Experts teach you how to defeat insomnia: No need to worry about insomnia anymore!
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 30% of people worldwide have difficulty sleeping. Although people affected by insomnia cover all ages, big data still shows that the proportion of women with insomnia is much higher than that of men. This gap is believed to be because women’s hormones are more sensitive and they are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than men. Regardless of men and women, the chance of insomnia gradually increases with age.
Most people think that being unable to sleep or not sleeping well is insomnia, but they take sleeping pills in an attempt to fall asleep quickly without trying to find out the reasons and more ways to improve it. Once you accidentally fall into the vicious cycle of drug resistance, the trouble of falling asleep will only get worse. In fact, there are many ways to improve the occasional difficulty falling asleep or restless sleep. The premise is that you can first identify the type of insomnia and the problem so that you can prescribe the right medicine.
In this era of advanced scientific research, experts in the medical field are constantly seeking innovation and breakthroughs, striving to find more effective and faster ways to improve human health. Among them, Andrew. The "sleep therapy" proposed by Professor Andrew Huberman has attracted widespread attention and praise.
Who is Andrew Huberman, the man who came up with the breakthrough sleep therapy?
Andrew. Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine, focusing on research on brain development and plasticity, nerve regeneration and repair. If you follow podcasts, you should be familiar with Professor Huberman, because the Huberman Lab Podcast he hosts is currently the most popular science program in the world. The program contents share various methods of improving physical and mental health to the audience. .
Sleep is very important for physical and mental health
Andrew. Regarding sleep, Professor Huberman pointed out that "lack of sleep can have a negative impact on the body and brain." This is because sleep is a time for the brain and body to recover and repair, and helps regulate metabolism, immune system and hormone levels. Long-term lack of sleep may lead to problems such as inattention, memory loss, and emotional instability. In addition, chronic sleep deprivation may increase the risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. Therefore, it is undeniable that sleep is very important to physical and mental health. Having good sleep quality and sufficient sleep time are the main conditions for maintaining physical and mental health.
The human body must enter deep sleep to allow "cortisol", also known as the "stress hormone", to decrease and secrete growth hormone that helps repair body functions. If you don’t sleep well, it will affect the operation of the body’s endocrine and autonomic nervous systems, leading to endocrine disorders, decreased immunity, acne, and prone to three high diseases!
Causes of insomnia and difficulty falling asleep
In this era of easy access to information, the common causes of insomnia among modern people are not only their own psychological diseases, such as anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, and people who are under stress. Events occur suddenly, etc.; body dysfunction such as autonomic nervous system disorders, pain and discomfort, and medical and surgical problems will all have a certain impact on sleep. In addition, the lighting, noise, and comfort of the sleeping environment are also factors that affect sleep.
According to the state of insomnia, insomnia can be roughly divided into the following three types:
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If you lie in bed for 30 minutes and still can't fall asleep, and you can't control all kinds of anxious thoughts in your head when you fall asleep, it means you have "delayed difficulty falling asleep".
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People who are more likely to wake up during sleep and find it difficult to fall asleep again are called "interrupted sleep".
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Compared with usual sleep, waking up earlier than expected is called "early morning wake-up type" insomnia.
Sleep supplements aren’t just about melatonin
When it comes to supplements to improve sleep, melatonin may be the first thing that comes to mind. But Andrew. Professor Huberman has some concerns about using melatonin supplements to improve sleep. He believes that melatonin is not bad. The problem is the dosage in melatonin supplements. One of the reasons for the concern is that studies have found that melatonin supplements contain much higher amounts than what our bodies naturally produce, ranging from ten to a thousand times more!
In addition to the astonishing values, he is also worried that it will affect human sex hormones and inhibit melatonin in puberty. If people use it for a long time, hoping to help sleep, it will bring side effects to the human body. Because when the professor was a young graduate student, he observed in an experiment that mice taking melatonin developed hypogonadism. Simply put, the testicles of the mice became smaller. The results of this experiment made the professor stay. Deeply impressed.
So this also prompted Andrew. Professor Huberman later successfully proposed the highly discussed "sleep therapy", which he believed was definitely a wiser choice than taking melatonin.
Andrew Huberman's Sleep Supplement Combo - Magnesium Threonate, Theanine, Apigenin
The following is compared to taking melatonin, Andrew. The "sleep therapy" proposed by Andrew Huberman, professor of neurology at the School of Medicine, also believes that this will definitely be a better, healthier and more effective choice.
Magnesium L-Threonate or Magnesium Glycinate:
Magnesium threonate helps aid in falling asleep and makes it easier to have quality, deep sleep. Studies have shown that magnesium L-threonate can effectively increase magnesium levels in the brain and improve learning ability, memory and cognitive health.
L-Theanine:
L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea and some mushrooms. This makes it more difficult to get enough of what you need from your diet. Studies have found that L-theanine can relax people without causing drowsiness, and can also help reduce stress and anxiety and improve concentration.
Apigenin:
Apigenin is a natural flavonoid and antioxidant compound that is widely found in many plants and herbs, and is especially abundant in chamomile tea. Apigenin has relaxing properties and can help people reduce stress, thus improving sleep quality.
Andrew. Professor Huberman also said that compared with sleeping pills and melatonin, the human body does not become dependent on these health supplements. He mentioned in his sharing that he personally often takes the above-mentioned supplement combination, but occasionally forgets to take it and it does not affect his sleep quality at all. But if he failed to take the supplement combination for multiple nights in a row, he would observe that his sleep quality was affected. Although he could still fall asleep, the quality of his sleep had decreased in depth and duration.
Andrew Huberman's advice on sleep and health
Andrew. Professor Huberman has been sharing a lot of information to let everyone understand the importance of sleep and what health products should be supplemented. He hopes to effectively encourage everyone to develop good living habits to help develop high-quality sleep quality, and how to reduce external factors should not be ignored. Effects on the human body. Among the many sharings, the most common but practical suggestions include regular exercise, nutritional supplements, adjusting light, maintaining good sleep habits, reducing stress, staying curious and constantly learning new things. These daily habits can effectively help An important factor in our promotion of brain plasticity and physical and mental health.
We should supplement the nutrients we need according to our own situation and needs, set exclusive health goals and actively practice them. Only by having a healthy and energetic body can we improve our quality of life.