SLEEP HYGIENE IN A PANDEMIC

Has your sleep been affected by the pandemic such that you've been getting less and less sleep as time goes on? You find yourself waking up in the middle of the night prowling the corridors of your house, or just lying awake in bed thinking about the various upheavals the pandemic has wrought in your life.

Today's discussion will be addressing "Sleep Hygiene in a Pandemic". We hope to help you assess why you're not sleeping well and giving tips for sleeping better and give your body and mind the much-needed rest.

Sleep hygiene is defined as behaviours that one can do to help promote good sleep using behavioural interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added a lot of uncertainties to our lives, such as navigating social life on the lifting of the lockdown, financial insufficiency, delay in plans, etc. The mind usually translates uncertainty as stress and unfortunately, research has shown an interrelationship between stress and lack of sleep. One way to get a good night sleep is to address our mental attitude towards this stress and strengthen our minds.

In addition, your lack of sleep could be as a result of your coping strategy towards the pandemic. A number of people have coped with the stress of this period by turning to substance abuse, either excess consumption of alcohol or other stimulants.

The Lack of sleep could also be attributed to poor sleep habits developed before or during the pandemic such as:

· Too much stimulation at bedtime.

· watching television or playing on your phone right before bed.

· Staying up too late.

· Drinking excess liquids in the late evening.

TIPS TO HAVING A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP</