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Sleep routine can be especially hard for some of us on a regular basis. But when next to that you go through a period of crisis things can get a little bit out of control.
And the thing is, sleep plays a really important role in your physical and mental health. Sleep is not only involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels, but actually sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Lack of sleep is associated with depression and a poor immune system.
Better sleep means a better you...
Sleep helps reduce stress.
Sleep can improve your memory.
Sleep can lower your blood pressure.
Sleep helps your body to fight back.
Sleep can help you maintain your weight.
Sleep puts you in a better mood.
But sometimes is not like we sabotage our sleep. We brush our teeth, our bed is cozy, we have not looked at our phone for the past hour, just counted a 100 sheep and yet… Morpheus won't come. Sound familiar?
Remember that along with nutrition, exercise and positive relationships, good sleep is one of the pillars of health. And achieving optimus health is not possible without taking care of our sleep. Here are some personal tips and information I’ve researched for you to improve your sleep during this crisis:
Create and stick to your own routine:
With the lockdown causing a "rupture" in our routines, Professor Kevin Morgan from Loughborough University says it's unsurprising people are finding it hard to sleep.
"Routine is the guardian of good sleep. It protects our sleep," he says.
Even if your life has changed recently, Kevin recommends if it used to work for then preserving your old sleeping pattern is key if you want a good night's kip.
Continue to get up and go to bed at the normal time, however tempting it might be to do otherwise.
And regarding those lovely extra naps some of us are now taking? Bad news…. Apparently experts agree that "You've got to save your sleepiness for bedtime.” Being sleepy as a precious limited resource and in the same way most of us are more conscious about being energy efficient at home we need to get used to the idea of not wasting our sense of “sleepiness” on a short daytime nap.
To stick to a schedule, prepare your mind and body for sleep by developing a relaxing bedtime routine that begins around the same time each evening. For example, take a warm bath, listen to soothing music, read a book, or do other activities that help you wind down. This will signal to your body that bedtime is coming and help you fall asleep more quickly and easily.
Manage your Stress:
It’s a frightening time. We’re in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, with cities and even entire countries shutting down. Some of us are in areas that have already been affected by coronavirus. Others are bracing for what may come. And all of us are watching the headlines and wondering, “What is going to happen next?”.
All this uncertainty has caused many of us more stress and a newer sense of anxiety. While it's ok to be worried we should try not to take those worries to bed. Remember if you have done all you can for the day then there's nothing more to do. Pick it up again the next day, after a good night's sleep.
Stay informed but don’t obsessively check the news
Focus on the things you can’t control
Plan what you can
Stay connected (respecting the social distancing restrictions in your area)
Take care of your space:
If you're working from home and if you are lucky enough to have options about where in the house to work, avoid your bedroom - your mind associates it with it being time to sleep. If you can’t avoid your bed, change how the bed looks. Try to trick your mind!
Separating your bedroom from other facets of your life that may cause stress, tension, or stimulation is key. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the presence of electronic devices such as laptops and cell phones can make it harder to fall asleep.
Also examine your space, your bed... If necessary invest in a new bed, mattress, pillow, or even a comforter could make a huge difference.
Next, let's talk about light. Sure, we can't go out as much as we used to, so we might not be getting much natural light. That's bad news for our sleep because a little daylight can go a long way.
Our eyes need exposure to outdoor light because of a hormone in our body called melatonin (it regulates our sleep by telling our body if it’s light or dark). By staying indoors and reducing our exposure to proper light our melatonin levels will drop. Exercising outside or even just going outside to your front door at the same time each day this will increase your sleep quality and your mood.
Besides light, sound, and temperature are some of the most common causes of sleep disruption. By finding ways to moderate those factors and create a consistently quiet, dark, and cool environment your sleep has the potential to improve so much.
But if you can't ignore the noises around you, invest in earplugs, a fan, a sound machine that produces soothing white noise or an app with relaxing noises or guided meditation. Find shades or blinds that blocks the outdoor light to create a cool and relaxing environment.
Be mindful of what you drink:
What you drink in the hours before bedtime can make or break your ability to fall asleep. Caffeine and alcohol are two common sleep disrupting culprits.
According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the effects of caffeine can take six to eight hours to wear off. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages in the late afternoon or evening.
Alcohol is a sedative that can make you tired, but it also disrupts the quality of your sleep. Avoid drinking alcohol within three hours of bedtime, and limit yourself to one to two alcoholic beverages per day.
Instead, try drinking a small cup of something with a calming effect before bed, such as hot herbal tea or milk. Just be mindful that drinking too much of any liquid before bed may lead to bathroom trips during the night, which can also be very uncomfortable.
Don’t give up, write things down:
Sometimes this “usual” handy tips are not enough. On a mental and emotional level what helps me the most to let go of the stress and things on my mind before bedtime is making a list. I would write all the things I want to / need to do. It’s so easy to be consumed by all the pending stuff but allow yourself to step back by giving those things a place to be so that you can come back to them afterwards.
I hope you found something in this blog that could be useful for you. Keep in mind that you simply cannot achieve optimal health without taking care of your sleep.