Staying Healthy Through Sleeping 

While most of us are in self-quarantine at home, we may be finding it easy to get sucked into the Netflix binge until 4 am. As fun as this may seem, it could actually be taking a toll on our body’s natural circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm in our body is what tells our brain when it’s time to wake up and time to fall asleep. This is also heavily influenced by the times that the sun sets and rises. So, if we fall asleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning, all while following the patterns of the sun setting and rising, our body is able to keep a regular cycle. This allows us to stay focused during the day and feel an elevated mood.

This may be difficult to try at first for some people (especially if you are a night owl), so here are a few tips and tricks to make falling asleep a little bit easier:

• Try to avoid heavy meals right before bed. The Sleep Foundation recommends we stop snacking 45 minutes before we go to bed.
• Turn off those bright lights and limit cell phone use right before bed. These can mimic sunlight, which makes our bodies think it’s still time to stay awake.
• Try listening to some calming instrumental music before bed instead of watching Netflix or YouTube.

Even though it may seem like there are no rules at home during self-quarantine, it is still important that we take care of ourselves to help keep our spirits lifted!