Did the Coronavirus Disrupt Your Sleep? You’re Not Alone.
How the pandemic shifted my sleeping habits, and my new bedtime essentials
As some people desperately crave a piping mug (or two) of medium roast first thing in the morning to function during the day, my non-negotiables come into place approximately eight hours before these coffee fanatics attempt to lure themselves out of sleepiness. Every night before my head hits the pillow, my sleep mask has to be fitted comfortably over my eyes, and my sound machine must be singing sweet soothing waves of white noise. Without these two, the chances that I'll get a wink of sleep are laughable.
It wasn’t always this way.
Before the pandemic hit, my bedtime routine looked something like this: scroll on TikTok for an hour (yes, I'm ashamed), turn on my fan (we can't be friends if you don't sleep with a fan on), and hop into bed without a care in the world. There was no fussing over getting a sleep mask in the proper position or trying to perfect the volume of a noise machine. Little did I know, come March 2020, my nighttime rituals would be dramatically disrupted.
A few months into the pandemic, I noticed I was having a hard time falling asleep. The hours I once spent soundly dreaming– probably about Harry Styles–morphed into blankly staring at my white ceiling for hours. I thought, at first, I may just be having a bad week. Everyone has periods of sleep issues, right? While that may be true, I soon learned that this wasn't just one poor week of sleep.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks slowly crawled into months. I was sleeping about 5 hours a night which is 3 hours short of what I need to function as a human. (I'm not one of those who can get by on 6 hours– how do you all do it?) I tried virtually every "sleep hygiene" tool recommended. Meditation, herbal teas, journaling, lavender oils– nothing was working. I even bought a new mattress pad! While comfy, it didn't cure my pressing issue. I was constantly tired, irritated, and honestly, sad. I had no idea why this was happening to me. I was living in the comfort of home with my parents and, due to the pandemic, I wasn't working. Although I had my remote college classes, not much else was going on in my little bubble. I thought to myself, "This is the least busy you have been in a while. You're home 24/7 and have all the time in the world to get those vital 8 hours. Why can't you do it?"
My lack of zzz's and the blame I put onto myself was highly frustrating. I felt alone, and I didn't think anyone else could possibly grasp what I was experiencing. It became a vicious cycle. The more I worried about sleep, the worse my sleep became. Sleep was all I thought about. Soon, I started to become angry with myself. Why can't you sleep? It's one of the most natural things in the world. I had been able to peacefully drift off my entire life with no hitch, and suddenly my plans of floating off into a cozy dreamland were shattered and replaced with anxiety and a racing heart at 4 AM. What is happening to me?
As it turns out, my drastic change in sleep habits weren’t particularly uncommon. During one exceptionally rough, sleepless night, I ditched the tossing and turning and decided to inquire Dr. Google about what was wrong with me. Usually, I wouldn't recommend a check-up from a search engine, however, this may be the one time in my life where I searched for symptoms and found information that actually made me feel better. After rapidly typing into the search bar "sleep problems'' and "sudden insomnia," I came across an article from UC Davis Health entitled "COVID-19 is wrecking our sleep with coronasomnia – tips to fight back."
The glowing screen stared back at me. Finally, it all made sense.
According to UC Davis Health, "coronasomnia" is a term that refers to insomnia brought upon many people due to the pandemic. While the rate of insomnia was rising at record highs even before the storm of March 2020 hit, the rates dramatically shot up when our lives were turned upside down last spring. Why is that?
Kimberly Hardin, a UC Davis Health Professor in the Internal Medicine Department, explains that the anxiety, fear, and depression the threat of a deadly viral pandemic imposed on us is a cause for insomnia. When you're experiencing all of these emotions, it can make sleep a grueling task. It seems so painfully obvious, but as I gawked at the illuminated screen before me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. A sense of relief that I was not alone, a sense of relief that there was a cause other than my own wrongdoing, and a sense of relief that I would be able to beat this one day.
After more digging and scanning my computer screen at the preposterous hour, I came across more surprising facts. Via UC Davis Health, I learned from Angela Drake, a UC Davis Health clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, that the abrupt change in daily routines can be a root for insomnia. She explains, "As human beings, we need some stimulation. We need some variety in our activities. When our lives become so repetitive, the lack of stimulation and activities contributes to poor sleep."
