COVID-19 STRESS: 5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Sleep Starting Tonight

by Susan D'Addario,
Certified Sleep Science Coach
Certified Mind Body Eating Coach
Licensed HeartMath Certified Coach

During this especially stressful time of COVID-19, challenges to get restorative sleep have increased exponentially. Now more than ever, it’s super important to get adequate and good quality ZZZ’s. Plain and simple, good sleep bolsters your immune system.
 
If you or someone you know is currently not sleeping well, please check out my 5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Sleep Starting Tonight!
 
1 Get sun/daylight exposure in the morning - Do this every day for approximately 30 minutes to set up the natural release of your sleep/wake cycle hormones including melatonin by night - the sleep hormone – and cortisol by early morning and daytime – the wake up hormone

If you’re inside during the day, sit by an open window. If you’re outside, walk around without sunglasses, and make sure to maintain physical distancing. You can also purchase a sun lamp.

2 Move your body - Any kind of enjoyable body movement during the day - walking, running, dancing, stretching, yoga, etc. is valuable to reduce stress, sleep better, as well, of course, to support optimal physical health.

Have a look at Personal Trainer Ian Chadwick’s No Equipment Needed Quarantine Workout (24/12):

• Complete 24 jumping jacks before each of the following exercises:

►12 squats

► 12 burpees

►12 lunges per leg

►12 pushups

►12 jump squats

Too easy? Do 2 or 3 sets. Or, feel free to reach out to Ian directly at ianchadwick.ic@gmail.com.

By the way, if you’d prefer to participate in live virtual work out classes, you might really enjoy Heart + Soul Fitness & Yoga.

3 Reduce alcohol/sugar consumption - While alcohol can knock us out and initially help you to fall asleep more quickly, come the wee hours of the night, it’s actually a major culprit in sleep disruption. Interrupted sleep can also occur due to eating excess daytime and evening sweets since nighttime blood sugar crashes can cause you to wake up.

In short, avoid alcohol, sugar/carbs minimally 2-hours before bedtime. Limit your alcohol consumption to 2 drinks per late afternoon/early eve. And, try your best to eat balanced meals to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

4 Dim lights and reduce blue light exposure in the evenings/nighttime - As it’s important to get strong light exposure in the mornings for better sleep, the other side of the coin is to dim lighting and block blue light by 8pm each evening. This will reinforce your brain to release nighttime melatonin which will make you feel sleepy and help to keep you asleep throughout the night.

With regard to dimming lights, this includes ambient room lighting, as well as, all monitors. The dimmer the lighting, the less cortisol - stress hormone - will be in your body at night. Remember, the last thing you want is cortisol circulating in your system in the eves and while sleeping.

Blue light blocking is imperative as well since blue light, which you don’t necessarily see but is in all white light, communicates to your brain that it’s daytime. If your brain believes it’s daytime when it’s really evening/nighttime, guess what happens? Melatonin release is delayed. Not good! 

You can greatly diminish evening blue light exposure by wearing blue light blocking glasses. Put them on by 8pm and wear them until you get into a dark, cool bedroom ready to go to sleep. 

5 Avoid COVID-19 updates past 7pm - Evening is the time to down-regulate. It’s truly best to turn off anything and everything that can cause distress. Instead, do things you enjoy that make you feel relaxed or laugh. Watch a favorite television program, listen to music, love yourself up – orgasm releases oxytocin – the love hormone -which supports relax, soak in an Epsom salt foot bath, meditate, draw, sing, etc.  

Among other things I use Gregorian chant to transport myself to a much more relaxed state. Try experimenting to find out what works best for you! 

Want to Know More? 

You can read more about better sleep techniques on my site at www.Back-To-Sleep.com. 

 Additionally, I’m happy to offer you a personalized, 30-min complimentary consult, Breakthrough to a Great Night’s Sleep, if that would be helpful. Feel free to contact me at susan@back-to-sleep.com to request your phone or video chat appointment.  

I hope you find this article to be helpful during this trying time!  

Please be safe and stay well my friends!

Susan

Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice.