Covid-19 has changed the idea of routine upside down. The entire world has been affected because of this pandemic and started keeping social distancing by staying at home. Staying at home is considered the smartest thing due to Covid-19 because health is wealth.
Staying at home is safe on the one side because one has got the chance to relax their mind and body; on the other hand, it has also affected our daily routine and scheduled sleep. Consequently, most people have fallen into a sedentary lifestyle by spending time on Netflix, stressing about the future, and eating junk food at night.
From the medical point of view, this routine is going to disturb us once we would be back in our old schedule. The good news is, it is possible to practice a healthy, energetic, and super lifestyle by not effecting or influencing the sleep routine. The following are a few tips for keeping our sleep healthy and in the quarantine.
Schedule sleep routine & Stick to it
Before Covid-19, the world used to have a proper life pattern. People used to depend on alarm for the next day. However, due to quarantine, we have kept our alarm clock inside the drawer. Now, This is the time to take that out and reset the proper sleep routine and make sure to stick with it. Alarms are the easiest way to keep us on the schedule. This strategy will help the one to stick to the plan and get the proper sleep without disturbing the usual routine.
Stay away from social media/ Turn off all devices.
Social media has become significant in this pandemic to get connected with everyone. However, it drastically hit our sleep as we stay awake the whole night and sleep all day. When the human eyes use the electronic devices, the light hits the photo-receptor; consequently, a hormone called melatonin production gets delayed and disturbs our circadian rhythm. We should dedicate specific time to social media; however, one has to make sure that all devices should be unplugged before going to bed.
Choose healthier food/drinks.
It is the fact that being stuck at home for so long can cause over-eating and lead us to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. However, this quarantine has provided us with super-duper opportunities to maintain our health and choose healthier food. It will not only make the body physically fit, but also it will revamp our sleep routine properly. One should try to adopt a portion control strategy where he can have protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, veggies as per our body health and should drink a lot of water instead of consuming soda drink. This healthy lifestyle will change the body, mind entirely.
Manage stress properly
This pandemic has brought a lot of anxiety and distress for the people. The stress is inevitable as most of people have lost their jobs due to economic crises. Dealing with stress has become a challenge for everyone out there because it only not hits the body but also affects the sleep routine. Stress can be handled appropriately by taking a few measures like walking in-home, exercise, jogging, cardio, dance, and cooking your favourite meal. However, all stress cannot wipe away physically. Meditation and prayers can help the one who is quite overwhelmed and worried about the future. One can also talk to the friend or family member about what he is going through. Remember to treat yourself with love and care in this stressful time.
Apply Lavender/ Chamomile Oil
Applying essential oils on the body can help to fall asleep real quickly. Lavender and Chamomile oils are quite popular essential oils. Both have calming effects and make one sleeps faster and longer. These oils also reduce anxiety and relax the muscles and their aroma help to get great sleep. Applying the oils to the shoulders, neck, and back, along with a brief massage helps relax the nerves and lulls you into a peaceful sleep. This is not just some homemade remedy, it is often recommended and prescribed by doctors while advising patients about sleep-related issues
Have an early dinner
Lying down just after dinner may cause some reflux symptoms like heartburn and discomfort. Timings of dinner can affect sleep so, it is better to have dinner between 7 to 8 p.m. to fall asleep quickly. Having a late dinner not only leaves you with less time for digestion, it also brings about an extra burden on the body, hence making sleep tough to come by. Your body can either focus on trying to sleep, or digesting food. Asking it to do both at the same time is an unnecessary burden
Yoga/Stretching before bed
Yoga or stretching are the best options to get great sleep. They not only relax the muscles, De-stress you but also increase blood flow to get the quality sleep with sweet dreams. There are so many apps /video available for yoga and stretching one can pick anything suitable for him/her and start practising to do it daily. It will give amazing results in a week. Yoga done at any time of day is quite beneficial, but a 30-minute session of Yoga about 2 hours before one plans to sleep is especially effective in preparing the muscles for sleep.
Avoid Caffeine/ Nicotine
Caffeine can influence sleep by keeping us awake for too long. Therefore, if one tries to fix sleep patterns, it is important to avoid caffeine before going to sleep. Nicotine also impacts one’s sleep as it has stimulating effects that are responsible for potential sleep problems and insomnia. One should also avoid consuming nicotine before going to bed to get better sleep. An excess of everything is bad. Taking a cup of tea or coffee in the early hours of the day is understandable, but it must be avoid in the evening or night so that they do not influence the sleep pattern in a negative way.
Read a Book
Reading a book before going to bed is considered stress reducer. It also distracts the mind with new information/ news story and helps to take off one’s troubles.
In a nutshell, we can say that quarantine has brought a lot of anxiety, stress and worries on the other side, it has allowed us to work on our body and mind. So, we should be optimistic and should work on improving the things in which we have been struggling for so long.
Don’t forget to practice habits just because you’re stuck inside. It can be very easy to neglect healthy habits when you are feeling unmotivated and unproductive, but embrace this unique time to improve your lifestyle. Use this quarantine to improve your health and start becoming the best version of yourself. By following these five simple tips, you’ll make it through this difficult time in a healthy and positive way!
At Alaska Sleep Clinic, our website is listed by www.Feedspot.com as one of the Top 5 Sleep Education websites in the World, with over 5 million people visiting our sleep education section for answers to their sleep issues in both 2018 and 2019. Don’t miss any of our daily blogs by signing up now.
