If you’re losing sleep over Covid-19 (aka Coronavirus), you’re not alone. It’s not surprising that millions of people are struggling to get enough sleep during one of the most stressful times in recent memory.
As of this morning (March 20, 2024), the virus has been discovered in 183 countries and territories and has led to some 265,867 global cases and 11,180 deaths, while 90,603 people have recovered after being infected.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 virus was officially declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this month.
With stock markets in freefall and the prospect of a bitter recession looming, many workers in the US, Europe, and Asia will be concerned about the fact they may be out of a job soon and also about the broader gloomy economic outlook.
US cities and states are virtually shutting down, ordering citizens to shelter in place to prevent the spread of the disease. Among states that are on virtual lock-down are California, New York, and Nevada.
Fears of contracting the virus, particularly for seniors (who have a much higher mortality rate from the Covid-19 virus), are also contributing to stress, which itself can lead to sleeping troubles.
Clearly, we all have reason to be stressed right now. And stress and anxiety are notorious for causing sleep issues. We need to find ways to overcome these feelings so we can relax and get the sleep we need.
Why Sleep is So Important Right Now
Sleep is essential to deal with typical day to day life. It’s even more critical during times like this when we are under a lot of stress. Here are some reasons we need to be getting sufficient sleep right now.
- Our bodies need time to recover from the wear and tear that naturally occurs over the course of each day. This is even more important when we are faced with an unusual amount of stress and emotion.
- Our brains are designed to organize and consolidate memories while we sleep. If we don’t get enough sleep, our memory doesn’t function well, and that makes it learning more difficult. If you or your child are attending school, you can recognize where this would be very important.
- While we sleep, our bodies flush out toxins that have accumulated in the brain during the day.
- And finally, sleep plays a vital role in keeping you healthy and free from infection. While you sleep, your body produces infection-fighting proteins called cytokines. Without cytokines, our bodies will not respond as needed to fight disease and infection. This one reason alone makes it crystal clear why getting enough sleep right now is so essential.
With all of the above in mind, here are a few different options for you to explore to tackle your sleeping problems, which may or may not have been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.
Alternative Sleep Remedies
There are many over the counter sleep remedies that are very effective and safe to use including ZzzQuil and Unisom. There are also natural remedies like melatonin and valerian. Recently, cannabinol and cannabidiol have become popular as well. They are now legal throughout the US and also in a few other countries, such as Israel, and can be taken to tackle sleep-related ailments, among other things.
These cannabinoids don’t result in a high when administered, but still, impact your body by affecting the functioning of your endocannabinoid systems. This results in changes in the production of sleep hormones, such as serotonin, which can help you fall and stay asleep at night. Visit CBNOilForSleep.com to learn more about CBN and how it supports sleep.
Hemp-derived oils can also reduce anxiety, improve your mood, and help relieve pain – all of which can help you fall asleep more easily and get sufficient shuteye on a more consistent basis.
Prescription Drugs
There is an abundance of prescription drugs that have been proven to combat sleep-related ailments, such as insomnia. In the United States, popular prescription drugs for such ailments include Sonata, Lunesta, and Valium.
However, as with most drugs, these prescription medicines often lead to various unpleasant side effects, including changes to your appetite and bowel movements. Plus, you’re likely to find them becoming less effective over time, as your body develops a tolerance to them. This means you will need to keep increasing the dose, which puts you at a greater risk of suffering from the aforementioned side effects.
In addition, prescription drugs can be addictive, adding a potentially more serious health problem on top of the one it was meant to treat.
Lifestyle Changes
Making changes to your lifestyle can be an effective way to promote good sleep and tackle existing sleep ailments. Furthermore, many of these positive lifestyle changes will contribute to your body’s general wellbeing and benefit you in many ways.
Staying hydrated throughout the day has been reported to help tackle sleeping troubles, though you should avoid drinking lots of water just before sleeping, as it may result in you waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
Most Americans consume caffeine daily, and many mistakenly think it will only give them sleeping troubles if they drink it just before sleeping. However, research has shown caffeine to continue to act as a stimulate in the body for many, many hours, so cutting it out of your diet is ideal.
Exercising and maintaining a consistent sleeping pattern is also advisable, not only to promote sleep but also to improve your overall mental and physical health. Exercising regularly is great for relieving stress and is therefore strongly encouraged in these highly stressful times.
A Quick Summary
- The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in some 250,000 worldwide cases, and people across the globe are justifiably stressed out about what the future holds.
- This additional stress may lead to some people having trouble sleeping at night, but there are several solutions to consider.
- Prescription drugs can be highly effective in tackling insomnia and other sleep ailments, but they can result in an array of unpleasant side effects, including severe changes to your appetite.
- Sleep gives our bodies the time they need to recover from the wear and tear that naturally occurs over the course of each day.
- Lifestyle changes, such as exercising and drinking more water, can help you relieve stress and improve your overall wellbeing, helping you fall asleep at night.
- Finally, natural sleep aids like melatonin, valerian and certain cannabinoids can also help tackle sleep-related ailments, and they come with very few potential side effects.
