An Unprecedented Global Pandemic

It goes without saying at this point, but COVID has caused so much damage to just about every part of our lives.  Not since the Spanish Flu have we faced a pandemic of this magnitude, and hopefully never will again.  The uncertainty surrounding the health and safety of ourselves and our families has taken its toll on us, both physically and mentally.  But something has changed since we last faced these great pandemics of the past, as we have developed into a much more social and interconnected society, leaving us much less equipped to deal with the sudden and abrupt forced isolation.

This has led to some unintended, and much less obvious consequences in our daily lives, maybe the most significant being our ability to get a good night’s sleep.  Whether it’s racing minds full of worries, or the increasingly blurred line between our work and personal lives, studies show that over 70% of people feel their sleep schedules have been negatively impacted, a figure that spans across all age groups.

The Effects of Poor Sleep can be Devastating and Widespread

Now at first you might think working remotely would actually help improve your sleep, as eliminating your commute and nightly chores would give you more time for shuteye.  Well, studies suggest this just isn’t the case…  “What I’m seeing is an increase in sleep disruption in getting to sleep and staying asleep related to the overall increased collective stress,” says Allison Siebern, a professor at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences.

This deterioration in our sleep can have far greater effects than just feeling a bit sluggish the next morning, as sleep is what helps repair and recharge our bodies to take on each day.  A good night’s sleep can help restore your immune system, improve your mood and lower stress, all of which become increasingly important during times like this.  This creates a bit of cruel irony, as sleep can help resolve many of the problems that prevent you from getting it in the first place.

Getting Back on Track

So we know sleep is important, but what exactly can we do to improve it?  It all starts with identifying what changed in our daily routines, and how those changes are impacting our sleep.  Then we need to get ourselves back on a set schedule by adding some natural “anchors” to our days, helping us correct and remove these new sleep impairing habits: 

Living in a New World of Stress

Problem:  As it has been stated (and overstated) above, these new feelings of stress, uncertainty and isolation are at uncharted levels, the likes of which we have never experienced before.  This has our minds racing throughout the day and carrying on into the night, making it extremely difficult to relax and fall asleep. 

Advice:  Unfortunately, there’s no magic cure to make these issues go away, but we can do our best to try and clear our minds of them at night.  From meditation to breathing techniques, there are many great suggestions out there to calm your mind.  However, I find that instead of trying to divert your attention away from these issues, it can be beneficial to fully embrace your concerns by giving yourself a designated “worry time”.  By setting aside part of your evening to worry freely about all these issues, you will hopefully give them less thought during the day knowing, that you have a reserved time for them.  This worry time then culminates with using your “worry journal”, in which you physically write down everything that is swirling around in your head, allowing you to transfer these thoughts from your mind to a piece of paper.  Knowing they are recorded somewhere and are there for you to pick up right where you left off tomorrow should help you release some of the stress.  Follow this up with a relaxing activity and you should be ready to fall asleep with a clear mind.

Loss of Boundaries of the Standard Work Day

Problem: With only 3.4% of Americans estimated to have been working remotely before this pandemic, those of us who were fortunate enough to keep our jobs were thrust into a completely new and unfamiliar situation with little to no training.  This brought with it a number of unforeseen challenges, none of which are more blatant than the fact that it’s all too easy to keep the workday going.  With our laptops always within reach and our bedrooms doubling as our work stations, it has become all too easy to keep working past our standard cutoff time and well into the night.  Without stopping at an appropriate hour, our bodies don’t have enough time to decompress and let go of the workday stresses, making falling asleep a real challenge.

Advice: Our workdays used to end through a natural cutoff event, such as having to head home or going to pick up the kids.  The commute provided a natural window to transition from work mode to personal mode, a time when you could let go of the day’s worries.  Therefore it’s recommended to incorporate events into your day that physically signify it’s over (even if you’re not going anywhere), such as walking the dog or listening to a podcast.  These types of things will provide a signal to your body that it’s time for relaxation mode and prepare to drift peacefully off to sleep at night.

Late Night Screen Time

Problem: Even if we are able to power down our laptops at a reasonable hour, we tend to spend the rest of the evening staring at screens anyways (computers, phones, tablets, etc.).  This was already a growing problem, but it has only been made worse with little else to do while being stuck at home during the COVID pandemic.  The blue light emitted from these devices suppresses the body’s natural melatonin production, throwing your circadian rhythm (and with it your natural sleep schedule) out of whack. 

