COVID-19 has taken a toll on our mental health — even if you haven’t contracted the virus — and for a lot of people, that means many sleepless nights.
Citing a new study from researchers from the University of Ottawa in Canada, Nicholas Nissen, M.D., a member of the ABC News Medical Unit, explains not only have depression, anxiety and PTSD rates spiked, but so too has insomnia. The analysis of 190,000 participants — among them COVID-19 survivors, their family members and health care workers — nearly a quarter of them have insomnia. Health care workers rated highest, with more than one in three reporting difficulty sleeping.
Millions of Americans suffer from insomnia even in a non-pandemic year, so Dr. Nissen prescribes sleep experts’ strategies that could help you catch those crucial Zs.
See your doctor
Sleep problems have many different causes: from psychological to behavioral, environmental and medical. Only an experienced professional can help you get to the root of the problem.
Start the day off right
Waking up at the same time every day is an important way to help our body create a reliable rhythm. Choose a consistent time to wake up that works for every day of the week, and avoid naps if you have nighttime sleep issues.
Energize early, not late
Try to get 30 to 40 minutes of bright light exposure first thing in the morning to show your body’s internal clock that the day’s begun. Have caffeine in the morning, not the afternoon. And while daily exercise is a great way to ensure we feel sleepy at bedtime, it can be counterproductive if done within a few hours before lights out.
Prepare for bed
Start winding down as soon as the sun starts to set. Bright lights signal “daytime” to our brains, so try to limit screen time within an hour of bedtime, wear blue-light-blocking glasses and consider adding a blue-light-filtering app. Turn down the lights with sunset and use candles or dim lamps. Limit alcohol and avoid eating within three hours of going to sleep. Finally, use your last hour to meditate, pray or read books.
Create a sleep sanctuary
For best sleep, the bedroom is for two things only: sleep and intimacy. Remove TVs and computers and avoid working in bed. Create a cool, pitch-black environment, and create an atmosphere that’s free from interruptions. This means silencing your phone or keeping it out of the bedroom altogether. Also, try to coordinate sleep schedules with your sleep partner, and make sure the environment is as soundproofed as possible.