How To Sleep Better During The Pandemic

The COVID-19 virus hasn’t just been causing people stress during the day; it has also given many horrible nightmares ruining sleep. Recently a website was created called ‘I Dream of COVID‘ that asks people to submit dreams and especially their strangest and scariest ones.

Sleep experts say there are four primary tips to help relieve the stress from the day to help you get a good night’s sleep. If you follow them, you should be able to sleep comfortably and without “nightmares.”

The 4 Tips

1. Structure Your Day – Sticking to a routine will help your body stay in sync with the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythms are mental, physical, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. These rhythms respond primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. Being awake during the day and sleeping at night is a prime example of a circadian rhythm.
2. Keep Your Sleep and Your Workspaces Separate – Keep your work and sleeping locations physically separate to help your brain mentally distinguish between them. Keeping the two separate will help you save work stress from carrying over into your dreams.
3. Skip Late-Night “Doomscrolling” Sessions – Doomscrolling is a new term that describes scrolling through depressing news about the crisis and pandemic. Experts suggest not doing it right before bed for the same reason it isn’t always the best to watch a horror movie just before sleep.
4. Turn Off Technology At Least 1 Hour Before Bed – You have heard this repeatedly; melatonin helps regulate your body’s internal clock. Melatonin is a hormone made naturally by your body. It is produced by the pineal gland in the brain and found in other areas such as the eyes, bone marrow, and the gut. It is often called the “sleep hormone,” as high levels can help you fall asleep. The blue light from your phone, your iPad, or TV will interfere with that and can make your brain think it is still daytime.