COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you’re craving sleep these days, you’re not alone. At least 40 percent of Ohioans don’t get enough sleep as it is.
- Prescriptions for sleeping pills during COVID-19 have increased
- Midday naps or going to sleep before you're actually tired can keep you awake throughout the night
- Set a schedule, exercise and get outdoors
What You Need To Know
Missing out on sleep at least two to three times per week may be and indication that you’re struggling with insomnia. Doctors say the stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 may be to blame for sparking the sleepless nights or making it worse.
Business owner, wife and mom Michele Rapp struggles with insomnia.
“I mean, I'll be asleep and then all of a sudden I'm like, I can’t turn my mind off.”
Up around 2:30 a.m. each day, she catches up on her favorite movies. Rapp can’t remember the last time she gotten good rest. She says the pandemic’s made it worse.
“Being so worried about all the people that I take care of and I'm responsible for their livelihood. That pretty much was the kicker for me.”
COVID-19 forced her to close up shop. With all of the adjustments and more coming to reopen soon, she’s mentally exhausted.
“The stress of that, like I gotta sleep, I gotta sleep, makes it worse.”
Dr. Aneesa Das specializes in sleep medicine at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She said at least 30 percent of the population in the U.S. has experienced symptoms of insomnia. And the COVID-19 pandemic has made sleeping much harder since regular work schedules and daily activities have been washed out.
“Number one, we're in isolation, so that can affect mood right and that can lead towards depression. Number two, we have increased stress and anxiety about what's to come both financially and, and from an illness and health perspective,” said Das.
Since the pandemic started, Das said prescriptions for sleeping pills are way up. But if you’re wondering how to get a good night sleep, Das recommends checking your schedule.
“Even if you're not going to maintain the same schedule you were when you were working, maintain a schedule. Pick a wake time and get up every single day at that same time. Number two, don't go to bed until you're tired. If you're wide awake, don't go to bed because you feel like I always used to go to bed, because now you might be sleeping in later,” Das said.
She also said you should get outdoors to keep your body clock in the right rhythm with sunlight. Exercise. And set time for relaxation. But don’t take a nap midday. That’s one thing Michele Rapp struggled with daily even before the pandemic.
“I’ll come home and I'll take what I call a medicinal nap, which is a good 20 to 25 minutes, or and then here's the other thing is, I'm so tired after dinner, like around 6:30, 7:00 I'm out cold in my chair.”
So to settle her mind, she said, “I started building these little teeny, tiny houses.”
It doesn’t help her sleep, but it does slow her mind down.
“Part of my insomnia is all the worry. So, doing something like this that is so hyperfocused, I can't think of anything else.”
Building tiny houses is a tedious process, but she said if she gets tired of doing it, she watches TV. Nothing else has helped. She doesn't exercise right now because the motivation to do it isn’t there. However, she’s hoping that once she reopens her childcare centers and she can get to the gym, things will change.
Since we don’t know how long this pandemic will last, Dr. Das says it’s important to focus on one day at a time. If you suffer from chronic insomnia, there are resources for guided imagery and muscle relaxation exercises. For anyone struggling with short term or acute Iinsomnia, Dr. Das says you should know that it tends to resolve itself over time.