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If you’re having trouble sleeping during the pandemic, you’re not alone. The quality of sleep has deteriorated for many people, although due to quarantine they have begun to spend more time in bed. Why it happens? What do you need to do to wake up refreshed and well-rested in the morning? Experts say.
Insomnia is a disorder characterized not only by the inability to fall asleep, but also by the poor quality of sleep. With insomnia, we often wake up at night or feel tired even after eight hours of sleep. It is most often provoked by stress and changes in the usual daily routine. Insomnia can last for several days or weeks, and in the chronic form of the disease — more than three months, while sleep problems occur at least three times a week.
“Bad sleep during times of stress is understandable. This is how our body works, because we must remain cheerful in the face of danger. But this does not mean that you have to put up with insomnia,” emphasizes professor, insomnia specialist Jennifer Martin.
You may already be familiar with some of the basic tips to help ensure quality sleep:
- keep the bedroom quiet, dark and cool
- try not to nap during the day
- do sport
- spend more time in the sun in the morning
But, unfortunately, in some situations this is not enough. Let’s take a look at the common problems that cause insomnia and see what solutions experts offer.
1. You do not have a clear daily routine
For most people, one of the main causes of insomnia is a chaotic daily routine. Quarantine had a particularly strong effect on us: when it was no longer necessary to go to work at a certain hour and collect children for school, the usual morning routine was disrupted. But the evening routine also depends on it!
“If you don’t have a stable daily routine, your brain doesn’t know when you want to fall asleep and when you want to wake up,” explains Sanjay Patel, head of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
What to do: Try to restore the old daily routine or create a new one. It is not necessary to get up early in the morning if there is no such need, but it is better to get up and go to bed at the same time every day.
“It was difficult for me to maintain my usual routine when it was no longer necessary to go to work. So I just taught myself to get up at a certain time, get dressed, have a cup of coffee and go for a walk with the dog,” says Jennifer Martin.
2. You are too worried about global problems
“The pandemic, the instability in the world, the financial crisis — all this is not conducive to calm. It is at the end of the day that we often think about global problems,” explains Jennifer Martin.
What to do: Read something light and exciting for half an hour or an hour before going to bed — this will help distract you from heavy thoughts. And turn off all electronics.
“If it’s hard for you to put your smartphone away, then at least don’t read the news. You can, for example, flip through photos that bring back pleasant memories,” recommends Martin.
3. You work too much (or in the wrong place)
Doctors recommend using the bedroom only for sleeping and intimacy, but recently, due to the popularity of remote work, this room, as the only suitable place, began to function as an office. Because of this, it can be psychologically difficult for us to switch from work to rest — lying in bed, we continue to think about deadlines and other work problems.
What to do: If you have to work in the bedroom, then at least don’t do it in bed. “Try to work only at the table. This will help psychologically separate the bed from the “workspace,” explains Sanjay Patel.
4. You abuse sleeping pills or alcohol to help you sleep.
“It’s okay if you occasionally take mild over-the-counter sleeping pills. But when you use them on a regular basis, you only mask the problem, not solve it. It’s the same with alcohol: it can help you fall asleep, but after a few hours, its effect wears off and you wake up again in the middle of the night. In addition, alcohol can exacerbate some disorders — for example, sleep apnea (stopping breathing during sleep),” says Sanjay Patel.
What to do: Try cognitive behavioral therapy. Working with a therapist, you can revisit misplaced attitudes, learn relaxation techniques, and reduce the stress that disturbs your sleep.
When is it time to see a specialist?
Even if malaise and lack of sleep do not seem to be serious problems for you, but to the question “How do you feel?” If you are in a hurry to answer “Fine”, there are certain situations that signal that you need the help of a therapist:
- If sleep problems prevent you from living a full life
- If they are chronic — occur more than three times a week for three months
- If you fall asleep easily but often wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep