As if the stress of the last couple months haven’t been enough, there is Coronasomia to deal with too. This overall lack of sleep is driving all of us crazy. Lying awake at night when you have a full day ahead only makes you feel more desperate, and less able to relax. So what’s going on?
Before the pandemic, The Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/09/03/coronavirus-sleep-insomnia/?utm_source=reddit.com] reports that about 10 – 15% of people worldwide were suffering from chronic insomnia. This specifically relates to the struggle to fall or stay asleep at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or longer. The article goes on to say “Crises such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks are known to trigger short-term sleeplessness. But experts say the pandemic’s unprecedented global impact and protracted nature threaten to expand the rate of chronic insomnia, which is much harder to treat.”
Having highlighted the above, I want to make this wildly obvious to you. If you do not take action to help yourself now, your tossing and turning left unmanaged will only get more frustrating for you. I am not saying this to scare you. So many of us do not prioritize 7 – 8 hours of sleep each night. And our blood pressure, hormones and overall recovery suffers so much because of it.
Choose 1 of the 3 and commit to the change. Switch off all screens 1 – 2 hours before bed. Stop reading the news for now – and I mean completely. You can go back to it when you are not so overwhelmed and stressed out. Get outside more (without your phone) and allow your body’s natural circadian rhythm to adjust to the daylight rather than staring at your laptop or mobile phone’s light. It will get better. The more you do activities that help you relax, the more your amygdala in your brain will quieten down and give you the rest you so desperately need.
