Tag: pandemic anxiety

Tips for Sleeping Better with Anxiety-Induced “Coronasomnia”

Tips for Sleeping Better with Anxiety-Induced "Coronasomnia"
*This is a guest post and all opinions are those of the author. This post may also contain affiliate and/or paid links. Rest assured that we only work with companies and individuals that we trust. While some of those companies and individuals may work in the medical field, this post is not intended to be a substitution for medical advice. Always speak to your doctor if you have concerns about your mental or physical health.
Tips for Sleeping Better with Anxiety-Induced "Coronasomnia"
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This past year has upended many aspects of our day-to-day life, from our work to our routines of seeing friends and family on a regular basis. The uncertainty and stress, along with constantly changing news, has caused the anxiety of this past year to manifest itself in different ways for many of us. From increased online shopping to late-night doom-scrolling, many people have been unprepared to live in an extended period of trauma.

One of the ways that this uncertainty has manifested itself is anxiety-induced insomnia, especially for those that have never had sleeping issues before. This phenomenon, also known as “Coronasomnia,” is the persistence of sleep issues (such as trouble staying asleep or falling asleep) due to pandemic-related stressors. This includes everything that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered, including:

    • The safety of loved ones
    • Job security
    • Financial security
    • Your own health and safety

Loss of sleep, especially due to anxiety-related factors, can further disrupt areas of your life. Fatigue and disrupted sleep schedules can impact workplace productivity, and can lead to increased feelings of depression.

Though there’s no cure for anxiety or anxiety-related insomnia, there are a number of things you can do to try and get a handle on your sleeping habits to hopefully alleviate your anxiety symptoms at bedtime. Committing to healthy bedtime habits can help you get into a routine for bedtime, that will hopefully keep anxiety at bay and let your body know it’s time for sleep.

Here are a few ways you can prioritize sleep to keep coronasomnia away when you should be catching some zzz’s.

1. Read, Don’t Tweet

This is for the people that pop onto Twitter or Instagram “just for five minutes” then end up scrolling away for three hours. We all know that blue light has harmful effects on our eyes and can make it hard for us to sleep, so fight the temptation entirely and grab a book instead of your phone. Reading is a great way to relax at the end of the day and lets your brain gradually shut down and get ready for bed.

If you need another hobby or something cute to remind you to read, try a coloring page bookmark to relax you at the end of a long day and give you something to look forward to every time you open your book.

Printable bookmarks to color
free printable

2. Move Your Body

It may sound cliché, but it’s true — moving your body and/or stretching before bed can help tucker you out for the day, as well as help you get better sleep altogether. If you’re the type that gets hyper or more energized after working out in the evening, try shifting it to working out earlier in the day, or just by doing a few stretches before getting in bed for the night.

3. Stay Away from Alcohol and Caffeine

Especially in times of uncertainty, it can be easy to turn to a little liquid courage to ease our minds and take some of the weight off our shoulders, leading to a bad case of coronasomnia. Avoiding caffeine is a no-brainer, as this gives you energy (which is likely the last thing you want if you’ve been having some sleep issues). While alcohol can make you sleepy, it’s also been linked to poor sleep quality and duration.

If you want something besides water before bed, try a calming cup of Sleepytime herbal tea with no caffeine. To spice it up, you can add some printable “positivi-tea” labels to the end of your tea bag so you’re greeted with a happy reminder every time you take a sip.

printable coronasomnia tea labels
free printable

4. Write It Out

Stress and anxiety can eat you alive, and keeping it all bottled up is one of the worst things you can do. If you find your mind racing and heart pounding when you should be counting sheep, you may want to think about journaling each night before bed. Studies have shown that journaling can be good for mental health, as you’re no longer keeping everything inside that’s causing you stress or anxiety.

Try looking up some journaling prompts if you don’t know where to start, and if you want to try it out before buying a journal and committing try some printable bedtime journal sheets. These can be printed as many times as you need, so grab a pen and start writing — you may be surprised how much better you feel when you can get all your thoughts on paper instead of leaving them trapped inside your head.

Printable sleep journal
free printable

Sleep issues are no joke, especially during such a turbulent time as the one we’re in. Through prioritizing your mental health and doing what you can to get into a sleep routine, you’re doing the best thing for you to keep sleep issues or coronasomnia at bay.

Author Bio

Emily Borst is a digital content creator who creates compelling stories worth sharing. Her background in writing has helped her cover unique topics, including sharing her passion for health and wellness. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and eating her way through Austin, Texas.

