has a crash called: My family suffers from insomnia.
Lao Hu has been sleeping in the living room for three years.
Because my wife has serious sleeping problems, she will be awakened by the slightest disturbance. The wife who cannot sleep will go into a state of rage and anger, making Lao Hu miserable.
So he changed all the windows in his home to soundproof ones, moved electrical appliances out of the bedroom or replaced them with silent ones, and cut off the power to all light-emitting things, creating a quiet and comfortable sleeping environment. The last person to move out of
was also the biggest source of interference, Lao Hu himself.
He moved to the living room to sleep, not only to avoid making noise that would affect his wife's sleep, but also because he did not want to bear the anger of her insomnia.
But as time goes by, the time spent together becomes less and the relationship between husband and wife becomes more and more tense.
Like Lao Hu, there are many people who are troubled by [sleep problems in their family members]:
- Family members are emotionally unstable due to insomnia and family conflicts are increasing
- Elderly parents have poor energy during the day and are at risk in life and need constant care
- Family members who have insomnia are at work, Inability to study, increased financial pressure on the family
Negative emotions caused by insomnia are highly contagious in the family. Family members who live together day and night can easily become passive emotional trash cans, and the whole family is shrouded in dark clouds.
When a family member suffers from insomnia, how can we really help them without affecting family relationships?
cover up the problem? Don't deceive yourself
Faced with insomnia, most people will choose to "endure the humiliation and bear the burden".
hopes to use his "perseverance" to survive until the day he can fall asleep, trying to fight a war of attrition with insomnia, without making any changes or trying to solve the problem.
No matter how many studies tell us that insomnia will make people age faster, damage the nervous system and cause various major diseases, as long as these dangers are not imminent, some people will always take chances.
The cost of "giving up therapy" is huge. In addition to enduring the long-term pain of insomnia, it is also easy to enter a vicious cycle of insomnia-anxiety pain-increasing insomnia. By then, physical and mental health will be damaged to varying degrees. Except for a few people, Gradually returning to a normal sleep rhythm, more people will slowly become insomnia experts - occasional insomnia evolves into stubborn insomnia .
Just take medicine? Beware of becoming dependent on
The idea that medicine can cure the disease is the most common misunderstanding about insomnia treatment.
Many people solve insomnia with simple and crude methods: take medicine, sleep, and everything will be fine.
It is true that sleeping pill is an efficient sleep aid, but it must be used appropriately and correctly under the guidance of a doctor.
Despite their well-known addiction, sleeping pills are not designed to solve the root cause of insomnia. It is a short-term rescue solution that provides temporary respite from chronic insomnia.
Because insomnia is just a signal, the vanguard of problems in our body and mind. Its appearance means: There must be some problems with your body and mind.
- It may be anxiety: the parasympathetic nerves are too excited and cannot relax.
- It may be depression: heavy thoughts, waking up at night, and waking up early in the morning.
- It may be physical problems: restless legs syndrome , sleep apnea disorder
- possible It is sleep rhythm disorder: there are problems with sleep structure, many dreams , no sense of sleep
Treating sleeping pills as a solution is a kind of deception and self-deception.
Pretend not to see the real cause of insomnia. The hidden problem will only get worse if it is not dealt with.
will relapse once the medication is stopped.
What's more, most sleeping pills have a certain sedative and hypnotic effect. Compared with young people, the thinking activities of the elderly will slow down.Activities and perceptions during the day will be affected, and there are certain life risks.
Therefore, if the elderly have insomnia, they should be more cautious when using sleeping pills.
Separated due to insomnia? Maybe it’s not wise
For most couples, once they sleep in separate rooms, relationship problems will easily arise.
The bed is a concrete symbol of family security. If the safest place in the home lacks an important role, for insomniacs who are anxious and fearful, subconscious uneasiness will emerge, which may worsen insomnia.
For Chinese people who pay attention to traditional culture, "bed" represents a special complex. As the old saying goes, "A hundred years of cultivation can make you cross the same boat, and a thousand years of cultivation can make you sleep together."
