Is Our “New Normal” Destroying Your Sleep?

SLEEP.  Now that you have nowhere to be, why are you getting less of it?

Stress, y’all.  Even if the impact of the stay at home order and COVID-19 is negligible in your life in general, (which would be rare), we are all operating under the undeniable stress of "The New Normal." Our routines are shot.  There may be zero outward pressure to not revert to the full-blown night owl state you once gave into in college (Jason baby, I'm looking at you lol).  You're probably thinking about finances, or who will take care of your 60+ parents during this, or if this is the actual apocalypse (it's not), or wtf is common core math... lol  I get it.
Ok, so what can you do about it?  I'll give you 3 steps that you can start TODAY:

So, about those airport rules... I know, I know.  For the first week or so, cocktails anytime were actually pretty frickin fun.  Getting a tight buzz while watching Maury with zero guilt is low-key the crap dreams are made of :D  But alcohol and quality sleep are not buddies.  So if you are having trouble sleeping right now, Step 1 is going to be backing off on your alcohol consumption.  Alcohol is also a natural depressant, so keep that in mind if you are at all struggling with your mental health right now. 

Step 2: Do your best to keep some semblance of a routine.  I've done posts before on sleep hygiene and will again in the near future.  Supporting your circadian rhythm by going to bed at roughly the same time each night and getting up at roughly the same time each morning is probably the simplest way to improve your sleep quality.  Try setting the bedtime reminder on your phone or smartwatch to break you out of your catatonic Netflix binge of Tiger King.  F*cking Carole Baskin will be there in the morning, I promise ;)  And bonus points if you pop on some blue-blocking glasses in the evening to reduce that pineal gland stimulation from your screens! S

tep 3?  Have some sort of ritual or process each evening for letting crap go and putting it "away" for now that works for you.  Some people meditate, others journal or make a gratitude list, and some people write out every flipping thing that's bothering them and throw it on the floor.  WHATEVER works for you, works.  Period.  The sooner you can let go of those "New Normal" worries that your brain is scrambling to process, the sooner you can get some actual, restful sleep. Have you been sleeping like crap since quarantine started? Are you going to implement any of these steps tonight?! Comment below! OR TAG SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THIS POST!