The ABCs for catching better Z’s

Chicago Tribune

Now that COVID-19 has shifted our immediate priorities, it may have also shifted your sleep patterns due to increased anxiety. We talked to some sleep experts and one professor whose area of research lies in the field of “how stress gets under the skin to affect physical health” to see if they can provide tips, recommendations and advice on how to keep your circadian rhythms on track during this stressful period.

According to Dr. Phyllis Zee, a professor of neurology and director of the Northwestern Medicine Sleep Disorders Center, more exposure to daylight, more exercise and better nutrition are all helpful when it comes to getting better sleep.

“If you’re sleeping better, you’re more relaxed and your immune system is going to be stronger as well,” she said. “Your metabolism is going to be stronger. You may not be getting as much exercise because you’re not going out as much, but your sleep can help with that.”

University of Chicago behavioral sleep medicine specialist Dr. Lisa Medalie agrees. She said sufficient sleep can improve mood control, provide immune system support and help with cognitive functioning, which helps keep up productivity.

“Try your best to keep working on sleep optimization … remember that optimizing sleep may not always lead to feeling different during the day, but at least it is helping with immune system support,” she said.

Christopher Fagundes, an associate professor in Rice University’s department of psychological sciences, advises setting a schedule for yourself while at home — even if it’s an hour-by-hour one. He says it may sound silly, but it will help you stay on task while in a familiar environment.

“The other thing that a schedule does is it can keep you from ruminating and worrying,” he said. “It keeps people from vegging out all day and preventing depressive symptoms from kicking in. Anything that we can do to keep people active in doing something at home, it really helps.”

“We should try to keep as much of a usual routine as possible,” Zee said. “Don’t deviate more than an hour a day between your wake times and sleep times.”

She also says working, sitting or eating next to a window during daylight hours helps the brain. It helps with the body’s melatonin, which can help with sleep.

Medalie also suggests scheduling some “me time” before bedtime, where one minimizes conversations with family or calls, which is challenging but important to set up now that kids are home.

“Finding a spot in your home that you can dedicate for your ‘me time’ is a great idea,” Medalie says.