Can COVID Affect Your Sleep?
It is no secret that many of us have been losing sleep over COVID-19. Unfortunately, the pandemic has given us plenty of reasons to stay up at night.
Read on to hear how COVID might be impacting your all-important sleep and what you can do to get back to a good sleep pattern.
Direct Impact
When recovering from COVID, you might notice that your sleep has changed compared to how you slept before becoming sick. The good news is that as you recover, you will start to recoup your sleep. Here are some reasons why your illness is impacting your sleep:
- COVID Symptoms. Symptoms like breathlessness, a cough, and fever can cause restless sleep or sleeping during the daytime, throwing off your sleep schedule.
- Fatigue. One main symptom of COVID that is directly impacting your sleep is fatigue. If you are affected by this symptom, you may wake up feeling like you never rested. This symptom will subside with the virus.
- Medications. If you are taking medicines for your symptoms, read the labels. For example, many medications cause drowsiness or sleepiness.
- Hospital. If you were admitted into the hospital, your sleep would undoubtedly be affected both by the loud, busy nature of your environment and the hospital bed, which might not be as comfortable as your own.
Indirect Impact
While it’s true that some COVID survivors with long-term symptoms experience insomnia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not list this sleep disorder as a common COVID-19 symptom. However, even if you have never contracted the virus, the pandemic has likely taken a toll on your health. There is a growing concern surrounding the severe lack of sleep caused by the stress of the pandemic.
Early in the pandemic, a report from the National Institutes of Health highlighted a study that “revealed very high rates of clinically significant insomnia” along with more acute stress, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, the effects on sleep have been significant. Within the first weeks of the shutdown in 2020, prescriptions for sleep medications in the U.S. increased by 14.8%.
This loss of sleep-related to the pandemic is being called “coronasomnia.” It is not surprising that given all that there is to worry about during the pandemic, from avoiding the illness and helping kids with virtual school to working remotely and concerns about job loss, people are actively losing sleep during this time.
Tips for Getting Your Zzz’s
- Establish a good sleep routine and stick to it.
- Exercise during the day.
- Turn off devices at least an hour before bed.
- Cut back on the news and social media.
- Learn to meditate.
- Don’t use your bedroom as an office.
- Don’t take naps.
- Talk to your doctor.
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Sources:
https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/your-wellbeing/sleeping-well/#:~:text=Many%20people%20recovering%20from%20COVID,t%20get%20back%20to%20sleep
https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/HealthU/2021/03/09/can-covid-cause-insomnia#.Yefvcf7MJD9