Families are finding it harder to sleep at night. Throughout the duration of the pandemic, you’ve probably noticed that you or your family has been having trouble sleeping. Quite frankly, this is a global phenomenon that a lot of people are experiencing.
Aside from all the fatigue and anxiety that this pandemic has brought, add to the list a surge in insomnia cases. As daily operations continue to shift and transition, it severely affects all the established routines people have had in the past. However, there is a way to help you and your family regain their sleeping schedule and improve sleep quality in the process.
The Threat of Coronasomnia
All the drastic changes you’ve made due to the pandemic have put your sleeping patterns in flux. In a way, those pre-pandemic movements that everyone used to have allowed some form of variety into their daily lives. Unfortunately, those have been virtually eliminated as the virus persists.
After more than a year of lockdowns and shelter-in-place measures, everyone’s lives have become so repetitive. What’s worse is the lack of boundaries between work and personal life. Many people are working irregular hours since everything can easily be accomplished from the comfort of their own homes.
The threat of “coronasomnia” is very much real and you should help your family fight it. If this issue continues for long, it can eventually lead to serious, long-term health complications like chronic illnesses and mental health problems.
Sleeping Soundly
As a strong mother and a partner, you can help implement significant household changes that will get rid of this looming threat. Usually, serious cases of insomnia require cognitive-behavioral therapy that effectively helps a person relearn how to sleep. Regardless, there are certain practices you can reinforce at home to counter “coronasomnia.”
Keep It Cool
Sleep studies have found that the circadian rhythm and body temperature are linked. The circadian rhythm is sort of like the body’s natural alarm clock. It helps to regulate when and how long you should sleep. It’s been observed that a person’s core body temperature decreases during periods of sleepiness.
Due to this discovery, certain devices have been developed to help aid the body’s circadian rhythm. Some technologies can help control the temperature of your bed to help you fall asleep faster or wake up at the right time. Simply regulating room temperatures at appropriate times can also affect sleep cycles. You could consider investing in these types of accessories to help your family sleep better at night.
Act Normal
The surge in insomnia is mainly caused by the disruptions brought by the pandemic. Try to re-establish everyone’s pre-pandemic routines. It helps you encourage your family to keep a routine and act like the global pandemic isn’t happening.
This means waking up and going to work or school at the right time. It has become effortless for everyone to sleep in or stay up late to accomplish more work, but avoid doing that as much as possible. Allow everyone to go through their schedules just as they normally would. Log in at work in the morning, have breaks at lunchtime, and get off in the afternoon. This simple trick can go a long way.
The Right Place
Everyone needs to have a designated workplace for all their professional tasks or schoolwork. Never use the bedroom, especially the bed, as a substitute for the office or classroom. This will program your brain to associate your supposed place of rest with work and stress.
Convert different parts of the house into productive, functional zones for your family. Set up a home office and at-home classroom that everyone can work in. Repurpose other rooms in the house that aren’t used frequently, like the guest room or basement. You could even create an alternative workplace outdoors. Ultimately, the bedroom should remain off-limits during business and school hours.
Take It Slow
Finally, as everyone ends their day, make sure to avoid any unnecessary stress. Just keep the night calm and relaxing for your family. Have dinner at the right time and talk about each other’s day. This can definitely serve as an outlet that will help relieve any stress and anxiety building up due to the pandemic.
Approximately half an hour before bedtime, everyone should already have their lights out. Don’t check social media or the news in the evening as well. Avoid using phones, tablets, computers, and other devices that can emit blue light. While it can be quite hard to do, this is necessary. It will help stimulate melatonin production, which is a natural hormone that puts everyone to sleep.
Good Night
The global pandemic is already coming up to its second year. At first, it was much easier and more motivating to find avenues to cope with all the unfortunate circumstances. Now, people have lost that drive, which has led to this spike in sleeplessness.
While the promise of a vaccine rollout soon should be a beacon of hope for everyone, you and your family shouldn’t be losing sleep waiting for that day to come. It’s gonna arrive sooner than you think. For now, it’s much more important for everyone to have some much-needed, good-quality sleep.
