Sleep on it: getting around anxiety at bedtime
A year ago, in the spring of 2020, doom-scrolling was my go-to method of falling asleep. I’d lie there, toggling back and forth between Instagram, the New York Times app and Amazon Prime in the hopes of getting one of those coveted grocery delivery times—often, I had my best luck at 2 A.M.
Theoretically, having the privilege of staying home all that while should have been great for my sleep patterns. That sense of “busy” was gone. And with no commute, no hustle and nowhere to go, I should have just found a way to exercise, take care of myself and get to sleep at a reasonable hour.
Instead I did the opposite. At all hours my eyes were glued to my phone and laptop, until a loved one pulled me away for a walk or some food. That’s how it went for the first few months of quarantine, and then the exhaustion caught up to me.
I wasn’t the only one: according to the National Sleep Foundation, COVID-19’s impact disrupted sleep patterns for many. Routines changed or evaporated altogether, screen time went full-time, and anxiety increased (for obvious reasons). Rates of depression tripled.
But sleep might be exactly what our bodies need to get through this: it’s proven to positivity impact mental health, immunity and more—improving our health in more ways than one.
While I couldn’t bring back my old routine and that busy, pre-pandemic, assured feeling, a few things really did help:
Puzzles, cooking and other put-your-phone-down activities.
Audiobooks at bedtime. (The Audible app even has a sleep timer!)
Working out, or even just moving my body for ten minutes.
Getting outside, no matter the temperature, to naturally help that circadian rhythm on its way.
A heated mattress pad—so soothing to crawl into a warm bed.
Limiting my alcohol consumption, which increased in 2020 like so many others.
Taking bubble baths.
Rather than putting pressure on myself to do all of these things 100% of the time, I did what felt good and looked for ways to relax. While I couldn’t trust the world around me, I could trust myself to listen to my body—and act on it. My sleep routine is far from perfect, but it’s a lot better than those early-hour screen time days.
For research & resources on sleep and your mental health, visit sleepfoundation.org