It is necessary for a person to sleep about 7 hours on average daily, but what happens when you cannot sleep?
INSOMNIA
Insomnia is the difficulty in falling asleep, initiating, or maintaining sleep; it is one of the most common sleep disorders. It can cause problems such as not being able to fall asleep, waking up several times during the night, or even waking up very early and not being able to fall back asleep.
Insomnia can lead to daytime sleepiness, difficulty maintaining concentration, being active, irritability, depression, fatigue, disorientation... All this can lead to traffic or work accidents and other serious health problems.
Regarding the causes of insomnia, many factors from our daily life or our mood or mental state can influence:
- Stress: it can be temporary or chronic and can be due to countless problems from all areas: work, economic, family….
- The resting environment: the room where you sleep may not be in the right conditions to fall asleep, either because it is not dark enough or because it is not at the right temperature.
- Abusing nervous system stimulants. These stimulating substances can be coffee and other caffeinated drinks, alcohol, sugary soft drinks, tobacco, and some drugs.
- Some bad eating habits such as eating a lot before going to bed, eating hard-to-digest foods (fried foods, pastries, onion, legumes…)
- Not following a sleep routine: not going to bed at roughly the same time and the same with waking up.
How to solve the problem?
Usually, to solve the insomnia problem, short-term treatment with drugs or tricks to facilitate sleep is common. When the problem is more serious, persistent, or chronic, other techniques are recommended, such as behavioral or cognitive-behavioral therapy.
If insomnia persists after taking over-the-counter treatment, it is preferable to see a doctor who will advise you and give you better information to solve this problem.
WHAT IS DORMIDINA?
Dormidina is a medicine manufactured in Spain that contains the active ingredient doxylamine belonging to the group of antihistamine medicines, which have sedative properties that promote sleep. Dormidina is a medicine to treat occasional insomnia.
Dormidina product range available:
- Dormidina Doxylamine
- Dormidina Valerian/Hop
- Dolormidina with paracetamol
These medicines can be purchased in pharmacies without a prior doctor's prescription.
It should not be abused; it should be taken half an hour before going to sleep. The treatment cannot last more than 7 days from the first dose of the drug.
Before taking the medicine, you should know that you must not take Dormidina if:
- You are allergic to any component of Dormidina (Read the leaflet)
- You are allergic to other antihistamine drugs
- If you suffer from any respiratory problem such as asthma, bronchitis, or pulmonary emphysema.
- If you suffer from glaucoma, prostate hypertrophy, bladder neck obstruction, or difficulty urinating.
- If you are breastfeeding.
- Dormidina is not recommended during pregnancy.
For more information to know if you can take Dormidina tablets or if you have any doubts, you should consult your pharmacist.
SIDE EFFECTS OF DORMIDINA
Like all medicines, Dormidina also has side effects that you should know. Not everyone suffers these side effects or adverse effects, but they should be known.
If you suffer one of the following side effects, it is recommended to stop the treatment.
Most common side effects:
These effects are usually suffered by between 1 and 10 people out of every 100 who take the tablets.
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty urinating
- Increased bronchial mucus
- Dizziness
Less common side effects:
These less common side effects are suffered by 1 to 10 out of every 1,000 people who take Dormidina.
- Skin rash
- Low blood pressure
- Swelling of upper and lower limbs (arms and legs)
- Fatigue
- Vision problems, such as double vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
Rare side effects:
These are the least common effects. They can be suffered by 1 to 10 out of every 10,000 people. They are the rarest but also usually the most serious.
- Anemia (decrease in red blood cells)
- Decrease in platelets
- Decrease in white blood cells
- Tremor
- Seizures
- Excitation (this effect is mostly suffered by children and elderly people)
If you suffer one of these rarer symptoms, it is highly recommended to see a doctor and immediately stop the treatment as these effects can lead to serious health problems.
TIPS FOR SLEEPING WELL
If you prefer not to take a drug, there are other methods to relax and manage to sleep.
Relaxing drinks:
A hot infusion is one of the best ways to relax. But not all infusions are good for falling asleep. The perfect infusions to be able to sleep are:
- Chamomile
- Valerian
- Melissa
- Linden
- Lavender
Stretch before sleeping:
Stretching for 10 minutes before sleeping is beneficial to improve and promote our rest. From the feet to the neck, all possible muscle groups should be stretched. The stretches should be gentle and will help you get up without pain from bad postures during sleep. It is also good to stretch again upon waking.
Meals:
If you want to fall asleep, you should know that you should not eat very abundantly but also should not go to bed without having eaten anything. Some foods can be beneficial when going to sleep. This is because some foods contain tryptophan, which helps the production of melatonin and serotonin that help sleep. Some of these foods are:
- Oats
- Almonds
- Honey
- Cherries
- Bananas
- Milk
- Whole wheat bread
- Chicken
Room:
It is important to know that to be able to sleep, it is also important to have good conditions and that the room is well prepared for this.
- The room temperature should be neither too high nor too low. Because if you are cold or hot, it is harder to sleep. This factor should be especially cared for during very cold or very hot seasons.
- Maximum darkness should be achieved because it is difficult to sleep with light. Darkness promotes the secretion of melatonin, which is one of the hormones that favors sleep. This happens because the pineal gland, which is responsible for producing the substance, is sensitive to light, and when there is more darkness, it secretes melatonin.
- Keep the alarm clock away from where we sleep because it can create anxiety as you see the minutes passing and you cannot sleep. The mobile phone should also be kept away from us to avoid distractions.
Routine:
Creating a sleep routine will also help to fall asleep more easily. The sleep routine consists of going to bed every day at roughly the same time and also getting up every day at roughly the same time. If we go to sleep very late when we have to get up early, we will be tired and will not perform well.
Relaxing music:
Many studies say that music promotes sleep. Obviously, not all music; if we listen to heavy metal, rock, electronic… we will not relax. In any case, the music that will help us relax and sleep must be:
- Slow tempo
- Have no lyrics or very few
- The instrumental should produce a soft sound; cymbals, for example, would not help much
- Genres such as jazz, folk, classical music, zen music, or nature sounds are the ones that help most to relax.
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