7 Reasons Why It’s Hard To Control Your COVID Anxiety

The novel coronavirus has a long list of terrifying effects that can lead to stress and anxiety. Though the coronavirus is a physical disease, it has quite a detrimental impact on our mental health as well, and unfortunately, not many people are talking about this. COVID anxiety is becoming a real and dangerous problem.

However, if we are going to take care of our mental health, we need to know why it is difficult to control our anxiety and stress during the pandemic, and I hope reading the rest of this post helps you out.

7 Reasons Why It's Hard to Control Your COVID Anxiety
*This is a guest post and all opinions are those of the author. This post may also contain affiliate and/or paid links. Rest assured that I only work with companies and individuals that I trust. While some of those companies and individuals may work in the medical field, this post is not intended to be a substitution for medical advice. Always speak to your doctor if you have concerns about your mental or physical health.
7 Reasons Why It's Hard to Control Your COVID Anxiety

Medical Uncertainty

COVID-19 is a new virus that we haven’t seen before, and that means that there are many uncertainties surrounding it. The virus is behaving quite weirdly, and it is difficult to understand who is safe. 

For instance, experts believe that older people are more at risk from the virus, but there are several cases where young people have succumbed to it. In contrast, people in their nineties with underlying conditions have survived. 

Similarly, experts say that if you recover from the virus, your body develops immunity against it, but several people have contracted the virus more than once. 

Therefore, this medical uncertainty is one of the major reasons it can be difficult to manage COVID anxiety. 

Financial Uncertainty

The coronavirus has caused a lot of financial problems as well. People are losing their jobs, and companies are going bankrupt, and this has created a very financially stressful situation. 

People who can’t work because of the pandemic are uncertain when the lockdown is going to end, and they will be able to resume their work. People working online don’t know if they will have a job next month, and people who own businesses are uncertain whether their business will survive. 

This financial uncertainty is another reason for lingering COVID anxiety. 

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Frightening Headlines

In normal situations, watching the news and staying updated is a good habit. However, during this pandemic, looking at the ever-worsening statistics does nothing but increase your stress. 

Therefore, you shouldn’t keep up with how many cases are reported every day and how many people are dying. You should do your part to stop the spread of the virus, and after that, there isn’t much that you can do, so what’s the point of worrying yourself about the virus. 

Unfamiliarity

Humans are generally afraid of change, and saying that the coronavirus has changed the way we live is an understatement. From distance learning to online jobs and the continuously changing safety guidelines, things are changing too fast because of the pandemic, and it is making it difficult for us to deal with stress and anxiety. 

An effective way to deal with stress and anxiety is vaping. You should check out High Voltage Extracts refill cartridges to counter stress and feel less anxious. 

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Lack of Structure

Ever since the pandemic started, our lives have been lacking some much-needed structure. We don’t have a schedule or routines, and this has a very negative impact on our mental health. Without a healthy routine, dealing with anxiety also becomes very challenging. 

Therefore, even though you don’t have to go to work, you should create a healthy routine for yourself and follow it.  This can help ease symptoms of COVID anxiety.

A Lack of Leadership

In a situation, like we are in now, the general public looks towards its elected officials and medical experts for guidance and leadership. However, with the nature of the virus, even our leaders are unable to provide us with steady support. 

Medical experts are learning about the virus, and their statements are continuously changing. This lack of leadership from the people we look towards is another reason why dealing with COVID anxiety is so difficult.  

Online Cognitive Behavior Therapy
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Inability to Seek Support

Since we have to stay in our homes, for the most part, seeing support for anxiety and other mental issues has become quite difficult. People can’t go to support groups, getting therapist appointments is difficult, and above that, we can’t even hang out with our friends without risking getting infected. 

Therefore, it is very challenging to deal with COVID anxiety, as there is a lack of emotional support. You should try to build a better bond with your family members and talk to them for emotional support.

2020 has been a very challenging year, and as it reaches its end, we are starting to see some slivers of hope. Though the pandemic isn’t over for now, and it will affect next year as well, knowing that we have battled through a year of it makes us more confident that we can handle it a little longer until the vaccine starts to be used. Just keep your anxiety in check by following the tips mentioned in this post, and hopefully, this pandemic will be over soon. 

Author Bio

Josh Lees is a final year psychology student. He is a passionate writer and loves to research about mental and physical health. He has published many articles regarding different mental conditions. To find out more about his journey head over to https://kootenaybotanicals.com/.