Night-time Routine to Counter Covid-Insomnia
Covid waves have triggered another wave of Covid-insomnia in America. If you are feeling less sleepy at night, finding it difficult to fall asleep, Wakeup after a long slumber, and not feel refreshed. These might be the symptoms of Coronasomnia.
If you are facing the above-mentioned problems during these pandemic times, you are not alone. A study published in Uk has shown that every 1 out of 4 people is suffering from insomnia.
Another study published in the American Academy of sleep medicine has shown that Americans searched for “insomnia” more than 2.7 million times during the peak of the pandemic in 2020.
This sudden increase in sleep problems is due to increased stress and anxiety during lockdowns. one of the other reasons is the barrage of information and increased screen time to absorb all this information.
During lockdowns, normal routines and activities have been disrupted and played a major role in elevating the problem.
Plus being stuck in houses and overexposure to artificial lights has also caused complications in sleeping patterns.
But even after 2 years of this pandemic, sleep disorders are still rising. Why?
Right now the world is in pandemic fatigue or burnout, which is negatively impacting sleep. WFH culture, lack of professional timings, homeschooling, and not being able to go out to our favorite places has contributed to the problem.
Even though eateries, schools, and public places are open now, many events are still being held virtually,
Humans need to be working in the daytime and sleeping at night, WFH culture has forced us to work and sleep through weird hours, resulting in our circadian rhythms getting out of the proper cycle. An improper circadian cycle can affect our eating habits, digestive fires, and most important immune response.
What should you do to cure insomnia?
First of all, throw those sleeping pills away and focus on restoring our master clock, because when the master clock breaks, everything falls apart.
According to Ayurveda, sleep is the most crucial essential of life, we need sleep to restore and rejuvenate our body. Every emotion and sense of our life depends on sleep.
To treat insomnia one needs to understand the connection between the mind and the body. Sleep is important to balance “Ojas”, master energy that coordinates the mind with the body.
The quality of our sleep depends on the disconnection of our mind from the body. to get quality sleep one must relax and empty your mind, so the body can relax. partial disconnection keeps the body active even if you are asleep. this kind of sleep is the predominant cause of bodily dysfunction, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and frequent inflammation.
Be physically fit and active.
By physical fitness I mean, you should be sleeping in proper body posture with proper breathing. The best posture for sleeping is to sleep on your left side. sleeping on your left side keeps the digestive juices in the stomach, reducing heartburn, acidity, and other digestive issues.
Deep and long breathing with a diaphragm also promotes a sense of rest in the body and mind. when you sleep on your sides with a pillow between your legs and your head elevated. this position helps in slow and long breathing providing optimum oxygen supply.
keep an eye on your snoring.
Occasional snoring can be ignored, but if you are snoring regularly it is an indication of lack of oxygen during your sleep. one of the most common reasons to snore is falling asleep immediately after a long tiring day. our body needs to adjust itself before falling asleep. So what should you do?
Set up an evening routine.
I’m going to share my evening routine that helped in my sleeplessness.
keep your electronics off after dinner.
Keep 2 hours between your dinner and bedtime. Once you are done with your dinner it’s time to prepare for rest. my best method is reading something peaceful. after a slow walk, I read something peaceful that can fill my mind with positive thoughts and vibes.
Keep your sheets clean.
According to the national sleep foundation, clean and pleasant smelling sheets help people fall asleep faster. So change your sheets every day. or you can use incense or essential oil diffusers to freshen up the environment.
Meditate or visualize your goals.
Meditating and visualizing restful imagination in your mind eases your subconscious from worries.
You can imagine a nice time with your friends or family or your favorite beach vacation, it could be anything that can calm the mind.
Set up the right temperature.
Drink a glass of lukewarm water. This not only cured my heartburn issue but also cured my other gut-related problems. Drinking warm water before bed not only keeps you hydrated during your sleep but also dissolves the dinner residuals in your gut.
many people avoid drinking water before bed because they feel it could make them urinate during the night and ruin their sleep. But it is not important to drink a glass full. just dring according to your need. even two gulps are enough. In general, listen to your body.
Turn on the Airconditioner or fan. keeping the cool room can help you stay comfortable despite body temperature fluctuations during sleep.
Another plus point of fan and Ac is white noise. White noise can block other noises that might keep you awake. But don’t turn on those youtube videos with sleep noises, just rely on the fan noise of your AC.
Take natural herbs to calm your mind and improve your quality of sleep.
Some of my personal reccomendations are
Bacopa monnieri
Withania somnifera
Convulvulus pluricaulis
Nardostachys jatamans
Natural treatment of any type of insomnia is totally possible. all we need to do is to change our behavior and identify and treat underlying causes and most importantly change our mindset towards sleep. Always remember sleep is as important as food, water, and sex, so don’t ignore those nap urges.
