Insomnia and the dreadful lockdown

Four to five months before we heard a news that a Novel Coronavirus has hit China and due to its highly contagious and infectious nature it spread like a wildfire especially in few provinces of China.

We never thought that this virus would change our lives too.

 Finally, a day came and we heard that even we will be under this lockdown situation as the terror of the virus was increasing dramatically.

Many of us might have heard this phrase lockdown for the first time. I was one of them, and within a few hours, our lives changed completely.

Initially, some of us didn’t took it too seriously, but as the days passed the situation started to worsen. People became anxious about their businesses, their jobs, sustainability in this period became a concern for almost everyone. As the economy started to decline many lost their jobs, daily wage earners’ lives shattered. All this turmoil gave birth to another new challenge, INSOMNIA.

Anxiety, apprehension leads to tossing and turning in the bed all night. The so-called normal life became haywire; late-night watching became a pattern and all these factors lead to loss of sleep.

Striving out from this situation is the need of the hour. So, how we can get back our sound sleep, an important aspect of our mental as well as physical well-being was the question that struck our minds.

We will discuss a few routines, the inclusion of which would definitely help us in saying “sayonara” to our insomnia.

1. Following a daily fixed pattern for sleep – Trying to sleep at a fixed time at night and wake up at a fixed time in the morning, a slight deviation is allowed.  For eg – Go to sleep around 10.30pm and wake up at 6am.

2. Keeping electronic devices at bay – Refrain ourselves from using mobile phones, laptops, etc. at least an hour before sleep. The blue light emitted from these devices reduces the secretion of melatonin hormone in our body. Melatonin hormone is responsible for our sleep-wake cycle and that’s why we aren’t able to sleep after long hours of using mobile laptops etc. at night.

3. Drinking milk – A cup of warm milk before going to bed induces sound sleep according to Ayurveda.

4. Exercise – Some sort of exercise should be a part of our daily schedule. It helps in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms, thus, inducing good sound sleep. But remember, exercise should never be done late in the evenings as it might interfere in the sleep pattern.

5. Temperature – Ideal temperature for a sound sleep is 18 to 24 degree Celsius.

6. Light – The room should be dark enough as light interferes in the secretion of melatonin.

7. Sound – Preferably mobile phones should be switched off or should be kept at silent mode to avoid unnecessary distractions.

8. Diet – Avoid eating heavy and too much spicy food before going to bed as it may cause heartburn which might lead to sleeplessness. Also, heavy food will take a long time to digest thus hindering sleep.

9. Caffeinated drinks – Avoid drinking tea and coffee late in the evening as caffeine is a stimulant for alertness.

10. Breathing exercise and eye movement – Doing these, I ensure, one will sleep just like a baby.

Ø Blink (close & open) your eyes repeatedly very fast for only 60 seconds.

Ø Then, inhale (take a breath) for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds and then exhale (breath out) for eight seconds. While exhaling, pursue your lips as if you want to whistle. Repeat it four times.

11. Drinking water – Avoid drinking too much water before going to bed, as it could lead to repeated urge for urination, thereby resulting in disturbances while sleeping.

Although, after following all these routines you might still face difficulty in falling asleep, but continue following these routines.

Even if you fall asleep late after midnight, make sure to wake up at regular time next morning, because daytime sleep will not help in compensation of the deprived sleep. It will be a really difficult situation but you will have to do so. If you feel very sleepy after lunch, take a nap of 30 to 40 mints in early afternoon hours.

Kindly keep in mind, the techniques mentioned above are not the magic wand, you rub it and instantly it will show the results. It’s your dedication and attitude which will decide the results. In the era of advance technology or advance generation, (the era of 4G or 5G- where G: Denotes generation) a new trait is becoming active in human nature that is “restlessness”. This is the key cause of mental imbalance in human nature. The techniques mentioned above looks simple but can give surprising results if followed religiously. It’s your time, it will pass, and it’s inevitable to stop it. Rather than wasting it, utilize and invest it, as you are the owner of it. Or lose it, as it doesn’t belong to you.

Insomnia, is not just remaining awake all night it’s a sign of unhealthy mind, body and soul. Don’t get misguided that it’s just a regular ailment. It can deteriorate the condition if not fixed at the nick of the time. Also, I would like to mention one more technique that we Indians especially follow that is “connecting ourselves with the religion”. Our lives revolve around religious beliefs. The tranquillity of the soul can be achieved by calming ourselves through religious chants. Combating insomnia is more about dealing with the soul and body together. Keeping a keen eye on the body and ignoring the importance of the soul will not help in achieving desired results. Health is a holistic approach towards the mind, body, and soul. We care to give proper nutrition to our body. Are we vigilant about our soul and mind? Let’s end this article upon pondering over it.

Once again I would say that after practicing the above techniques, within few days your sleep pattern will get back to normal and you will enjoy the pleasure of a good sound sleep!

–         Dr. Munira Moayyadi, Consultant Homoeopath

Email: munira251@gmail.com