Sleep therapy is a set of treatments that exist to stimulate sleep and improve insomnia or difficulty sleeping. Some examples of these treatments are sleep hygiene, behavior change or relaxation therapies, which can help re-educate the body to sleep at the right time and have restorative sleep.
Treating insomnia is essential to regulate the body’s hormone levels, recharge energy and improve brain function. However, it should be remembered that the use of medications, such as anxiolytics, should only be used when indicated by a doctor, due to the risk of side effects such as dependence and falls.
The main forms of sleep therapy are:
1. Hygiene do Sono
This method consists of changing day-to-day behaviors that harm sleep, avoiding drowsiness during the day, as they re-educate the body to have restorative sleep.
The main ways to perform sleep hygiene are:
- Sleep in a calm placewithout noise, and it is dark, so that the body can relax, avoiding awakenings throughout the night;
- Create a routineto educate the body to always sleep and wake up at the same times, avoiding sleeping in the afternoon, so that you can rest well at night;
- Perform physical activity during the dayas exercise is excellent for regulating hormones that improve sleep, however, it should not be done at night because the stimulation of the body can last for a few hours and make it difficult to sleep;
- Eat light foods so that the body does not spend too much energy carrying out digestion, in addition to avoiding smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages or stimulants after dark;
- Don’t watch television, spend time on your cell phone or computer before going to sleep;
- Avoid using the bed for activities other than sleepingsuch as studying, eating or spending time on the phone.
This way, the body is conditioned to feel sleepy at night, as good sleep habits are encouraged. Find out more about sleep hygiene and how many hours you should sleep per night for your age.
2. Behavioral therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a set of techniques to correct behaviors and attitudes that lead to insomnia, such as keeping a sleep diary, in which the person writes down the times they go to sleep and wake up, how many times they wake up or what thoughts they have when they have insomnia . This way it is easier to identify what may be influencing the change in sleep.
Sleep restriction therapy is a method that proposes that the person remains in bed only during the sleep period. This way, you avoid lying down without sleeping for more than 30 minutes, making it better to get up, do other activities and go back to bed when sleep returns.
In addition, there are programs known as Mindfulness, which are forms of group psychotherapy, consisting of weekly meetings to carry out 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 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 to the treatment of insomnia for many people, and may even make the use of medications unnecessary.
Herbal treatments in powder form, 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 a doctor.
Acupuncture is another technique that stimulates points on the body, which help to rebalance the body’s energy and reduce stress, anxiety and insomnia, for example.
Orthomolecular therapy is another alternative form, which promises to treat hormonal or chemical imbalances in the body, by replacing vitamins and minerals. In the case of insomnia, it is important to maintain magnesium, tryptophan, vitamin B3 and niacin levels, so that there is adequate production of serotonin and melatonin, substances related to well-being and sleep. See the list of foods rich in tryptophan.
Phototherapy is also a type of treatment that consists of regular exposure to light, through special lamps, which helps to treat insomnia.
Check out some tricks confirmed by science to sleep better:
When to use medications
When sleep therapy does not bring results, it may be necessary to use medications, which may be antidepressants, such as Sertraline, Trazodone or Mirtazapine, for example, or anxiolytics, such as Clonazepam or Lorazepam, prescribed by a general practitioner, neurologist or psychiatrist.
The use of medications should be the last option, or used when there are neurological problems associated with insomnia, due to their ability to cause dependence.
These treatments help with sleep and prevent people from going too long without sleeping, which can cause various health problems, as during sleep the brain reorganizes itself, regulates hormones and replenishes energy in the brain and muscles.
The amount of hours of sleep needed may vary, but is generally between 7 or 8 hours per night. In addition to the treatments mentioned, paying attention to your diet to encourage sleep is also important.
