Coronasomnia
While COVID-19 has already caused devastation worldwide, physicians and researchers see signs that the pandemic is also affecting people’s sleep. This disruption is due to increased stress and anxiety, leading to some sleep experts labeling it coronasomnia. If this is not addressed, coronasomnia could prove to have profound public health ramifications, including elevated risks for high blood pressure, depression, and other health issues long after the pandemic has ended.
We’re a sleep-deprived society in general. This pandemic has amplified anxiety and stress to an inflection point, impacted by uncertainty and the barrage of information directed towards us.
That uncertainty is being carried with you into your bed and affecting how you sleep and, thus, how alert you feel in the morning. Here are a few things people should know about coronasomnia and how to overcome sleepless nights.
Get bright light early
People need to get back to the basics about sleep that we somewhat take for granted. It is about going to bed and getting up at the same time every day and getting sunlight or bright light in the first one or two hours after waking up. These are all things to remind your internal clock when it’s time to be awake. People should also perform a nighttime routine 30 to 60 minutes before bed to wind down and signal to their brain; it’s time to sleep. Even if people are sleeping at a different time than usual, just by doing a routine is a reminder; it’s classical conditioning that says, ‘stuff is happening that typically happens when I go to bed.’
Give your system a break
Our sympathetic nervous system is on overdrive with all that’s going on, and that is why people are having trouble sleeping. We need to do things that relax our sympathetic nervous system.
While many people think exercise helps, timing is everything. At night, a person’s core body temperature drops and dips throughout the night, and when you exercise, you elevate your core body temperature. Exercising is fantastic, but it should be done in the morning or at least three hours before going to bed.
Have a clear mind
It is also important to use mental health strategies. Set aside, ‘worry time.’ Take 10 minutes to write down all the things racing through your mind. This typically should occur one to two hours before bedtime is another room—doing it too close to bedtime may be associated with increased agitation and trouble falling asleep. Writing your thoughts helps to clear them from your mind. You can even rip the paper out, crumble it up and throw it away in a symbolic act of dumping the thoughts.
Avoid news overload
At some point, you have to stop watching and listening to the news. It's essential to keep up with what's going on in the world, but if you’re lying in bed and the last thing you do before you go to bed is check in with your 24-hour news station, it is not going to help with the sympathetic nervous system. Not to mention that the light from the TV itself is telling your brain to be awake, but now your mind is exposed to incredibly anxiety-provoking content.
The right kind of noise can help
Some people feel exhausted, but when they turn off the lights, their thoughts continue to race. The worries may be over something as massive as the state of the world or as personal as how to pay bills. We need to engage the mind just enough, but not so that it's stimulated, but so that it's less likely to go through continually looping thoughts. This is where noise works. Use a desk fan or white noise machine.
Why alcohol won’t work
While individuals have been self-medicating with alcohol even before the pandemic, it is essential to avoid using beer, wine, or spirits for their sedative properties. People might feel like they fall asleep more quickly, but it won’t be restful. Alcohol will prevent lying awake for hours when you get in bed, but it changes the whole way your sleep architecture looks. Alcohol use too close to bedtime decreases rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, which is one of the deep, restorative sleep stages, early in the night. Later in the night, as the alcohol wears off, there is an increase in REM sleep—called REM rebound, which is associated with vivid dreams and nightmares—which is, in turn, more anxiety-provoking. Alcohol is also associated with increased awakenings during the night, which is further disruptive to your sleep.
Reference:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7274952/
Picture source: Prashant Singh
Published 11/14/2020
Dr. Amar Singh, MD, and Dr. Poonam Singh, MD, are board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Obesity Medicine. They specialize in preventing, treating, and reversing chronic diseases using an evidence-based holistic approach. They are specifically interested in weight management, hormone re-balancing, and longevity. The American College of Physicians has recognized them as Fellows, FACP, for their excellence and contributions made to both medicine and the broader community. They enjoy teaching, volunteering, and advocating for their patients. Their mission is to share simple, effective, and proven strategies that lead to meaningful, sustainable, and long-lasting well-being.