Advice: Get into the routine of ending your night with activities that limit blue light exposure, such as reading an old fashioned physical book or listening to a podcast.  Reading in bed can be a particularly good way to help yourself drift off to sleep, as it provides enough mental stimulation to engage your mind but not too much that it gets it racing.  While it’s recommended to read in bed, just be sure that the light isn’t bothering your partner and ruining their ability to sleep.  If you do feel the need to check your phone, make sure it’s on a “night mode” setting to try and reduce the brightness and blue light emission. 

Poor Dietary Habits

Problem: Whether it’s now having access to your fully stocked snack cabinet or going for that extra cup of coffee to get you through the day, being stuck at home has also changed our dietary habits.  While the effects of late-night caffeine go without saying, eating large meals closer to bed (especially your traditional “comfort foods”) can also make falling asleep harder, as instead of being in a relaxed state your body is working hard on digesting the food.  Alcohol consumption also has quite a negative impact on your sleep, so think twice before pouring that 2nd (or 3rd) glass of wine.  Although it may help you fall asleep quicker, once its effects wear off you’re likely to wake up throughout the night and feel exhausted the next morning.  

Advice: Try and recreate the dietary habits you had before the pandemic by implementing hard cutoff times for snacks and meals, and make sure that last cup of coffee is before 3pm (it can take 8 hours for your body to fully digest the caffeine).  Do your best to reserve alcohol for weekends and celebrations (party pooper, I know), as although it may seem like it’s helping you cope with your worries, it’s only making things worse.

Missing out on Daytime Exercise

Problem: You would think that working from home would give you more time to get your daily workout in, but ironically these lifestyle changes have also had the opposite effect.  Though we now likely have the time, it can be hard to find the motivation to workout, an issue only made harder with gyms closing their doors again.  Your body needs this daily exercise to set itself up for a solid night of sleep, tiring itself out during the day so that it can relax and recover at night.  

Advice: Try and get into a routine of starting your day with exercise, gradually building up from a quick 10-15 minute session into your normal (pre-COVID) workouts.  Although it can be hard to drag yourself out of bed, working out first thing in the morning will prevent the responsibilities and inevitable issues that arise during the day from interfering with your exercise.  Continue to remind yourself that physical activity will not only help you fall asleep, but also help you release much of the pent up stress and anxiety you have.  If you choose to go for a later day workout, make sure it’s not too close to bedtime as you need to give yourself time to calm down before going to sleep.

Erratic Sleep Schedules

Problem: A pretty common misconception is the thought that as long as you budget enough time for the doctor recommended 7-9 hours per night, it doesn’t really matter when you got to sleep/wake up. Well think again, as our bodies run on natural “internal alarm clocks”, so straying away from this will impact your quality of sleep.  With our daily schedules being thrown completely out of whack, so to have our natural sleep and wake times.  

Advice:  Even if you weren’t on a solid “pre-pandemic” sleep schedule, this allows you to start creating some good habits.  Structure your nights to include things such as a “power-down hour”, signaling to your body that it’s time to transition to bedtime mode.  It’s also important not to take naps that are too long (no more than 20 minutes) or too late in the day (not after 2pm), as that will throw off your natural alarm clock.  While it may be tempting, don’t oversleep  (or abuse the snooze button), as waking up at a routine time is just as important as when you go to bed.  

Things will get better, but why wait…

While it may seem quite difficult at times, it’s important to continuously remind yourself that things will get better. Though we can’t do much to change the state of the world, we can work on trying to improve things that are within our control. By improving our sleep hygiene, and with it our ability to get a good night of sleep, you will be able to better manage and reduce much of the additional stresses and anxiety we are feeling right now. It’s also essential to find new ways of connecting with friends and family, as helping reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation will also help improve your sleep, and with it your overall health. Get other family members focused on improving their sleep as well, as this becomes a much easier task when we’re doing it with other people.

About the Author:

Jesse Clark is the owner and an avid user of the Night Nook, a new nighttime device that allows you to enjoy reading or going on your computer in bed without disturbing your sleeping partner. He, like so many others, was experiencing the difficulties of having a different sleep schedule than his significant other, with those issues being amplified while being stuck at home during the COVID pandemic. This led to months and months of research in the areas of sleep, nighttime routines and relationship health, which you can read more about on his Blog and Instagram.

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