How can we ensure that we accompany family members who have insomnia without affecting their rest?
Two compromise options can be considered:
- Separate but not separate beds, buy a larger bed, or use separate quilts when sleeping.
- Separate beds but not separate rooms. If conditions permit, sleep in different positions in the room.
Let me be clear, any insomnia problem and family relationship are very individual issues.
Separating beds, not separate beds, and separate beds, not separate rooms, are only options for couples to face the problem of insomnia together. However, if the insomnia problem persists and is serious, timely consultation with a psychologist to seek targeted solutions is still the best option.
cannot control sleep? Then go out for a walk
As mentioned before, sleep is a manifestation of physical and mental health. It can only occur naturally in a good state, rather than being forced to create it.
Neither the insomniac himself nor his family members can control sleep.
Once the thought of control appears, sleep will rebound like a rebellious child and work against you. This is what troubles insomniacs the most: "The more you are afraid of insomnia, the more you will suffer from insomnia."
Since he cannot be the controller who helps his family fall asleep, he becomes the guide in daytime life.
Sleep at night is closely related to the lifestyle during the day:
Whether it is the so-called "thinking during the day and dreaming at night", or the impact of anxiety and depression on autonomic nerve function, we can all make changes to sleep during the day. effort.
Focus on maintaining a positive and active physical and mental state during the day, and it will be easier to fall asleep at night. This is the balance of yin and yang between day and night.
As a family member, you can help your insomniac in this way:
- Take him out to exercise and bask in the sun during the day
- Encourage him to do some work within his ability
- Avoid strenuous exercise after four or five o'clock in the evening
- Eight or nine o'clock at night Before going to bed, use abdominal breathing to relax yourself.
- Avoid lying in bed to rest when your partner has no energy during the day.
- If you are really sleepy, you can take a nap in a chair for 15 minutes, but not for a long time.
These practices are beneficial to insomniacs. There are certain requirements for action and willpower, so with the company, support and encouragement of family members, they will feel much more relaxed.
Four steps for sleep assistance
In fact, it only takes four steps to effectively help family members with insomnia.
Step one: Assess the risk, don’t delay
Insomnia is divided into short-term insomnia and long-term chronic insomnia. Short-term insomnia may be caused by stress or emotional problems, and may resolve on its own.
But if insomnia lasts for more than two months and has an impact on life, it is likely to be insomnia.
It is best to take your family to see a doctor in time to avoid worsening of the problem.
Step 2: Understand and silently support
It is normal for people with insomnia to have mood swings and irritability.At this time, avoid making random conclusions or criticisms. Every time you are more tolerant, your family will be more calm in improving their insomnia.
Read books related to sleep, spirit, and psychology to understand the basic knowledge of sleep disorders ; listening patiently when family members talk can help relieve inner anxiety.
At any time, family support is always the most powerful.
The third step: Manage life, click to the end
Lead the family on the right path to sleep, avoid the idea of "bearing the burden of humiliation" and "medicine will cure the disease", and often take him out of the room.
But that doesn’t mean he should always be reminded of what he should do? What you should do: Be aware of it and pay attention occasionally.
Frequent reminders and requests may trigger a confrontational mentality and increase negative implications. In particular, don’t “ask as soon as you wake up and tell them before going to bed”, which will increase the anxiety and sensitivity in your family.
Step 4: Pay attention to issues other than sleep
Pay attention to changes in psychological emotions, changes in diet, and changes in social skills.
These are key indicators of whether things are getting better or worse.
Step 5: Pay attention to the risks and seek help in time.
Pay attention to the early morning and when the patient's mood changes drastically to prevent the risk of self-injury and suicide. Send the patient to a professional medical institution in time, and the family will cooperate with drug-assisted treatment and family psychotherapy.
Insomnia in family members may be short-lived, but the emotional connection will help us spend our lives more smoothly.
If your family member is suffering from insomnia and has tried many methods but cannot effectively help them, you may try non-drug home physical therapy to help them.
Add the doctor assistant on WeChat and get the preferential price immediately.
