To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
When Shakespeare’s Hamlet mused about sleeping and dreaming, he was surely contemplating death. For most of us these days, death is what we’re hoping to avoid. Some decent shuteye, however, is top of the list of what we need.
Sleep disturbances are quite common under normal circumstances; during this pandemic, when we’re sheltering-in-place and bombarded with constant reminders about health and economic disasters, a good night’s sleep is as hard to come by as Charmin Ultra Soft toilet tissue. In fact, polls indicate more than two-thirds of Americans report their sleep has been negatively affected by this crisis.
Insufficient sleep sucks. It alters our ability to think clearly, respond appropriately and maintain the perspective and strength we desperately need right now. Here’s the real kicker: sleep deprivation lowers our resistance to fight disease.
Lay Off the Sauce
I’m going to tell you what you already know: being stuck at home, feeling anxious and stressed may drive us to drink. According to several news sources, alcohol sales are up 55% as compared to the same period in 2019 -- when we were young and innocent. Intellectually we know alcohol solves nothing but we’re tempted to hit the bottle, nonetheless.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently posted an alcohol warning on their website, advising us to reduce, rather than increase, our alcohol consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, to impairing our good judgment and having an adverse impact on mental health, alcohol compromises our immune system, which makes us more susceptible to infection. What they failed to mention is how alcohol messes with our sleep.
Alcohol consumption interferes with our natural sleep rhythms that help us fall and stay asleep; it also intensifies breathing problems such as sleep apnea, and leads to more nighttime bathroom trips. The most restorative sleep is called REM sleep; alcohol is no friend to REM sleep.
Chase the Sun
All the disruptions to our normal routines wreak havoc on sleep. The obvious change is that most of us are spending more time indoors. Being inside all day interferes with the natural internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm. This internal clock provides light-based cues that trigger wakefulness and sleep.
Two of the magic bullets for sound sleep are sunshine and exercise. Taking a walk, a jog or a bike ride in the morning or early afternoon is ideal.
If you can’t get outside for any reason, sitting near an open window facing the sun helps, along with floor exercises. Anything is better than nothing. When I lived in Western Washington state, I invested in a light box. I’m not certain how much sitting in front of the lighted device each morning helped my Seasonal Affect Disorder (otherwise known as my crappy mood), but I know it didn’t hurt.
Keep a Sleep Schedule
Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day appears on every list of good sleep hygiene habits. Sleep disturbances are not the same for everyone; some people have difficulty falling asleep, while others can’t stay asleep, waking up in the wee hours of morning or, perhaps, not even making it to midnight.
Some of us are upping our meditation practice or just starting one. The use of mantras and meditation for insomnia is widely documented. Like counting sheep, mantras train your mind to focus on something other than disturbing thoughts and images. The worse part of insomnia is worrying about insomnia.
When you wake up at 3 am (peak time for the urge to sleep), using one of the many mantras available online, can help relax your body and mind. A mantra can be as simple as “breath in, breath out” or more complex, such as, “I am more relaxed with every breath. I am ready for sleep.” The important quality of your mantra is that it is something you can easily remember when you’re not fully awake.
One more thing: as tempting as pulling the covers over our heads may be, afternoon naps often hinder one’s ability to get a full night’s sleep. Best to power through the day, if you can, and save your slumber for the nighttime.
Monitor Your Monitors and Your Mind
My screen time has skyrocketed since we began sheltering-in-place. (I imagine I’m not alone in this behavior.) I spend most of my waking hours staring into my laptop, my e-reader, and my smart phone. This is not good, especially at night.
What I have managed to do lately is put myself on a news diet. Staying informed is important but we have to balance that need with preserving our emotional wellbeing and getting sleep. How many times a day do we need to hear about human suffering and woefully inadequate leadership?
Finding soothing nighttime reading is lots better than checking the news for the tenth time that day. Some people advise reading an old-fashioned print book. I, for one, haven’t abandoned my e-reader. (With no apologies to the NRA: You may have to pry my e-reader from my cold, dead hands.)
Every time my monkey brain starts spinning into worrying about what will happen to those most severely affected by this crisis or how will we ever convince the unconvincible to change their political beliefs or anti-social behaviors, I try to pull myself back to the present moment. The question I ask myself is, “how is my worrying helping the situation.” Like many of us, I want to help.
As the famous football coach Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” What we need more than ever right now is courage…and some shut eye.
“If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.”
—Irving Berlin