5 Ways to Prioritize Sleep During a Pandemic

Lately COVID-19 has been taking over outside our homes and inside our minds. We’re trying to focus on keeping up with our regular day-to-day schedules as much as possible while keeping healthy and social distancing in every way possible. We’re washing our hands for 20+ seconds but we’re forgetting about the other significant way to maintain our health and take care of ourselves: sleep.

Here are 5 ways you can prioritize sleep right now:

Power Down 

There has never been a better time to turn off devices and get away from the news. About 90% of us interact with a device within 15 minutes of going to bed and waking up. Using electronic devices before bedtime can be physiologically and psychologically stimulating in ways that can adversely affect your sleep. TVs, tablets, smartphones, laptops, or other electronic devices before bed creates chaos in the body. Here is what happens: your body’s internal clock (aka, your circadian rhythm) is delayed, suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and makes it more difficult to fall asleep. The more electronic devices that a person uses in the evening, the harder it is to fall asleep or stay asleep. Over time these effects can add up to a significant, chronic deficiency in sleep.

Rise with the Sun

Simply put, our bodies are programmed to rest when it gets dark and rise to be productive when the sun comes up. Another benefit to waking early? You can make time for yourself - exercise, meditate, eat a healthy breakfast, prepare for your work day, etc. Plus, our biological timekeeper is the sun. Exposing your body to the sun early in the morning will not only help alert the brain that it’s time to wake up and go, but it will also help you to fall into a more restful, deeper sleep later on. 

Maintain Consistency

A regular sleep schedule will help you get in sync with your natural circadian rhythm. A consistent morning wake time and an evening bedtime will help you fall - and stay - asleep. Check out this infographic from Northwestern Medicine for a breakdown of healthy sleep habits needed at every age.

Exercise

Taking care of our bodies and minds, no doubt, will lead to better and deeper sleep cycles overall. “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality,” says Charlene Gamaldo, M.D. , Medical Director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital. Why? Moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow wave sleep - the deep sleep we need to rejuvenate - we can get. Exercise can also help to stabilize your mood and decompress the mind, “a cognitive process that is important for naturally transitioning to sleep,” says Gamaldo.

Meditate

Meditation has grown in popularity over the last decade, and for good reason. Not only can meditation improve your sleep quality, but it may also help reduce blood pressure and ease pain, anxiety, and depression. Meditation is an accessible, budget-friendly practice that everyone can try—insomnia sufferers of different ages respond well to the practice, including older adults. If you're having trouble sleeping and want to give meditation a try, check out one of our favourite meditation apps, Headspace. A bonus - they have a section just for falling and staying asleep!

Global pandemics like COVID-19 take a look at all of us mentally and physically. Sleep is still one of the most important factors in maintaining good health. Gives these tips a try during these much needed times of self-care.