The newly discovered coronavirus had killed only a couple of dozen people when Feixiong Cheng started trying to find a treatment
He knew time was of the essence Cheng a knowledge analyst at the Cleveland Clinic had seen similar coronaviruses tear through China and Saudi Arabia before sickening thousands and shaking the worldwide economy So in January his lab used AI to look for hidden clues within the structure of the virus to predict how it invaded human cells and what might stop it One observation stood out The virus could potentially be blocked by melatonin
Melatonins Effect on Coronavirus
Melatonin best referred to as the sleep hormone wasnt a clear think about halting an epidemic Its most familiar role is within the regulation of our circadian rhythms Each night as darkness falls it shoots out of our brain and into our blood inducing sleep
After he published his research though Cheng heard from scientists around the world who thought there could be something there too They noted that melatonin acts as a moderator to assist in keeping our self protective responses from going haywirewhich happens to be the essential problem that will quickly turn a light case of COVID 19 into a life threatening scenario
Cheng decided to dig deeper For months he and colleagues pieced together the info from thousands of patients who were seen at his center In results published last month melatonin continued to show itself People taking it had significantly lower odds of developing COVID 19 and significantly lower odds of dying from it Other researchers noticed similar patterns
In October a study at Columbia University found that incubated patients had better rates of survival if they received melatonin When President Donald Trump was flown to Reed National Military center for COVID 19 treatment his doctors prescribedin addition to a plethora of other experimental therapiesmelatonin
Eight clinical trials are currently ongoing around the world to see if these melatonin correlations are consistent Few other treatments are receiving this attention
If melatonin actually proves to assist people it might be the most cost effective and most readily accessible medicine to counter COVID 19 Unlike experimental drugs like Remdesivir and antibody cocktails melatonin is widely available within the US as an over the counter dietary supplement People could start taking it immediately
How Covid Affects Our Sleep
Several mysteries of how COVID 19 works converge on the question of how the disease affects our sleep and the way our sleep affects the disease The virus is capable of altering the fragile processes within our nervous system in many cases in unpredictable ways sometimes creating long term symptoms Better appreciating the ties between immunity and our nervous system might be central to understanding COVID 19and preventing it
Throughout the pandemic the department of neurology at Johns Hopkins University has been flooded with consultation requests for people affected by insomnia Roughly three quarters of individuals within the UK have had a change in their sleep during the pandemic consistent with the British Sleep Society and fewer than half are becoming refreshing sleep In the summer we were calling it COVID Somnia Salas says
Many peoples sleep continues to be disrupted by predictable pandemic anxieties But more perplexing symptoms are arising specifically among people that have recovered from COVID 19
When nerves are invaded and killed the damage is often permanent When nerves are miscommunicatingin ways in which come and gothat process is often treated modulated prevented and quite possibly cured
Although sleep cycles are often disturbed and damaged by the post infectious inflammatory process radiologists and neurologists arent seeing evidence that this is often irreversible And among the arsenal of the way to aim to reverse it are basic measures like sleep itself Adequate sleep also plays a neighborhood in minimizing the likelihood of ever getting into this whole nasty uncertain process
A central function of sleep is maintaining proper channels of cellular communication within the brain Sleep is usually likened to a kind of anti inflammatory cleansing process it removes waste products that accumulate during each day of firing Without sleep those by products accumulate and impair communication
Breaking the Cycle
Here the advantages of sleep extend throughout the body Sleep is vital for effective immune function and it also helps to manage metabolism including glucose and mechanisms controlling appetite and weight gain Miller says All of those bear directly on COVID 19 as risk factors for severe cases include diabetes obesity and apnea
Even within the short term getting enough deep slow wave sleep will optimize your metabolism and cause you to be maximally prepared do you have to fall ill These effects may even bear on vaccination Flu shots appear to be simpler among people that have slept well within the days preceding getting one
All of this leads back to the essential question Should we simply inform people to get more sleep
The only health advice was given more than being told to scrub your hands is being told to sleep more But its a cliché for a reason Sleep fortifies and prepares us for any given crisis but especially when the times are short and cold and other people have little else they could do to empower and protect themselves Monotonous days can slip people into depression and substance abuse Depression and anxiety make insomnia worse and therefore the cycle degenerates
This may be where melatoninor other approaches to enhancing the potent effects of sleepcould be consequential Russel Reiter a cell biology professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio is convinced that widespread treatment of COVID 19 with melatonin should already be standard practice In May Reiter and colleagues published a plea for melatonin to be immediately given to everyone with COVID 19
Treatments for Insomnia
Acute insomnia often requires no treatment and symptoms usually go away on their own or can be cured by practicing better sleep habits People who regularly suffer from insomnia and feel that their symptoms are impacting their daily lives should seek treatment by scheduling an appointment with their primary care physician Oftentimes treatment for secondary insomnia requires treating the underlying medicalpsychiatric condition that is causing insomnia as a side effect
Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
Cognitive and behavioral approaches may be taken that help a person change behaviors that are causing insomnia and others that help promote better sleep practices including relaxation and meditation techniques breathing exercises learning to associate the bedroom with sleep and sex only keeping a regular bedtimewake schedule and other sleep hygiene practices
Medical Treatments for Insomnia
There are over the counter and prescription sleep aid medications available to help with symptoms of insomnia However it is not recommended to use over the counter medications as their effectiveness and side effects may vary and be undesired It is best to discuss possible sleep aids with your primary care physician Typical medications for insomnia include benzodiazepine hypnotics non benzodiazepine hypnotics and melatonin receptor agonists
If another sleep disorder is the underlying cause of your poor quality sleep troubles a sleep study may be necessary to diagnose and treat the sleep disorder
If you live in the state of Alaska and believe that a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea restless leg syndrome or narcolepsy made be causing you to experience insomnia schedule a call for a free consultation by clicking the link below with Alaska Sleep Clinic
As the quest for sleep falls only more to individuals many are left to think outside the box That has included for some dabbling in hypnosis
Hypnotherapy is meant to slow down the rapid firing of our nerves Similar to a guided meditation or deep breathing the intent is to stop people from overthinking and allow sleep to happen naturally
Regardless of whom you trust to help relieve you of consciousness now seems like an ideal time to get serious about the practice Draw boundaries for yourself and sleep like your life depends on it Hopefully it wont
