Tips for Sleeping Better with Anxiety-Induced "Coronasomnia"
This past year has affected pretty much every area of our day-to-day lives, from work from home to virtual happy hours to missed birthdays and family gatherings. The stress and uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought has caused major life shifts for many, all of which can take a toll on your mental health and quality of sleep.
This new phenomenon has been dubbed "coronasomnia," or the inability to sleep due to COVID-related stress. This stress could include worries about any of the following, or other factors:
Stress about your or a loved ones' health and safety
Worry about finances or job security due to COVID
Anxiety about day-to-day routines being disrupted
All of these changes and uncertainties can make for a stressful bedtime, causing you to lay awake and stare at the ceiling instead of catching some much-deserved zzz's. To help you beat coronasomnia and get back to the sleep your body needs, here are some tips and printables so you can stop worrying and start sleeping.
Tips for Sleeping Better with Anxiety-Induced "Coronasomnia"
1. Move Your Body
It may sound cliche, but it's true that moving and/or stretching your body before bed can help you get better sleep altogether, as it tires you out before hitting the hay. If you get hyper or more energized after working out in the evening, try working out earlier in the day, or just get a few stretches in before you get into bed each night.
2. Write, Write, Write
Keeping all your stress bottled up is one of the worst things you can do, as those anxious thoughts and feelings can start to eat you alive. Studies have shown that journaling can strongly benefit your mental health and overall wellness, as you're no longer keeping everything inside that's causing you stress or anxiety. This means that if you find your heart pounding and mind racing each night, you may want to think about journaling before bed.
You can try looking up some journaling prompts if a blank page intimidates instead of excites you, or try out printable journaling pages to try it out before you commit to a new journal. These printable journal pages can be printed as many times you need and provide prompts to get you started, so you can get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper for an easier sleeping experience each night.
3. Put the Phone Away
Do you open up Twitter, TikTok or Instagram "just for five minutes" before bed, and next thing you know it's 3 A.M.? If so, this tip is for you. We've all heard that blue light has harmful effects on our eyes and can make it hard for us to sleep, see if you can so fight the temptation to scroll entirely and pick up a book instead of your phone. Reading has been proven to be a great way to relax at the end of the day, and provides a gentle way for your brain to shut off for the day and signal to your body that it's time to go to sleep.
If you need something cute to inspire you to pick up the book that's been gathering dust on your nightstand for a month, try a coloring page bookmark you can fill in yourself to relax you at the end of a long day — not to mention, give you something to look forward to every time you crack open your book.
4. Take a Warm, Long Soak
If your evening routine isn't working for you or is causing more stress than relaxation, then it may be time to mix it up and see what stress-prevention techniques you can implement before you go to bed. Some experts recommend baths, as they have a number of benefits and healing properties.
These positive qualities include being able to lower your body temperature, which makes falling asleep easier. Baths have also been linked to lowered stress levels, which could come in handy during a long workweek. Do spice up your evening bath, try adding in some bubbles, soothing candles, or homemade bath bombs — which you can create with some healing essential oils using a printable recipe card.
5. Avoid Alcohol or Caffeine
Especially in times of uncertainty like the past year, it seems like a no-brainer to imbibe in a little liquid courage to ease our minds. While alcohol can make you sleepy and provide some relief at the end of another day working from home, it's also been linked to poor sleep quality and duration — likely the opposite of what you want if you've been battling coronasomnia.
If you want to mix up your bedtime drink with something besides water, try adding a calming cup of sleepytime herbal tea with no caffeine to your evening routine. To spice it up, you can add some lemon, mint, honey, along with 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 — perfect for calming your mind and keeping you at ease before you get some sleep.
As anyone who's ever had trouble sleeping will tell you, sleeplessness is no joke — and can wreak havoc on your already fragile mental and emotional health during such a stressful year. These printables and tips can all help you prioritize your mental health and establish a heappy, healthy sleep routine that is sure to keep anxiety and coronasomnia at bay.
