AHA News: How to Get a Better Sleep in a Pandemic – And Why You Should – Consumer Health News

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 (American Heart Association News)-Sleep soundly. It’s one of the things people don’t appreciate until it’s gone. However, as was taken for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become difficult to get a good night’s sleep these days.

This is a concern, health experts say, because lack of sleep can worsen the health of the brain and heart.

Dr. David Gozal, a professor and dean of pediatric health at the University of Missouri, Columbia, said: He is one of the researchers who has found more troubled sleepers around the world since the pandemic began.

In the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Gozal’s team reported that 58% of adults in 49 countries were dissatisfied with sleep quality. Another study in the journal Sleep Health found that more than one-third of the people surveyed in 59 countries reported increased sleep disorders.

“One of the reasons why sleep is important is that it affects so many systems in the body,” said the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program in Psychiatry, Tucson’s University of Arizona School of Medicine. Associate Professor Michael Grandner said.

If you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system weakens. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the vaccine may be less effective. Many studies have shown that inadequate sleep can increase the risk of heart disease such as obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. A recent study by the journal Aging doubles the risk of dementia and premature death in older people who sleep less than 5 hours per night.

Under normal circumstances, more than 50 million US adults suffer from sleep disorders each year. In addition, 20 to 30 million people experience occasional sleep problems.

The pandemic only made things worse, Gozal said. It disrupts work and school daily life, increases economic and domestic stress, increases social isolation, and remains almost constant in concern about the virus, which has killed more than 500,000 people in the United States alone. I left.

None of it promotes good sleep, he said. “Bedtime is oscillating here and there. People are less physically active and have lost the temptation to avoid eating healthy foods and shorten their distance to the fridge as a way to relieve extra stress.”

Chandra Jackson, a researcher at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, said lack of sleep could contribute to poor eating habits.

She said that when the body becomes sleep deprived, it produces more ghrelin, a hormone associated with hunger, and less leptin, a hormone that helps the body feel satisfied after eating. Sleep deprivation also activates parts of the brain associated with hedonic behavior, such as craving for unhealthy sweet and salty foods.

Experts say there are many steps people can take to get a better night’s sleep, even during times of intense stress.

First, Jackson said, “Sleep is as important as proper nutrition and physical activity, so prioritize sleep when possible and establish a sleep and wake routine.”

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aged 18-64 sleep 7-9 hours per night, while adults 65 years and older recommend 7-8 hours of sleep. I will. Quality sleep is defined as waking up only once a night, falling asleep within 30 minutes, and sleeping more than 85% of bedtime.

Grandner said those times don’t have to happen all at once.

“Sleep doesn’t have to be perfect to be completely healthy, like a diet,” he said. “The bottom line is that it’s important to get most of your sleep during the biological night, but that doesn’t have to be all.”

Nap is useful, but some are better than others.

According to Grandner, a power nap (which lasts 15-45 minutes) is the best choice. “You wake up before you fall asleep. That’s why they work. You don’t wake up to disorientation or moody.”

Sleep exchange naps can help if you don’t get enough sleep the night before, he said. These last a full sleep cycle and can take up to 2 hours. “They are less efficient than the sleep you get at night, but they work.”

The third type of nap-when a person starts nodding during the day because he is so tired-increased pressure to fall asleep-is not restorative, Grandner said.

He said that people with many sleep problems need to consult a doctor to rule out or treat sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia. “These are more common than people understand and you can’t fix them with tea or melatonin. You need to see a doctor.”

One of the things people shouldn’t do, according to Gozal, is to become addicted to drugs to fall asleep. His study found a 20% increase in the number of people who reported taking sleeping pills during a pandemic.

Sleeping pills, he said, are only a short-term solution when appropriate. “You must not be unconscious and dragged into kicking or screaming.”

For people without sleep disorders, removing barriers to sleep may be sufficient, Gozal said. Barriers can include snoring spouses, environmental noise from nearby construction, chronic pain, overdrinking caffeine, drinking at the end of the day, or trying to sleep in a bright room. included.

Working on screens and devices that are too close to bedtime can make it harder for you to fall asleep because your mind and body aren’t ready for rest, Grandner said.

Jackson recommends relaxing activities such as meditation, reading printed books, using an e-reader with a blue light filter, listening to gentle music, taking a bath or shower. I will. Your bedroom is just for sleeping and connecting with your partner, which allows your brain to relate to those activities in bed. “

American Heart Association News Covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyrighted by American Heart Association, Inc. Owned or owned by, and all rights reserved. If you have any questions or comments about this story, please email [email protected].

Laura Williamson