The coronavirus pandemic started in December 2019 and led to a huge change in everyone's life. A sudden wave of fear, uncertainty, and insecurity led to not just financial issues but also severe mental, emotional, and physical stress. Disruption of routine and lack of activity both together resulted in insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep condition where one finds difficulty in sleeping, which is bringing rest to mind and body. Sleep is one of the most important mechanisms required by the human body for the rejuvenation of cells. It is during sleep that the body discharges the excess from the cells and repairs what needs to be repaired. Good sleep leads to a healthy mental, physical, and emotional state. Coronasomnia is a well-coined term for the lack of sleep conditions caused by COVID-19.
Coronavirus being highly contagious required people to contain themselves in their houses which resulted in a lack of physical activity. People started investing more time on screen ( TV, Laptop, iPad, etc) losing track of time and having no routine led to a shift in sleep pattern. Slowly and gradually the shift resulted in a late sleep routine and for many no sleep at all. Lack of physical activity resulted in lethargy, poor metabolism causing poor sleep.
What Is Coronasomnia?
According to Pallavi Bhardwaj, Health and Lifestyle Coach and the Co-Founder of Save Well Being, sleep accounts for nearly 1/3rd of the human lifespan. Sleep is important for our daily function and has many systematic health benefits. Sleep helps control our metabolism and weight, promotes stable moods, helps prevent cardiovascular diseases, boosts our immune system, and enhances memory. It is most essential for brain function. looking at how not only the daily routine of people got disrupted but also the mental, physical and emotional areas of well-being got completely out of balance.
The uncertainty and insecurity led to anxiety in many, losing jobs, businesses, livelihood gave birth to depression. Sedentary lifestyle and confinement in homes resulted in metabolic conditions. For many, boredom led to bingeing of TV and food resulting in obesity. Obesity is a complex health condition involving an excess of accumulation of fat in the body. It is a medical problem that increases the risk of other diseases and health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Also Read: DIY Pillow Spray To Get A Restful Sleep Through The Night
How Coronasomnia is different from Insomnia?
Coronosomnia is the result of the fear and insecurity of those who never had insomnia. It is different from regular insomnia because for many it was the result of constant thinking and fear,- fear for a loved one's health and well-being, fear of losing a job, fear of lack of resources, etc. The lack of sleep backed by this constant negative thought process is not a usual insomniac condition. In Pallavi Bhardwaj’s words, “In many cases how I could distinguish coronasomnia from regular insomnia was the thought process. People would constantly complain of not being able to sleep because they fear what will they wake up to. The build-up anxiety was leading to a lot of disputes and disharmony in the families further leading to difficulty in sleeping. In many cases, couples wanted to move away from each other because they have had enough of each other. This emotional uncertainty and lack of support for each other in the relationship also became a big reason.”
How to deal with coronasomnia patients?
Most of the cases of coronasomnia have one common element of emotions and that was FEAR. Constant Fear of the contagion which many hadn't faced in their lives. People were finding it difficult to sleep and even if they would sleep they would wake up anxious. the next day would result in a lack of energy, increased appetite, mood swings, discord amongst family members, etc. At this juncture of life, being a health & lifestyle coach, Pallavi Bhardwaj had to go deep to understand their sentiments and physical health. something very helpful in this case was Bach flower therapy. “I made customized tinctures addressing to their emotions and feelings. I suggested and started online workout sessions to help them with their metabolism and involve their brain in doing something which will give them a feel-good factor.”
Also Read: Foot Massage For Insomnia: Get Over Sleeplessness By Massaging Your Feet Before Bed
Lifestyle Coach’s Advice
“My advice to everyone going through this sleep condition is to do activities that make them happy like playing indoor games and exercising, getting into a healthy conversation with family, meditation, chanting, doing yoga, taking up online courses that interest them, painting, listening to good music and dancing.”
- Avoiding negative talks and thought processes. Bringing in a more positive approach and treating it like a phase of life that has a beginning and an ending.
- Letting Our body, mind, and spirit develop immunity to fight this take on this challenge. Enjoy this time being with yourself and your loved ones.
Time is a big luxury for one's who have very tight working schedules so be home and make the best of this time instead of fearing the worst. Whatever shall come can be handled and taken care of if we are happy, healthy, and in harmony with ourselves. Love and mutual support is the need for this time in life.
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