For the efficient function of the human body sleep is the most important thing which is not unknown to people. There are various studies that have been conducted over the years on the importance of sleep the role it plays in the regulation of healthy physical and mental health in humans.
The inability or insufficiency of sleep has been associated with the risk of developing health conditions that can be both physical and mentally like insomnia, sleep apnea, depression, schizophrenia, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
COVID-19, sleep, and mental health
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a major disruption in lifestyle of people have been caused all across the world. These abrupt changes required accommodation which led to disturbed sleep schedules, mental health, and productivity levels of people.
A recent peer-reviewed study published in medRxiv titled “Prior sleep-wake behaviour predicts mental health resilience among adults in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic” in which a better insight into the effect of COVID-19 on mental health was provided. This study finds out that the better mental health resilience among people who were able to get the required 6 to 8 hours of sleep. Those who did not were identified as individuals who are more
“The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown all our lives out of order. At such a critical time, it is essential to establish a strong health regimen to counter the negative effects of the current scenario and enjoy a healthy life, “said Dr Rajan Verma, Medical Director, Lab operations, Oncquest Laboratories Ltd.
Following are the five lifestyle tips that we should all consider following:
- Exercise regularly! Anyone fit enough to walk is fit enough to exercise. You don’t have to do much; you just have to do something. Low-impact exercises like walking, jogging, etc. are great.
- Meditate for a few minutes every day to get rid of negative emotions.
- Take breaks while working from home to stay productive and enthused.
- Eat whole foods and cut down on processed foods if you want to stay healthy.
- Try to sleep on time. Many people these days are staying up late into the night for no particular reason. That disturbs your body’s circadian rhythm and causes all sorts of imbalances in your body. “Early to bed, early to rise” is the mantra we all need to adopt.
