The new coronavirus is keeping people awake

Am I getting sick? Is someone in the family getting sick? How is corona affecting the economy? Am I about to lose my job? For many people, the corona pandemic is causing a lot of worries and mental stress, which in turn can affect their sleep: "Fears and worries as well as altered sleep habits from being isolated at home can easily create problems with falling asleep and sleeping through the night," explains Alexander Rötger, psychologist and co-founder of mementor GmbH. For example, you can watch TV a little longer in the evening because you don’t have to be at work at eight in the morning. For many people, working from home also changes their bed times, something that may then affect their mood. But especially in the current situation, it is very important to have a clear mind and robust immune system.

Anxiety, restlessness and insomnia

In a recent analysis, DCAPP, the German-Chinese alumni network of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy, evaluated over 2,000 calls to the psychosocial services helpline. The result: 20 percent of the callers reported sleep disorders, and 19 percent mentioned fear, anxiety and insomnia brought on by media reports about the pandemic.

Four tips against insomnia from the corona crisis

The following tips will help you to sleep well and get the rest you need during the corona pandemic:

• Maintain your sleep-wake rhythm: Our body can best adjust to sleep if we keep a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up. Sleeping into the morning upsets this schedule, causing us to feel less tired than normally in the evening. This, in turn, can lead to problems with falling asleep and sleeping through the night. It is therefore important to maintain your sleep-wake rhythm, even when in quarantine.
• Limit your intake of news: Currently, there are more and more negative headlines about the corona pandemic, and reading too many of the them can make you even more fearful and anxious. Here, one solution is to read the news only once a day.
• Don't work in the bedroom: Our brain is the master of association, and as soon as we start working in the bedroom – or worse, while still in bed – it is likely to start associating the bedroom with stress and work, which in turn can negatively affect our sleep. You are therefore much better off working on any stressful projects as far away as possible from your bed.
• Stay active during the day: Getting a lot of exercise during the day is very healthy and has a very positive effect on sleep. This is because our body then consumes energy that will need to be replenished, which in turn will help you to fall asleep and prevents worries from interfering with your sleep.

Online sleep training

SWICA offers an online sleep training course for its customers who sleep badly. During the course, they will learn techniques that sleep experts recommend for better sleep. Visit the SWICA website for more information about sleep problems.


22.04.2020