05/01/2020
Here’s the latest article, published in the Southern Duchess News magazine section, “Healthy Lifestyles.” The actual article may be found on my familiar page, but I offer you the original text version, prior to publication here. Be well and be safe
Dr. Green
-----------------------------------------------------------
UP ALL NIGHT: A REVIEW OF THE DAY IN REVIEW
“I’m not sleeping... I’m inspecting the inside of my eyelids.”
Alan Alda (Hawkeye Pierce)
Randy W. Green, Ph.D.
Seems like just the other day life was simple, right? A day was just a day: Twenty-four hours. There was a routine. You slept, worked and spent the remainder of the day at home with your family... for better or worse.
Then we entered the “Twilight Zone”, or so it seems. You awakened one morning and were faced with a nightmare, even though you were no longer sleeping!
COVID-19.
The spread of this dreaded infection has brought a complex of health, economic and social stressors. The stress that has resulted and accumulated through this relatively brief amount of time as a function of the presence and continuing spread of the virus has led to domestic violence and other displays of anger, frustration, difficulty concentrating, a massive amount of worrying and of course, sleep disturbance.
Perhaps the root “culprit” behind all these behavioral manifestations is the realization that we don’t (yet) know what we don’t know! Not knowing what we don’t know can be scary, and represents one of four levels of learning and understanding. An example is that until you read this, you didn’t realize that you didn’t know what “synesthesia” means. Okay… automatically linking one sense to another. Until it hit the news media, you didn’t know that you didn’t know about COVID-19.
Then there’s the level in which you do know what you don’t know. You now know synesthesia means linking senses, but what the heck does that mean? So you’re still kind of in the dark, right? Suddenly, COVID-19 news was everywhere. You saw people in other countries (and later, here) wearing masks, scenes of ambulences driving to hospitals and so forth. But you still weren’t sure what “it” was.
A third type of learning occurs when you don’t know that you already know. This is a powerful form of learning, which occurs unconsciously and yet produces an observable change. So walking past a fabulous bakery here in Dutchess County, the bakery at Adams Fairacre Farms, for example, the scent “smells delicious” (a taste), and perhaps reminds you of a scene at your grandmother’s when you were a child. Hence, “synesthesia.” But no one sat you down and told you this—you simply experienced it. Unfortunately, this type of learning relative to COVID-19 occurs when someone contracts it and doesn’t realize it until experiencing the symptoms.
Finally, there is the most common form of learning: didactic. You know that you know. You read a book about it—or this article. You attended a lecture on synesthesia. You listened to multiple news stories in which spread and manifestation of COVID-19 was discussed, symptoms described, and statistics regarding survival. You know that, even though there is currently no cure, you know a lot more about COVID-19 than you did, say, a month ago.
But even though you now know more about the virus, there is still the uncertainty around whether or not you will contract it; and worse, whether or not you will survive. Hence, there is still that second level of learning and understanding operating: you know that you don’t know. So you don’t sleep well.
What can you do?
1. Try to stay awake. That's right, try to not-sleep! Sleep is a spontaneous event, you can’t “try” to do it. The more you do, the more you stay awake so instead, do something useful! As long as you are up, write, read, pay bills, call another insomniac, roll loose coins, brush the dog-- do anything other than sitting in bed worrying about the virus; or the fact that you are still not asleep. A word of caution: Be sure you get out of bed when you do these things. A bed should be the occasion for only two activities: And one of them is sleeping.
2. Be a regular guy (gal). We are creatures of habit. Make them good ones. Our bodies respond well to consistency. Maintain a routine schedule for sleep, especially if you are experiencing sleep disturbances. Avoid the temptation, often on weekends, to deviate markedly from your regular waking- sleeping schedule. Of greater importance is maintaining a consistent wake-up time.
3. Be fit to be tired. Exercise is often considered essential for weight loss, muscle toning, improved oxygen efficiency better circulation, and so forth. But exercising moderately over time can also improve your sleep.
4. When possible, say, "No" to drugs. —and toxic news stories. Limit caffeine after mid-day. Some people who have difficulty sleeping turn to alcohol as a "nightcap." Though it may help you fall asleep, after it has metabolized in your system, it can create sleep disturbances. There is a good sleep “hack” that often helps: Get 3mg. Melatonin and take two a half hour before bed (this is not medicine!). Additionally, get something called, “GABA” from a vitamin store and take one when you take the Melatonin. Finally, get some natural honey and take ¼ teaspoon when you take the other two things. Turn off the TV. It’s important to be informed about COVID-19; but too much of a bad thing is hazardous to your health…and sleep.
5. Avoid napping. Anyone have a cat? They wake you early in the morning to be fed or let out. Then when you get busy, they curl up someplace and take a nap. But cats are on a different sleep schedule than you. They are up most of the night-- without worrying about it! Naps are just another way of negatively altering your sleep pattern.
Did you ever lose something, and exhaust yourself to no avail trying to find it? Then notice that after having forgotten about it, the item suddenly appears? Sleep often works that way, too. Stop exhausting yourself trying so hard and when you least expect it, sleep make sneak up on you! Pleasant dreams, but then, try to not notice...
-30-
