Sleep Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic

57 UNDERSTAND SLEEP SCIENCE

July 8, 2022

I use affiliate links to support my blog and to help me create more high-quality content for you. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support!

Sleep Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic By Sleeping Mentor

At the outset of the pandemic, as with most major disease outbreaks, it is essential to take measures to ensure you and your family are healthy. Among those measures is finding ways to mitigate the effects of psychological stressors such as loss of productivity and disruption of routine.

Your employer may implement work hour restrictions, which can be difficult for some people and lead to sleep deprivation and fatigue as their coronavirus sleep schedule is disturbed. This article discusses how you can cope with sleep deprivation during a pandemic and what steps employers can take to help their employees find adequate rest and covid naps without compromising their safety or that of others on the job.

During a pandemic

Exercise regularly (every other day) for at least 20-30 minutes, preferably in sunlight; make sure you get enough sleep at night to meet the demands of your job to avoid insomnia during quarantine.

Get plenty of rest during non-working hours. You can call them covid naps. Sleep is vital because lack of sleep leads to fatigue, which leads to errors in judgment, accidents, and injuries at work.

Manage stress through relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation exercises, talk therapy if needed. Ensure that you eat well and drink at least six glasses of water a day for proper hydration. Avoid caffeinated beverages after lunchtime to allow your body to metabolize the caffeine throughout the day before trying to sleep. Limit evening alcohol consumption; while alcohol may make you feel drowsy initially, it disrupts ordinary REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stages. Your doctor should manage sleep apnea or other sleep disorders.

What Are the main hurdles to Sleep During a Pandemic?

There are many challenges to finding adequate amounts of Sleep during a pandemic. Sleep research has shown that the average adult needs between 7-8 hours of sleep each night to function optimally each day.
Without this rest, your body and mind suffer from fatigue, stress overload, and other adverse side effects associated with chronic lack of sleep. In addition to these biological factors, psychological stressors arise from maintaining daily routine activities while feeling ill or having a sick loved one, or managing personal hygiene while working long shifts without a break.

The average person should sleep for about eight hours per night, less than that interferes with mental alertness and bodily repair & maintenance more than that leads to grogginess, mood swings, and lack of energy.

Sleep deprivation may also lead to serious medical problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, mental health problems (such as depression), accidents due to sleepiness behind the wheel or at work; numerous studies show that fatal errors increase dramatically when brain function is impaired by lack of sleep, even small amounts can cause lapses in judgment leading to disaster.

Sleep deprivation has been linked with an increased risk of cancer; recent research suggests that human melatonin levels play a role in slowing tumor growth and regulating daily body rhythms. During a pandemic:

Sleep during the day
Sleep in a dark room (close curtains or blinds and use earplugs or noise machines).
Sleep in a cool room.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.

If you have to work, take a break for lunch and get outside for fresh air; if possible, talk with your co-workers about working shorter hours or taking time off during the pandemic to reduce stress.

Sleep hygiene is all about developing habits that lay the groundwork for sound sleep (i.e., an appropriate sleep environment, regular times for going to bed and waking up, relaxation techniques such as meditation). Sleep hygiene can help you get a better night’s sleep, even during a pandemic, and help you maintain a coronavirus sleep schedule. Sleep In the event of a pandemic, you should:

Sleep in a noise-free room.
Sleep 7-9 hours per night doing your best to get up at the same time each day.
Take brief naps (30-60 minutes) if necessary in an environment that is cool and dark.
Use earplugs or noise machines (such as fans, “white noise” generators, humidifiers), and blackout curtains for sleeping during daylight hours; consider wearing eye masks

Why Is Sleep Important During a Pandemic?

Proper Sleep is essential for recovery from illness or injury, while disrupted or shortened Sleep may affect recovery. Sleep deprivation can increase irritability; it also can lead to accidents at work or on the road because of drowsiness and lack of focus. Sleep disturbances are common in people with anxiety disorders, which are often exacerbated during times of stress like an influenza pandemic.

Sleep is one of the essential things you can do for your body. Sleep empowers an effective immune system, and solidifies our defenses against viruses and bacteria by strengthening white blood cells to facilitate faster recovery time after being sick or injured.

Sleep heightens mental functions such as complex thinking ability, which may be helpful when trying new tasks at work (ease), and improved memory recall so we don’t forget anything because it will stay with us while sleeping.

More excellent decision-making skills are necessary during times when choices need making quickly without getting emotional about them, allowing people better concentration levels both daydreaming away stressors like homework assignments OR lucid dreaming under calm conditions.

Our Guidelines For Sleeping Well During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Sleep in a room that is cool (or cold) with dark, noise-reducing earplugs or headphones & blackout curtains/blinds.
Fix your coronavirus sleep schedule for each night.
Sleep during the day in short 10-minute naps between essential tasks; you need to stay alert to get things done. This practice will allow your mind to replenish its energy supply and improve your mood and reduce stress levels by practicing breathing techniques when sleepy to keep us from getting dizzy/lightheaded—do bite exercises for jaw tension before sleeping well.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress & pillows (sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress or pillows can lead to headaches, bad moods, and lack of focus).
Sleep hygiene is all about developing habits that lay the groundwork for sound sleep (i.e., an appropriate sleep environment, regular times for going to bed and waking up, and relaxation techniques such as meditation).

Trusted Resources About COVID-19 Sleep Guidelines

It’s essential to stay informed about the COVID-19 coronavirus because it can be life-threatening. There are many quality sources for reliable information on this virus, including how you could prevent yourself or your family from getting sick and what precautions need to be taken to avoid getting infected by this new strain.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019(World Health Organization (WHO))
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
https://vaccinefinder.org/search/ (Vaccine Finder)
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/(Johns Hopkins University)

Ameer

Ameer is the content director of Sleepingmentor, which means he not only reviews new mattresses, bedsheets, pillows, and mattress toppers every week, but also curates all the comparisons, best of pages, reviews pages, and vs pages on the site. He takes a straightforward, honest approach to his reviews. He covers sleep science by researching a lot on Google and finding meaningful content which entertains his users.