When your daily routine of a morning hot yoga session, learning at college all day and grabbing a delicious meal with friends suddenly swaps places with hanging out in your child bedroom all day and being glued to your computer screen doing homework, it only makes sense this would affect other areas of your life. In my case, the lack of stimulating activities during my day manifested in my sleep. I simply had nothing exciting going on to emit my energy onto. My mundane, repetitive routine made it, so I spent the hours of 4–7 AM wide awake and pondering my anxious thoughts.
Upon learning this information about the phenomenon of coronasomnia, I looked at my troubling situation from a new perspective. Instead of worrying that I would have eternal sleeping issues, I told myself that this was simply a temporary response to the state of the world. Many people were experiencing this, and I wasn't some anomaly. I convinced myself I would soon get back to a life where my mind did not constantly spin with thoughts of sleep, and I would be able to have a tranquil night routine once again. Just shifting my thoughts to a more positive view and giving myself grace benefited me tremendously. And while it did take a few challenging weeks of reframing my mindset, I finally hit the point where I was restfully basking in those desired 7-8 hours.
Though I still struggle sometimes, my nights have been looking a lot better lately. I contribute this to a more positive attitude and the fact that I have some excitement and hope in knowing my life will probably go back to normal soon. Busying myself with tasks, such as writing and safely hanging out with friends, has also helped exponentially in keeping my mind from obsessing over sleep.
I also attribute my now non-sleepless nights to a few little essentials I have tried along the way. And while my sleep is now pretty much back to normal, I have a feeling I'll be holding onto my newfound adored necessities. Although I believe my improvement mainly stems from my own positive outlook and hope, I still think these few goodies helped ease me back into a relaxing bedtime regimen. As of now, I don't think I could sleep without them, and I have no plans to try! Plus, I've grown attached to most of them. (I'm completely obsessed with my new sound machine!)
If you've found yourself in the same distressing situation I did, I could not recommend these few items enough:
1) Contoured, Light Blocking Sleep Mask
Check it out here
Before ordering this mask, I had not been a big fan of sleeping masks. They always felt tight on my eyes, pulled on my hair, and I hated the way they crushed my eyelashes. (When you have lash extensions, this is a big no-no!) After ordering this on a whim–one of the nights when I was up at 5 AM scouring the internet for any relief–I will never sleep without one. Anytime, anywhere, you could slip this on, and suddenly you're transported to a cave of darkness. That may sound unsettling, but trust me, it's exactly what you need in order to block out the rest of the world and sleep. Also, the contoured eye cut-outs are amazing. My eyes don't feel suffocated, and my lash extensions are thriving!
2) Noise Machine
Check it out here
Whether you want to drift off to the chirping of birds, the soft sway of trees, the crash of blue ocean waves, or the surprisingly relaxing sound of TV static, this device has you covered. It can also act as a night light and can change into any color you want. Since using this product, I have found that I sleep longer, as it blocks out the noise in my house. I no longer hear my dogs barking at 6 AM or my brother getting ready for school. The best part? You can control it all from your phone. When you download the app, you can adjust the sound, color, and volume from the comfort of your bed. I mean, who can be bothered to get up and walk 5 feet? And while this is technically a "baby" item, I wouldn't let that title veer you away. Don't we all want to sleep like a baby?
3) Silk Pillowcase
Check it out here
Soft, sleek, plush, and inviting. Ditch your old pillowcase and replace it with one that will embody these soothing words. Silk pillowcases are incredibly comfortable and can actually be better for you than their cotton counterparts. Besides being cozy for sleep, silk pillowcases are reputedly better for your hair and skin. Better sleep and good for skin and hair? Sign me up. Another perk– they are more cooling on the skin. The notorious practice of flipping your pillow over to soak up the "cool" side will no longer be needed when you have a silk pillowcase. I'm completely obsessed with my silk pillowcase, and it helps me doze off into a serene slumber every night.
I now breathe a sigh of relief while feeling confident that those dark days–literally, it's pitch black at 4 AM– are behind me. I have hope that the world will feel semi-regular soon, and those like me who developed this awful "coronasomnia" will be able to kick it to the curb and never look back. The most important thing is to realize that it's never a sign of weakness to ask for help if necessary. If anything, it's a symbol of strength in realizing that you want to improve yourself. Whatever healthy method you find that helps you return to your peaceful oasis for 8 hours a night, I truly hope you find it. When you do, that medium roast first thing in the morning will no doubt taste exceptionally delectable.
