The constant stress of living in self-isolation can negatively affect sleep quality. The consultant to the British Olympic team offers five tips to help you get back to peaceful sleep in these troubled times.
And finally, start sleeping like an Olympian. Indeed, in these days of anxious expectation and uncertainty, few are able to fall asleep carefree as soon as their head hits the pillow. Sleep specialist Luke Gupta, a senior psychologist at the English Institute of Sport (Sheffield), helps top British Olympic athletes fall asleep easily and get enough rest before important international competitions. He offers his answers to five important questions you should ask yourself before going to bed.
1. How calm are you before bedtime? Such nights are unavoidable: you go to bed, but you still feel unsettled after what you have seen and heard during the day.
If the hours of sleep are constantly being broken, moved, and shifted, do not expect anything good. And maybe you just had a nervous phone conversation or checked the latest coronavirus updates. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. Episodes End of story. Podcast Advertising.
Of course we want to know what is going on in the world, we want to understand in which direction events are developing. And the problem is probably the time interval in which we do this. If our encounter with troubling news happens right before we go to sleep, our brain goes into a state of heightened alertness. And that means we won’t be able to fall asleep for a long time. In such cases, it’s better not to try to force yourself to fall asleep: it’s unlikely to happen quickly. If you really need to read the latest news before going to bed, it is better not to go to sleep right after reading it, but to do something else – more calming. Do not rush to turn off the lights or try to force yourself to fall asleep. Watch television or read fiction and then go to bed. It is better to go to bed later, but in a calmer state of mind.
Are you tired enough? The state of sleepiness is like a rubber band. It stretches while we are awake, and the more it stretches throughout the day, the faster we fall asleep when we go to bed (releasing the “rubber band”).
During quarantine, some of us can afford to go to bed and wake up when it is convenient for us. If you’ve been awake for a long time, you’re likely to fall asleep quickly when it’s time to go to bed. Exercise and general daily physical activity also increase your desire to sleep at night. Athletes usually want to go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep before important competitions – they believe it will improve their performance. But it doesn’t quite work that way. If you go to bed earlier than usual, you’re not ready to sleep yet-the rubber band hasn’t stretched enough.
There’s no need to go to the fridge when you’re not hungry, and no need to force yourself to sleep when you don’t want to. Also, if you go to bed early, you will have extra time to worry about tomorrow’s starts. You will toss and turn in bed thinking about the upcoming competitions. So don’t go to bed if you don’t really feel like sleeping. You don’t go to the refrigerator if you’re not hungry. But for some reason, we think we “have to” go to bed even when we’re not tired at all. You will rest much better if you go to bed when you really want to sleep.
Did you choose the right time to go to bed? Even before we found ourselves in self-isolation, we used to go to bed at a certain time based on the fact that we had to get up early for work. Now things are a bit different – some of us can afford to go to bed and get up when it is convenient for us, not when we “have to”.
Exercise and daily physical activity in general will increase your desire to sleep in the evening. And yet, despite the fact that we now have more flexibility with our time, it is still very important to stick to a structured daily schedule. Sleep is beneficial to us when it is regular, and once we understand what amount of time in bed is optimal for us, we should stick to it. If your sleep schedule is constantly interrupted, moved, or shifted, don’t expect anything good. You don’t have to go to bed and wake up at the exact same time every day, but it’s better to have a certain buffer-a one-hour window-in the evening and morning during which you can shift your sleep time slightly. For example, stay in bed an extra hour in the morning or go to bed an hour later.
How familiar and comfortable is the place where you sleep? Most of us sleep in our bedrooms. But when we talk about a sleeping place as something familiar to us, we mean the following: this place is only used for sleeping at night. Or do you do something else in bed – like scroll through your Facebook feed during the day? Or do you sit on the couch and watch TV? Does your sleeping place feel familiar in these situations?
The bedroom should be a place for sleeping only, not for late-night vigils with a laptop or phone. You should try not to use the bed or sofa where you sleep at night for anything else. Agree with yourself: this place is only for sleeping. However, if you have to work sitting on this couch, at least put a blanket on it during the day so that it looks different at night. It also helps if you sit on it during the day, not lie down – there is still some difference.
Were you satisfied with the amount of light throughout the day? “Our bodies are used to being awake during the day and asleep at night. “Now that we spend most of our time indoors and only go out when absolutely necessary, it is very difficult to get enough natural sunlight. As a result, the difference between day and night becomes insignificant to our bodies. Then you have to be more resourceful: if you have your own house, do some exercise in the yard; if you work at a computer, try to sit closer to the window. Then your body will be able to distinguish between day and night.