4 TIPS TO HALT CYCLE OF INSOMNIA

It’s 3 a.m. and you’ve been struggling for hours to fall asleep. Morning draws nearer and your anxiety about being exhausted all day intensifies — yet again. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Among the many disruptions of 2020, insomnia may rank high on the list.

“I think COVID and the election have affected sleep and could be considered a kind of trauma,” said Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, director of the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center. “A lot of people that I talk to — patients and non-patients and colleagues and family — have more anxiety generally now, probably because of these two stressors, and high anxiety is clearly associated with insomnia.”

The first step toward better sleep is to figure out what’s triggering your insomnia. Once you do that, you can take action to prevent it from becoming chronic.

1. Don’t be afraid to get help.

Stressful and upsetting experiences like the death of a loved one or the loss of a job — two widespread realities of COVID-19 — are known psychological triggers for insomnia. If your insomnia is tied to such an event, the quickest way to get help is to call your doctor. Many doctors suggest cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT.

CBT, or CBT-I for insomnia, is a standard treatment and includes a variety of techniques. Meditation, mindfulness and muscle relaxation can help people whose sleep problems are tied to a stressful event. CBT for insomnia typically lasts from six to eight weeks and “works in about two-thirds to three-quarters of patients,”said Jennifer Martin, a psychologist and professor of medicine at UCLA.

Martin also recommends a free app called Insomnia Coach, which offers evidence-based, self-guided help.

2. Get out of bed.

Shifts in habits and routine — including the blurred lines between work and home that have resulted from the pandemic — can lead to insomnia. Lack of exercise and structure, for example, can put adults and children at risk. It may be comfortable to stay in your pajamas all day while working or attending school remotely, but CBT experts advise getting dressed every morning. And don’t stay in your bed all day.

“One of the most important things about promoting good sleep and avoiding insomnia is not to use your bed for anything other than sleep and sex,” Foldvary-Schaefer said. The goal here is to separate your sleep space and habits as much as possible from your waking space and habits.

3. Reset bedtime.

Parents of young children may notice a“forbidden zone” phenomenon when it comes to bedtime, said Dr. Craig Canapari, a pediatric sleep physician and director of the Yale Pediatric Sleep Center. “Their child either needs to be asleep by 7:30 or they’re not asleep until 9.”The trigger here may be a later bedtime for your children that’s crept in this year. If this sounds familiar, try reverting to their pre-pandemic schedule.

Beware a bedtime that’s not late enough:“Getting to bed too early can light a fire under anxiety,”said Dr. Helen Emsellem, director of the Center for Sleep & Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Getting in bed before you’re ready to sleep can set off the vicious cycle of wanting to fall asleep and then worrying that you’re not falling asleep.

4. Kill the screens.

If you can’t identify a psychological trigger for your insomnia, it may be the result of something physical. An easy target is your favorite screen — including the television.“There is a very clear inverse relationship between screen time and sleep,” Canapari said. Screens emit blue light, which can suppress the body’s natural secretion of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep cycle.

Canapari stresses putting away screens in the evening:“I really cannot emphasize enough how important it is that children do not have access to devices in their room.”