Pandemic and Sleep Disorders

Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, that is one of the essential factors required for a healthy lifestyle. It helps the body remain healthy and ward off diseases. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can also help protect your mental health as well as physical health. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. It’s forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information. However, If you are sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency also has been linked to depression, suicide, and risk-taking behavior.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of our lives, including how well we sleep at night. Loss of work, economic downfall, health concerns, and disruption to daily work has increased overall stress and anxiety among the common public. The prolonged stress of living through a pandemic can also lead to a multitude of physical symptoms, including constant headaches, memory lapses, and digestive problems. Recent studies show that there has been an escalation in the number of people with sleep issues due to the above reasons. Let’s see how to tackle these challenges and maintain healthy habits when it comes to our sleep routine.

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Why is Sleep Important?

Sleep is fundamentally triggered by a complex group of hormones that are active in the brain, and that respond to cues from the body itself and the environment. 

• Immune system: the immune system releases compounds known as cytokines during sleep, which are used to help fight inflammation and infection. If one does not receive enough sleep, then they will not have enough cytokines to protect them from getting sick.
• Weight management: sleep can help you keep your weight under control by regulating the hormones that affect your appetite and reducing your cravings for high-calorie foods.
• Reduce the chances of diabetes and heart risks: a regular sleep pattern can help to lower the levels of stress and inflammation to your cardiovascular system and keep your diabetes under control.
• Make you smarter: a good night of sleep will make you feel sharper, more attentive, and focused throughout the day.

The Effect of COVID-19 on Sleep

COVID-19 has impacted our sleep in many ways. Your daily routines and habits have likely been shifted upside down, you may be worried about all the uncertainty in the world, and your stress levels have probably skyrocketed. All these factors add up to a perfect formula for insomnia and other sleep-related problems. Unusual dreams and disruptive nightmares are other types of dilemmas that can be triggered by circumstances such as this pandemic. These will have an intense impact on the psychological and mental well-being of individuals across society. Studies in the West have shown that there has been a 40-50% increase in the sleeping pills prescription. 

How To Get Better Sleep?

Research says that adequate sleep is vital for keeping your immune system healthy. First, make sure that you allow yourself enough time to sleep. With enough sleep each night on our Nuvanna mattresses, you may find that you’re more content and more productive during the day.

• Manage stress and anxiety: control your thoughts, and ‘postpone’ them to the next day.
• Make an adequate plan: establish a pragmatic bedtime and stick to it every night.
• Schedule your sleep: try to keep the same sleep schedule on weeknights and weekends. 
• Be consistent: staying up late and sleeping in late on weekends can disrupt your body clock’s rhythm. Some studies have shown sleep deprivation makes people vulnerable to attention slips, reduced cognition, delayed reactions, and mood shifts.
• No to heavy workouts: avoid vigorous exercise right before going to bed.
• No to bright lights from the TV/phone screen. 
• Eat a healthy diet: do not eat heavy meals and drink alcohol within a couple of hours of bedtime. 
• Avoid nicotine and caffeine: nicotine(cigarettes) and caffeine(caffeinated soda, coffee, tea, and chocolate) are stimulants, and both substances can interfere with sleep. 
• Exercise during the day: be physically active every day.
• Relax: take a hot bath or use relaxation techniques before bed.

Worrying about getting enough sleep will give you more stress than before. So, instead of fussing over it, try to implement the steps above in your life and have a healthy sleep. 

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Reserve Your Bed For Sleep

Sleep experts often highlight the importance of creating an association between your bed and sleep. For this reason, it is recommended that sleep should be the only activity that takes place in your bed. Check out the various collections of soft, comfortable, and soul-soothing mattresses from Nuvanna. Designed by a material scientist with over 20 years of experience, Nuvanna mattress emphasizes three layers that address excess heat, motion transference, and poor support – the most critical factors that disrupt sleep. The cooling top layer of the Nuvanna mattress uses phase-changing gel particles to absorb heat and disperse it away from the body. The middle layer isolates motion and prevents it from being transferred across the surface of the bed. The bottom layer supports the entire length of the body and keeps the spine aligned. Together, the layers encourage uninterrupted sleep the whole night through.

Making lifestyle changes takes time and effort, but it’s worth it! You’ll sleep better and enjoy the many benefits that come with sleeping well, such as a healthy weight, a sharper mind, and more energy to face the day. You’ll also keep dangerous health conditions at bay. So starting today, make your sleep a primary goal!