How to sleep in one go, tips you've never tried: “Deep sleep begins to shorten at 40”.

• Insomnia is a public health problem that places the USA at the head of drug consumption.
• With age, patterns change, but there is no reason to resign oneself to sleepless nights.
• We bring you some of the one hundred techniques, original and harmless, proposed by Anna Barnes, author of 'Insomnia, I can't sleep!

Getting a good night's sleep has become a challenge. We are starting to break records, but not exactly positive ones. One in ten adults regularly takes drugs to fall asleep, making us one of the top countries in the world in terms of consumption of sleeping pills. And the worst thing is that 25% of the people who resort to them still have difficulty falling asleep. What is going wrong? Are there alternatives?

The above data come from a study led by the Spanish Sleep Society (SES) and published in the latest issue of Sleep Epidemiology. It shows that for one in ten adults, insomnia is chronic, a figure that has doubled in the last two decades. And according to this study, 4.8% more should be added that have not been counted because they correspond to people on medication who would not have symptoms. This is a public health problem that, to a greater or lesser extent, affects the quality of life of 45% of the world's population.

Sleep architecture changes with age

As we age, we sleep worse and patterns change as we get older. Even if the total sleep time remains the same or decreases slightly, it takes longer to fall asleep and there are more awakenings during the night. Up to three or four times. Older people describe it as light sleep or almost sleepless nights with hardly any moments of restful, continuous, restorative sleep. In reality, this state of deep sleep begins to shorten from the age of 40 onwards, and is influenced by anxiety, discomfort or pain due to illness. This does not mean that, because you are older, you have to resign yourself.

Although there is a new generation of drugs that are safer for long-term use, without residual effects or symptoms of tolerance or dependence, cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered the most effective treatment for those who continually have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. But before any solution, professionals assess whether there is good sleep hygiene and whether the adoption of good habits would be sufficient to repair this disorder.

A little extra push to get a good night's sleep

Anna Barnes, author of 'Insomnia - I can't sleep!', a guru of mindfulness and emotional wellbeing, also insists on this and offers unique tricks that, according to her, lead to high-quality sleep. That is, they help you rest better and wake up brimming with joy. They are a little extra push to get a good night's rest that we can add to other healthy habits. Barnes doesn't overlook medical and psychological advice. “Asking for help is a sign of strength,” she concludes, especially if the holistic approach she proposes fails to change the situation. Sometimes insomnia is just a symptom of an undiagnosed disease or disorder.

These are some of the hundred ideas she suggests for resting and creating healthy habits. She guarantees that, though simple, they are efficient:

1. Color to achieve calmness. Coloring books offer a similar benefit to meditation in terms of restorative effect. The brain disconnects and focuses its attention on this task.
2. Keep dirty laundry out of the bedroom. It's very tempting to throw it wherever we take it off, but it's not the best for falling asleep. Dirty laundry contributes to clutter and can emit bad odors, especially if it's sportswear.
3. Keep sugar consumption in check before bedtime. It's not about that piece of dark chocolate that many people usually indulge in before going to bed and which can release serotonin to relax the brain, but rather pastries or other products rich in sugars that accentuate problems of gastric reflux or indigestion and cause a spike in blood glucose.
4. Avoid abdominal bloating, especially troublesome at night, with foods like celery, ginger, mint, or pineapple.
5. Have a herbal tea before bedtime. Those containing valerian, hops, and passionflower act as tranquilizers and produce a gentle sedative effect.
6. If you can't sleep, get out of bed! Listen to relaxing music, but don't watch television or turn on all the lights in the house because the brain will interpret it as time to wake up.
7. Knit instead of counting sheep. It's a repetitive activity that helps the mind set aside its worries. Not everyone knows, but there are plenty of tutorials online that show how to learn to knit. It's a perfect technique to facilitate the transition of body and mind from wakefulness to sleep.
8. Travel with your mind to that special place. Let your imagination take you to pleasant memories, positive experiences, and thoughts that make you feel safe.
9. Change the position of the pillow. This simple gesture can be key to achieving a comfortable posture and ideal support for the neck and back. The edge of the pillow should align with the top of our shoulders.
10. Count to eight. But not in any way. Lie down in silence, relax your muscles, and close your eyes. Inhale slowly through your nose, counting slowly to four. Hold your breath and count to seven. Exhale and release slowly counting to eight. And repeat.

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