal imbalance“explains Larrosa. “The The most common cause of insomnia in these cases is nighttime hot flashes.. If the usual measures to avoid them are insufficient
effective, it’s a good idea consult with a sleep medicine specialist“he suggests.
Hay medicines that help, but there are others that can increase hot flashes, so it is best to check with an expert beforehand.
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5 tricks to sleep well after 50
In addition to the factors and aspects mentioned above, Dr. Óscar Larrosa offers us 5 behavioral strategies to improve sleep quality and fall asleep quickly after age 50:
1. How to go to sleep
It should be a process in which you have to be as rested as possible, physically and mentally. “You don’t go to bed to rest or forget about the world.” and their problems, or to think about them. Is going to sleep“, rate. If you are very tired physicallyrest outside the bedroom, for example on the sofa, at least 60-90 minutes before going to sleep.
“Physical fatigue causes poor quality sleep, which is superficial and has interruptions. Also, we must avoid becoming mentally active with situations such as arguing, doing work things, thinking about things, using computers, tablets, mobile phones or enter social networks, because all this harms sleep and is a source of direct light to the eyes, especially if it is done in the dark and in bed,” he concludes.
2. Relax outside the bedroom
“If you are restless in bed, nervous or uncomfortable, going around, and this situation lasts more than 20 minutes, you have to get out of the bedroom and relax outsidewith gentle activities,” suggests the expert. Once you regain peace of mind, you can go back to bed.
Larrosa explains that it’s okay if there are days when you have to do it more than once. “It is better to spend less time in bed and make it more efficient and efficient.that a lot of time in it being uncomfortable, because it doesn’t help at all.
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3. The great enemy of insomnia: the clock
Set the alarm and forget what time it is. “Don’t look at the clock at night under no circumstances, even if you get up, because this will only cause you restlessness and nervousness“he recommends.
4. Short nap and before 4:00 p.m.
If you take a nap, this It should be short, 20 minutes, and not after 4:00 p.m. “Taking long naps is detrimental to the quality of sleep at night and It doesn’t particularly help you feel better.. After the 50-60 years there is a tendency to sleep more superficially at night and to have drowsiness during the day. For this reason, naps should be controlled as much as possible and not sleep too much during the day, indicates the neurophysiologist.
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5. Physical exercise helps
“There is no specific one described, but it should not be strenuous and it should cause some sweatingand if possible, practice it during daylight hours,” he says. Avoid exercising during the 3-4 hours before going to bed. You have to give yourself time to rest.
And what about “natural” sleep products?
The first thing to keep in mind is that many are chemical compounds and sometimes they are synthesized,” clarifies Dr. Óscar Larrosa. “In addition, they are not always authentic plant extracts.” Most are quite harmless, but some can have adverse effects in certain people, and their effectiveness can be relative, or help only in mild cases.
On the other hand, “there is a lot of talk about magnesium as a sleep aid, but there is no reliable conclusive data on its effectiveness, and in excess It is not advisable either. And the tryptophanboth in supplements and in foods rich in it, may be useful to improve sleep because it is a precursor of serotonin and melatonin, but all this should always be done under medical control,” he suggests.
“As for melatonin, it can be taken in general below 2 mg dose dispensed as a food supplement synthesized in the laboratory without a prescription, and Dosages of 3 mg should never be exceeded. in general. Furthermore, it is rarely useful to take higher doses, and taking it at one time is not the same as taking it at another, nor is it the same to take rapid release or prolonged release, they have different objectives,” he points out. Its use is greatly abused. intake, It is only useful in certain cases.
In people over 55 years oldthe body can release less natural melatonin, and at these ages Yes, it can be effective in combating insomnia.generally prolonged release, taken well and under medical supervision,” concludes the sleep medicine expert.
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