What to do if you can't sleep and wake up early in the morning

We all know that when some people get older, they will become more and more energetic. Not only do they go to bed later at night, but they also wake up very early in the morning. This phenomenon usually occurs in people in their forties or fifties. Although they wake up early in the morning, it does not affect their spirit for the day. However, this phenomenon is still quite damaging to the body over time. So what should you do if you can't sleep and wake up early in the morning?

1) Causes of Insomnia

There are many causes of insomnia. Mental factors such as mental tension, excitement, depression, fear, anxiety, and boredom can often cause insomnia; social environmental factors such as excessive work and study pressure, environmental changes, noise, light and air pollution are another important reason; bad living habits such as overeating at dinner and drinking tea and coffee before bed can also cause insomnia.

3) Prevention and health care of insomnia

The following aspects should be done mainly:

① A light diet rich in protein and vitamins is recommended.

② Participate in exercises that emphasize mental training, such as Qigong and Tai Chi, to improve the regulatory ability of the nerves.

③ Live a regular life, go to bed on time, do not eat too much for dinner, and do not drink stimulating drinks such as tea and coffee before going to bed.

④ Health foods such as menatonin and lecithin have a good effect in regulating nerve function and help improve sleep.

Causes and symptoms

Insomnia refers to insufficient sleep time, or shallow or unclear sleep, which can be divided into the following three types:

(1) Initial insomnia: It is difficult to fall asleep and one cannot fall asleep until the second half of the night. It is often caused by mental stress, anxiety, fear, etc.

(2) Intermittent insomnia: restless sleep, easy awakening, and frequent nightmares. This is common among middle-aged people with indigestion.

(3) Terminal insomnia: It is not difficult to fall asleep, but the sleep duration is short. The patient cannot fall asleep again after waking up in the second half of the night. This type of insomnia is common in the elderly with hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and depression.

Insomnia increases the excitability of the brain, causing difficulty falling asleep, shallow sleep, easy awakening, and early awakening due to frequent dreams. Due to lack of sleep at night, patients suffer from daytime fatigue, lack of concentration and poor appetite. Some people also have symptoms such as tinnitus, amnesia, hand tremors, dizziness and heaviness in the head, and irritability. Insomnia can also cause psychological disturbances, and patients feel a heavy physical and mental burden. Traditional Chinese medicine calls "insomnia" "insomnia" and believes that it has many causes, including "sleeping restlessly due to stomach disharmony" and "insomnia due to fatigue and restlessness". It is related to malfunction of the heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys and insufficient yin and blood. This symptom is more common in people with neurasthenia.

Self-treatment precautions

(1) Self-treatment of insomnia cannot rely on medication. Instead, attention should be paid to eliminating the causes of insomnia, striving for psychological balance, and combining physical therapy to improve physical fitness. The effect will be better.

(2) Maintain a balance between work and rest and change bad living habits. Quit smoking, drinking, and spicy foods such as coffee and strong tea. Don't eat too much at dinner.

(3) Eat appropriate amounts of foods that help with nerve function. Such as river fish, sea fish, oysters, shrimps, loaches, pork liver, pork kidneys, walnuts, peanuts, apples, mushrooms, peas, broad beans, milk, etc.

(4) Stop using your brain half an hour before going to bed and listen to soft and beautiful music in a quiet environment. People who have trouble falling asleep can also do some relaxing activities such as going out for a walk.

(5) Before going to bed, wash your feet with 40℃-50℃ warm water and rub the soles of your feet for a while. In winter, you should rub your feet until they are warm.

(6) Avoid using heat-replenishing tonics, such as deer antler, ginseng, and aconite.

(7) Regularly participate in gardening activities such as planting flowers and raising grass to cultivate your temperament, eliminate tension and anxiety, and achieve psychological balance.

(8) Drinking a glass of milk or eating some sweets before going to bed can help improve sleep quality.

(9) Exercising for about half an hour in the early morning facing the sun can help adjust your body’s biological clock.

Self-therapy

1. Self-treatment with patent medicine

(1) Diazepam, 2.5-5 mg, taken before bed.

(2) Sukonemian, 0.1-0.2 g, taken before bed. (Suitable for those who have trouble falling asleep).

(3) Take Buzhong Yiqi Pills (9 g) 2-3 times a day with warm water. It is used for people with qi deficiency, fatigue, mental tiredness, tooth marks on the sides of the tongue, and poor appetite.

(4) Longdan Xiegan Pills, 9 grams each time, 2-3 times a day, swallow with warm water. It is used for those with thick and greasy tongue coating, irritability, and yellow and red urine.

(5) Take 2 grams of Lunshiguntan Pills 3 times a day with warm water. It is used for those who like to eat greasy food, drink alcohol, and eat sugar, which causes endogenous damp-heat, thick yellow tongue coating, hard stools, chest tightness, and frequent dreams with strange scenes.

(6) Take Anshen Buxin Pills, 15 pills each time, 3 times a day, with warm water.

(7) Blood-nourishing and calming syrup, 1-2 spoons each time, 3 times a day.