I don’t know if you also feel the same way, but since the novel coronavirus pandemic related social isolation started, our routines at home went out the window. The waking and sleeping hours have been turned upside down.

Because we avoid going out as much as we can, we are not very active. Additionally, it’s hard to find too many new things to do in and around the house after a certain point. And as we don’t go to bed tired, we end up having a poor sleeping pattern. Plus, it’s tough not to think about every fearful aspect of the pandemic when you lie down awake in the wee hours of the night. After all, isn’t insomnia a normal reaction to stress? Yes, indeed it is.

What can you do to deal with sleep problems?

• First of all and obviously, you can get more active. Go to YouTube and find a yoga or light exercise video. Open the window to let the fresh air in and start moving.
• Limit your daily caffeine and theine intake. Avoid drinking tea, coffee or other caffeinated drinks after lunch and opt for herbal teas like chamomile or linden.
• Try to stay away from alcoholic beverages. Even though they make you feel sleepy at first, they keep you awake later at night.
• Calm your mind with deep breathing techniques, sleep meditation and mindfulness practices. Accordingly, turn off your screen(s) at least an hour before going to bed.
• Dim the lights and listen to soothing music.
• If you wake up at night and cannot go back to sleep, try to read a book for a while until you get sleepy again.
• Get up early in the morning sometime between 7 and 8 am and go to bed no later than 11 pm.

These are all tips that you already know about anyway. I am just reminding you. Merely bringing them to the surface of your consciousness. Know that you are not alone. Millions of people are having the same sleeplessness problems all over the world. It’s an inevitable product of the pandemic related stress. We are all witnessing something like this for the first (and hopefully for the last) time. And it’s normal to feel uneasy.

But also know that you can always do something to help yourself. Look and you shall see.