Insomnia during COVID-19 Pandemic & Simple Remedies

There is an Anxiety spurred on by the pandemic, seeping into dreams, and messing up sleep patterns. Millions of people suffered from insomnia before the coronavirus, and unfortunately, the pandemic creates a host of new challenges even for people who previously had no sleeping problems.

The coronavirus pandemic doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Of course, patients with the virus and front-line medical workers face the brunt of the direct impacts of the disease. But as we’ve seen across the world, the consequences have spread far and wide, and pose significant barriers to sleep.

People are worried about their job security, their savings, their loved ones in different cities…” And then there are people who are ‘hooked’ to COVID-19 news alerts — the constant stream of statistics.

At the other end of the irregular sleep spectrum are those of us who are oversleeping. “One reason could be sheer boredom.” “The other reason could be depression, in which case, you would need to consult a professional.”

This disruption of daily life, Anxiety and Worry, Depression and Isolation, Greater Family and Work Stress, Excess Screen Time, Stress-Related Fatigue has lead to mental health issues, less motivation to face the next day challenges and low energy levels.

Recover from Screen Fatigue with Natural Ways that will Boost Energy

With all these reasons, it’s important to Sweat more, Sleep better!

Try these Simple Home Remedies that Helps Insomnia

• Various yoga asanas that are effective in the treatment of Insomnia are sirsasana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, uttanasan, viparitakarni and shavasana.
• Controlled breathing is also effective in inducing sleep.
• Extract about 30 grams of the milk from the poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum) and mix this milk with an adequate amount of sugar. Take this once in a day especially after dinner, when preparing to sleep. This remedy is one of the effective home remedies for insomnia.
• Take four nutmegs and grind it to a fine powder and take this powder every night before going to sleep.
• Regular, active exercises during the day and mild exercise at bedtime enhances the quantity and quality of sleep as the exercise stimulates the elimination of lactic acid from the body. Walking, jogging, skipping and swimming are the good exercises.
• Stick to a regular sleeping schedule like going to bed at a fixed time every night and getting up at a fixed time in the morning.
• Applications of hot packs, hot fomentations to the spine, and hot foot bath before going to bed are the effective measures.
• Take some root of the pippali (Piper longum) plant and grind to fine powder. Take one teaspoonful of this powder every night by adding some jaggery. Take this powder with a glassful of warm milk.
• A cup of milk with turmeric and strands of kesar and nutmeg at bedtime is helpful in inducing sleep.
• Mash a single ripe banana into a bowl and then put the roasted cumin seeds into it. mix both properly. Take this after dinner. It will induce good sleep and is very good home remedy for insomnia.
• Valerian wallichi has mild relaxant properties and is useful in sleep disorders. The fresh juice of the valerian should be taken in a teaspoonful quantity before going to sleep. This is also very effective home remedy for insomnia.
• Aromatherapy and Calming Bath Herbs: Take a warm bath using essential oils, such as blends with Sandalwood, Ylang ylang, lavender, Rose, Jasmine, German and Roman chamomile.
• Sleep Tinctures: Try a sleep remedy with Lemon Balm. This herb acts as a sedative which also has the effects of elevating moods acting as an antidepressant. It is also very relaxing when dealing with burn out, or when in stressful conditions. Lemon Balm helps with many other health conditions and also has antiviral properties.
• Calming Herbal Teas: Herbal teas are beneficial for many different conditions and there are several excellent herbs that promote relaxation and can help you sleep at night. Try drinking herbal teas throughout the day, and in the evening. Choose from: German Chamomile, Valerian, Passion Flower, Catnip, Cowslip, Lemon Balm.
• Inositol is one of the B vitamins that is helpful in inducing sleep along with pantothenic acid. You can try them separately or even together.
• You can have someone massage the soles of your feet prior to bed with mustard oil! A foot reflexology treatment can be quite relaxing and the mustard oil will help.

LOCKDOWN INSOMNIA IS AFFECTING YOUR LONG-TERM HEALTH– So we need to create some action plan to manage our balance at this time.

Ayurvedic Home Remedies for Health and Wellness

Few important facts:

1. Don’t waste your time in bed. Get Up and Be Active. Do Exercise Daily
2. Experts agree that there is no “normal” amount of sleep for an adult. The average is from 7 to 8 hours, but some people operate well on as few as 5 hours, others need up to 10 hours. The key is to become what experts call an efficient sleeper.
3. Go to bed only when you’re sleepy. If you can’t fall asleep in 15 minutes or so, get up and do something pleasantly monotonous. Read a magazine article, not a book that may engross you. Knit, watch television, or balance the checkbook.
4. Don’t play computer games that can excite you or perform goal-oriented tasks such as the laundry or housework. When you feel drowsy, go back to bed. If you can’t fall asleep, repeat the procedure until you can. But remember: Always wake up at the same time in the morning.
5. An hour or two before going to bed, sit down for at least 10 minutes or so. Reflect on the day’s activities and try to put them into some perspective. Review your stresses and strains, as well as your problems. Try to work out solutions. Plan tomorrow’s activities.
6. This exercise will help clear your mind of the annoyances and problems that might keep you awake once you pull up the covers. With all that out of the way, you’ll be able to program your mind with pleasant thoughts and images as you try to drift off to sleep.
7. “If there’s something else to do, you won’t be able to concentrate on sleep.”
8. Don’t watch TV, talk on the phone, argue with your spouse, read, eat, or perform mundane tasks in bed. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex.
9. Eat a light snack before bedtime.