With the government’s road out of lockdown nearing its end, and life soon returning to normal, it’s no surprise many of us are feeling anxious about the change, wondering how we’re going to cope with busier social schedules and a more stringent daily routine. 

What’s more, a culmination of lockdown habits will have negatively impacted our sleep.

While no commute may have been nice for a while, the likelihood is that with no need to set our usual alarm, many of us have been waking later and therefore our sleep cycles will have drifted. Furthermore, many of us have been exercising less and getting less fresh air, both of which can contribute to poor sleep.

In addition, the extra stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic likely means more time in bed thinking and ruminating, creating an attachment between bed and wakefulness, leading to further poor sleep.  

That’s not all. For those who have been unfortunate enough to contract covid, one commonly reported symptom of long covid is insomnia.

However, despite all the change and challenges, the good news is there are positive steps you can take to help improve your sleep, making the return to normal life a smoother experience. 

My top tips for improving your sleep.

1.     Get back in a routine – During lockdown, many of us stopped setting alarm clocks, meaning we got up later, lost our routine and began to lose the structure that keeps us sleeping well. This had a big impact on our sleep drive. To resume a routine, even if you’ve sleep badly, you should still get up nice and early. This will help you to build an ‘appetite’ for sleep, helping you get a better night’s sleep the next night.

2.     Get your work-life balance back – If you’re still working from home, make sure you have an end time to your working day and take an action to signify this. For example, go for a walk or do some exercise when your working day ends. Usually, a commute would work for this, but you need to find a way to help your body and mind distinguish the end of work and the start of your ‘me-time’.

3.     Get up if you can’t sleep – If you’re struggling to sleep, get up! This will help to avoid building a negative link with bed and sleep. If you can’t drift back off to sleep when you wake, simply get up and go to another room, read a book or do something you enjoy, and then when you’re feeling sleepy again, head back to bed.

4.     Manage anxiety – Anxiety is exhausting, so if you’re feeling tired it’s important to note that it is not just lack of sleep which makes us tired and affects our daytime functioning, but also our negative thoughts about lack of sleep and stress in general. I advise you to spend time writing down your negative thoughts, challenging them, then letting them go. Worrying about sleep won’t improve it but it will make you feel worse. If you wake up and begin your day with a negative sleep thought such as ‘the day is going to be miserable because I did not sleep well’, it is the combination of sleep loss and negative mood from this thought that then negatively impacts your daytime functioning. 

5.     Don’t stress – Practicing relaxation techniques and mindfulness during the daytime will help you learn to regularly rest your mind and help combat stress. Using this time to relax and spend some time on yourself will help you to feel more refreshed, even if you are struggling to sleep well.