Everyone has a restless night at some point, although you may have found this happening more often recently.
The pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life, so it's no surprise that our sleep has also been affected. There was increased Google search interest for "sleep" and "insomnia" last month, with recent data suggesting that the term "dream" is now at an all-time high in the UK as well.
It appears that the impact of coronavirus has indirectly altered the patterns and the quality of sleep.
In fact, the term "coronasomnia" has even been coined to refer to sleep trouble during the pandemic.
With this in mind, we've reviewed NHS information to provide some remedies to help deal with this.
Of course, it's not a substitute for direct medical advice, but these are tips for insomnia and dreams.
Insomnia
Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep as well as being unable to stay asleep during the night.
Most of us have experienced it at some point and it can often be the result of stress or poor health.
The NHS website offers a number of tips for reducing difficulties falling asleep, primarily suggesting that a regular bedtime routine can help tackle insomnia in many circumstances.
Firstly, you might want to consider keeping a sleep diary as this may uncover habits or activities that are contributing to your sleeplessness - which can then be dealt with directly.
In general though, a positive routine towards bedtime will adhere to the following pieces of NHS advice:
Keep to regular 'going to bed' and 'wake up' times
Reduce temperature, light and noise in the bedroom
Avoid using electronic devices an hour before sleep
And there are a number of measures you can take prior to heading to bed, which may be of further benefit.
For example, whilst the NHS promotes moderate exercise on a regular basis throughout the day, it encourages avoiding excessive exercise too close to bedtime - as it may actually keep you awake.
It also recommends cutting down caffeine intake in the evening, as this stimulant "interferes with the process of falling asleep" and can prevent deep sleep. Instead, consider milk or herbal tea before bed.
You shouldn't "over-indulge" in eating or alcohol consumption at night either, with the NHS further warning against taking nicotine-based products in the hours leading up to sleep.
The hours before bed should instead be spent relaxing "your mind and body," such as by having a warm bath, listening to quiet music or doing some gentle yoga - rather than watching TV or exercising.
If you often lie in bed thinking, or worrying, about the next day then it's also advisable to set time aside before bedtime to go over any plans for tomorrow - to reduce the need for you to do so whilst trying to sleep.
The NHS further states that if you're struggling to fall asleep, you shouldn't lie in bed worrying about this. If you're awake for more than 20 minutes at night, consider getting up and doing something to relax until you feel sleepy again - which should hopefully lead to a better night's sleep.
And the NHS has also recently encouraged keeping the bedroom for sleep and intimacy, where possible.
With many of us now working from home, it's possible that your bedroom acts as your temporary office.
According to experts, you may want to rethink this setting, as the bedroom may become associated with stress and anxiety - making it harder to switch off at bedtime.
Nightmares
You may find that even if you are managing to fall asleep easily, that your sleep is disrupted by bad dreams.
The increase in searches about dreams and nightmares suggests that lots of people are experiencing this.
The NHS recently published information on this, specifically for those recovering from coronavirus itself.
Its advice however may be beneficial to anyone struggling with bad dreams, even if you haven't had the virus, so it's worth at least trying out the technique to see if it provides any comfort.
The technique for managing the effects of nightmares is known as The Dream Completion Technique.
According to the NHS, the technique requires you to first think about your most recent experience of bad sleep, specifically focusing on the moment where you woke up.
Consider what you'd want to happen next in the dream that would make you feel positive or better.
It's about finding "a new direction for the dream to take," with the NHS reminding that the same rules as real life don't apply so your imagined solution doesn't need to be realistic or believable.
The solution should then be written down, read back and you should imagine the different ending.
The NHS explained: "Your dreams themselves may or may not change through this technique, but you can reduce their power over you by changing the ending of the dreams when you awake."
If you continue to struggle with sleeping after trying the technique - or the previously mentioned tips - then you should consider making an appointment with your GP to discuss further options.
This may include short-term medication or psychological therapy to deal with insomnia or any other issues.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/health/nhs-advice-coping-bad-dream-19799367
No comments:
Post a Comment