Are You Experiencing Covid-somnia?

There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep. Homer, The Odyssey 

If your insomnia has gotten worse in the last year, you may have, what experts are calling, Covid-somnia. Statistics show a dramatic increase in sleep disorders spurred by the upheaval of the pandemic. Whether this is is your situation or you find sleep problematic in general, here are a three tips you may not have considered.

1. Weighted blanket. These five to thirty pound (based on your body weight) blankets create what occupational therapists call “deep-pressure stimulation.” This is thought to reduce stress by putting your focus on physical sensations instead of what may be swirling around in your head.

2. Melatonin. Experts suggest that melatonin signals the brain that it’s time to shut down for the night. The over-the-counter supplement is quite safe with minimal to no side effects for doses up to 10 milligrams.

3. Turn off your computer/phone. Avoid what David Neubauer, MD, calls “doom-scrolling,” the aimless intake of headlines and social posts, before bedtime. Even if your Facebook feed doesn’t rile you up, staring at the blue glow can inhibit melatonin secretion. Dr. Bhanu Kolla at the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Sleep Medicine thinks, however, that the content is much more detrimental than the light. 

Affirmation: I will sleep well tonight.

Coaching questions: If good sleep is eluding you, what will you do to help yourself get a good night’s sleep? If one of these tips don’t appeal or work for you, what else might you try? Exercise, change of diet, evaluate your sleep environment and routine? 

Photo by juan garcia on Unsplash