How to get a better night's sleep in the coronavirus pandemic
Case numbers, lockdowns, exposure sites, daily press conferences, empty toilet paper shelves, North Face Jackets.
If any of these have caused you stress or anxiety over the past year-and-a-half, and if that stress is impacting your sleep, you are not alone.
Many Australians, and people around the globe, are increasingly struggling with their sleep.
Dubbed ‘coronasomnia’, this adjacent sleep pandemic is not an inflated, anecdotal phenomenon. A study shows 46 per cent of people are currently having difficulty sleeping, up from around 25 per cent prior to the pandemic.
Although the pandemic affects all of us in some way, everyone is experiencing it unique to themselves. A frontline nurse has a very different set of daily challenges than an aged care resident.
Employment changes, routine upsets, isolation and separation from family, unhealthy eating and drinking habits and moving less are now daily factors that affect us all in varying degrees. And they all can have a negative impact on our sleep.
Why is this important?
Take it from us; a good night's sleep is quite literally life changing. Sleep impacts every aspect of a person's health. And as we continue to face the reality of a global pandemic, quality rest is more important than ever.
Sleep is essential to a healthy, functioning immune system, helping your body fight off viruses. A good night's rest will also help to reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood and alleviate the symptoms of depression.
How can we help improve your sleep during the pandemic?
Unfortunately, there is no magic switch to turn off the pandemic, and it’s consequential stress. So hearing that more sleep will aid in stress relief might seem completely useless.
But there are practical steps you can take to help get a better night’s rest and improve your health, during this stressful time and beyond.
1. Turn off your screens
The pandemic has increased almost everybody’s screen time.
Zoom calls are now the norm for work meetings, birthday parties and more. Meanwhile, when living in lockdown or quarantine, there’s nothing quite like a Netflix binge to pass the time. And though we’re not judging (how great was The Queens Gambit?!), those extra hours in front of the telly/computer/iPad/phone are not helping you get to sleep.
The blue light that these devices emit tell your brain that it’s time to wake up, disrupting your body’s natural sleep cycle.
If you’re struggling with coronasomnia, make sure to develop a nighttime routine that involves putting away your screens at least an hour before bed. Try reading, stretching, or listening to music or podcasts as an alternative form of entertainment as you get ready for bed.
2. Pillow talk
It’s one of the smaller components of the bed setup, but your pillow is doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to helping you sleep right.
Your pillow provides 30 per cent of the support required to keep your body correctly and comfortably aligned throughout the night.
If you’re experiencing insomnia, a great first step to a good night’s rest is to upgrade your pillow.
A high quality pillow that suits your needs can help with a number of sleep concerns that may be contributing to your bad sleep. You can expect relief from neck, shoulder and back pain, respiratory issues such as coughing, and even snoring. (Though that last one may be more of a relief to your partner, than you!)
Not sure exactly what you want from a pillow? At Life Changing Beds, we can help you select the right pillow for your specific needs, ensuring your comfort night after night.
3. Reassess your mattress
The average person spends approximately a third of their life in bed. But many people are sleeping on a mattress that isn’t quite right for them, which can exacerbate insomnia.
We don’t want you to toss and turn your way through that third of your life in bed. We specialise in finding the perfect mattress pair to help you sleep better every night, pandemic and beyond.
Our Natural Soy mattress range has options for everyone. The open cell foam provides excellent breathability, meaning you won’t overheat overnight, and relieves pressure in key areas.
If you’re experiencing more extreme symptoms, or looking for an even more customised sleeping solution, an adjustable bed may be right for you. Adjustable beds and mattresses provide the ultimate tailored sleeping solution, easily adjusted to fit your exact specifications.
An adjustable bed is an ideal solution for a person who is suffering from coronasomnia, even if they live with an underlying medical condition or disability. An adjustable mattress and bed can improve sleep quality by reducing acid reflux and heartburn, reducing swelling and cramping in legs and arms, relieving chronic pain, particularly in the lower back, and improving respiratory conditions.
Don’t lose (more) sleep over this
It doesn’t matter how relaxed you are, or how much lavender oil you diffuse into the air; if your sleep setup is subpar, you’re going to have a tough time getting to sleep.
At Life Changing Beds, we can guide you through every step of evaluating and upgrading your sleep setup. Using our exclusive pressure mapping technology, and more than 35 years of expertise, we can match you with the ideal mattress and/or bed and pillow.
As the old adage goes, let's not dwell on the things we can’t change, and instead focus on what we can do. If you’re looking to get a better night’s sleep, we can help.
Give us a call on 03 9041 4765 or book a consultation today. If you are struggling to cope during the pandemic, help is available. Talk to Beyond Blue’s trained counsellors 24/7 on the phone 1800 512 348 or via webchat. More information available here.