Information overload

If you’re anything like me, you might be inundated with COVID information from Newsfeed, Zoom call and WhatsApp with friends and colleagues, and well-meaning articles shared by your partner. Some content is clearly helpful and others a total waste of time.

Or, you’re in the frontlines, rushing patients to the hospital, admitting and treating patients, cleaning in “essential business” buildings, delivering our Amazon packages, our mail, bagging our groceries. Things are absolutely overwhelming and you’re thoroughly exhausted after your shifts. It’s hard to turn your mind off even when you’re lying in bed, trying to rest.

When our lives have been turned upside down, the coping skills that used to help don’t anymore. The same can be said of our sleep routine, especially when our schedules are also off.

As a therapist, I’ve adapted these tried and true sleep habits that will hopefully help us with this continued transition. Sleep is essential because our mind and our body need rest.

Here are 11 tips to improve sleep problems, further adapted given our health crisis:

“Wind down” before bedtime – When your mind is still reliving the day or you were busy catching up with your family right before you crash into bed, you really haven’t prepared your mind for rest. For an hour before bedtime, do something calming and mindless, like light book reading, crocheting, listening to soothing music, taking a warm bath, or moving through gentle yoga. Avoid blue light from screens as they disrupt your body’s production of melatonin. Practice relaxation and breathing exercises to help clear your mind and lull you to sleep.
Jot down your to-do’s and worries - If you’re laying in bed and your mind starts to ruminate, keep a notepad nearby for quick notes. Now is not the time to start writing a novel; rather it is the practice of letting go of your thoughts and worries. The paper will hold them for you; you can refer back to it when you wake up.
Keep bed only for sleep – Do not stream Netflix, talk on the phone, scroll through FB, review work or solve problems while in bed. Go to bed only when you are drowsy and ready for sleep.
If you don’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, get up – Go to another area of your house and do something relaxing until you feel drowsy. This is especially true if you woke up in the middle of the night and you have trouble falling back asleep. If it helps, keep warm and comfortable clothing nearby to help you transition out of bed. When you only come back to bed feeling tired, this will help associate your bed with sleep and rest.
Aim for your optimal sleep amount - While the word on the street is that an average of eight hours of sleep is optimal for the human body, what is optimal depends on your body. Some people need 10. Others are happy with six. Aim for the amount that would help you function during your waking hours.
Have a regular bedtime and rising time – You might be working 12-hour shifts or shifts that are unlike your usual schedule. To the extent that you can go to sleep and wake up at around the same time everyday, your body has less adjusting to do. If in general, your sleep schedule is way off, incrementally shift your sleep and wake time by 30-min until you’ve adapted to the new schedule. After your body has adapted to sleeping by 12am and waking up at 8am, you can make another 30-min incremental change by going to sleep at 11:30pm and waking up by 7:30am, for example.
Limit naps – A midday nap as short as 10 minutes can improve mood and mental performance. However, limit your nap to 15 minutes and don’t take it later than 4pm, or the nap may interfere with your sleep cycle.
Stay active during the day – Sheltering-in-place has changed up the way people are working out. Or, with your busier than normal shifts, you might be doubling the number of steps on your Fitbit. If your routine is very sedentary, leave the house on a nice walk, run on a less busy street or jump onto the many at-home workouts on YouTube. On the contrary, if your feet hurt at the end of the day from too much commotion, do some gentle stretching to help your body wind down.
Decrease stimulants – Avoid smoking, drinking coffee, caffeinated tea or soda after 4pm.
Limit water intake before bedtime – Perhaps you already have the habit of needing to take a leak in the middle of the night. If you have a full bladder, it will disrupt your sleep. Drink less liquids and go to the bathroom one last time before you climb into bed.
Inspect your bedroom environment – Depending on whether you or your partner need to be quarantined or whether you’re concerned about infecting your family as a frontline worker, you might be adapting to a sleeping arrangement. Look around the space where you’ve camped: Is the space dark and free of noise? Is your bed comfortable? Is the room temperature comfortable and preferably a bit on the cool side? Do you feel safe and serene in this environment? If not, what would help create that sense of safety and security? Add images that are calming – a picture of your family, a pet, an outdoor scene, a comforting item, a poem. Move small furniture around to make this space yours. We’ll be here for a while.

Taking small steps

Just because I listed 11 steps does not mean you have to do all 11. I’m guessing you’re already doing some of these things and there are also areas that you can improve on. Honestly, it’s still a work in progress for me.

Getting good and adequate sleep is essential for our immune system right now. I hope this helps your mind and body recover to face the day ahead.

Warmly,
Ada