An uninterrupted night's sleep of seven to eight hours is strictly necessary to allow your body to recover and recharge its batteries. Sufficient sleep is especially important to enable the adrenal glands to produce sufficient anti-stress hormones every day. Many people with chronic fatigue suffer from sleep problems (a global lack of sleep) or sleep disorders (such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up repeatedly during the night, etc.). This problem is therefore one of the first to be addressed.
There are several non-pharmacological remedies that promote sleep. Sometimes you can feel an improvement just by trying one, sometimes a combination of different products works more efficiently.
– Relaxation therapy (with daily meditation as a basis).
– Natural herbal remedies such as valerian, balm, passiflora. These are available in the form of extracts (tablets or drops) or dried herbs (which you make into an infusion that you drink just before you go to bed).
– The amino acid tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan is converted into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a calming effect.
– Melatonin: the dose you need to take can vary greatly. Some people need half a milligram, others need up to 10 mg. Melatonin is only available with a prescription. Circadin® is often prescribed. That is pure melatonin that is released very slowly.
– The neurotransmitter GABA works very well for many people. GABA ensures the transmission of signals between the different brain cells. Dose: up to 500 mg.
– If the previous remedies do not help, you can opt for one medicine that imitates natural sleep as much as possible. Trazodone® is the best choice. Only rarely does this cause side effects (mild headache and dizziness). My advice is to start with half to one tablet before going to bed.
Only take sleeping medication (benzodiazepines) in extreme cases. In most cases, sleeping medication provides deep, uninterrupted sleep, but in the long term it disrupts the natural sleep pattern and is addictive.