'COVID-somnia': How to Overcome Sleep Problem During the Pandemic

Due to the current pandemic that has claimed countless lives all over the world, a lot of people are suffering from a sleep problem some call "COVID-somnia."

However, the FOX5 report said, even though the present global health crisis has resulted in many sleepless nights, insomniacs, or the so-called "COVID-somniacs" can enhance their sleep by understanding the habits which are causing their struggle falling or staying asleep.

According to psychiatry professor Daniel Buysse from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the stress and isolation of this pandemic, not to mention the reduced physical activity,"none of those are good for sleep."

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reported that a survey conducted in March 2021 studied over 2,000 adults online.

As a result, it found that more than 50 percent of Americans experienced sleep problems during the pandemic, and among the people who suffered from sleep disturbances. Their most common complaints were their struggle with either falling or staying asleep, comprising 46 percent of respondents with less sleep at night, and about 36 percent experiencing disturbing dreams

Insomnia

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines insomnia as the failure to "initiate or maintain sleep," which could be associated with waking up earlier than the usual, noting that difficulty with falling or staying asleep in particular, can be because of excessive daytime sleepiness, which frequently does not allow one to have optimal performance in his day-to-day activities.

Essentially, sleep problems have been linked to medical problems which include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cognitive dysfunction, and mood disturbances.

Additionally, the CDC has also recommended ruling out medication side effects, depression, substance abuse problems, or other medical issues that can cause the condition, before an individual is diagnosed with insomnia.

To deal with the sleep problem, experts are advising adults, in particular, to try getting between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.

Anticipatory Anxiety

According to Columbia University addiction and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Elie Aoun, there are two important things to remember. One is to figure out how to fall asleep. The other, once asleep, is to make sure "you can sleep through the night," and that particular sleep quality is adequate.

Dr. Aoun, also a member of the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees added, one of the main reasons a lot of people are finding it hard to fall asleep is "anticipatory anxiety" where a person wants to go to sleep but begins to worry if he will actually get to sleep, and cannot go to bed. The psychiatrist admitted this problem is not easy to solve.

He shared though, that there's one strategy he finds effective with his patient. Dr. Aoun said, he recommends that his patients "stay in bed, close their eyes, and focus on remaining awake."

By switching their thoughts to keeping awake, these people distract their minds from the thought about the need to fall asleep.

This then enables their body to take over and do what it wants to do and that's to fall asleep, noted the psychiatrist. Meanwhile, having a hard time falling asleep and poor quality sleep frequently results from anxiety, he explained.

Related information about curing "COVID-somnia" is shown on CBS 17's YouTube video below:

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