What should I do if I can't sleep at night and keep daydreaming

Being unable to sleep at night and constantly having wild thoughts can be alleviated by adjusting sleep habits, improving sleep environment, psychological relaxation training, moderate exercise, and following medical advice. This situation is usually caused by mental stress, poor sleep habits, anxiety, environmental disturbances, physical illnesses, and other reasons.

1. Adjusting sleep habits

Fixing the time of waking up and falling asleep can help establish a biological clock pattern, avoiding napping for more than 30 minutes or catching up on sleep in the evening. Stop high-intensity mental activities 2 hours before bedtime and reduce the use of electronic devices. Try drinking warm milk or millet porridge one hour before going to bed. The tryptophan contained in it can help promote sleep.

2. Improve sleeping environment

Maintain a bedroom temperature of 18-22 degrees Celsius, use blackout curtains to isolate light interference, and choose a moderately hard mattress and breathable pillow core. If necessary, noise cancelling earplugs can be worn to avoid subtle noises such as clock ticking. Electronic clocks and other luminous devices should not be placed in the bedroom.

3. Psychological relaxation training

During abdominal breathing training, the 4-7-8 breathing method is used, with inhalation for 4 seconds, breath holding for 7 seconds, and exhalation for 8 seconds. Progressive muscle relaxation can start from the toes and gradually contract before relaxing the muscle group. Mindfulness meditation can focus on breathing or bodily sensations, and adopt a non judgmental attitude towards distractions.

4. Moderate exercise

Engage in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, swimming, etc. from 4-6 pm in the afternoon, maintaining a heart rate of 60% -70% of the maximum heart rate during exercise. Avoid intense exercise three hours before bedtime that can cause sympathetic nervous system excitement. Soothing movements such as baby poses and cat and cow poses in yoga can help relax the body and mind.

5. Medication according to doctor's advice

In the short term, you can use non benzodiazepines such as right zopiclone tablets and zaleplon capsules, or traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations such as Shugan Jieyu capsules and Wuling capsules. When accompanied by anxiety and depression, antidepressants such as paroxetine hydrochloride tablets and escitalopram oxalate tablets should be used under the guidance of a psychiatrist. All medications must strictly follow the prescribed dosage and course of treatment.

Establish a relaxation ritual one hour before bedtime, such as soaking feet in hot water, listening to white noise, etc. Avoid spicy and greasy foods for dinner, and control caffeine intake before 10am in the morning. If there is no improvement for 2 weeks or accompanied by daytime functional impairment, it is necessary to visit a sleep specialist or psychological department for evaluation of whether there are sleep disorders or emotional problems. Keeping a sleep diary helps doctors determine sleep rhythms and influencing factors.