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The UK is in its third national lockdown and the isolation is starting to take its toll on our mental health. Not only are Brits feeling low, many of us feel drained and exhausted during the day but lay wide awake for hours at night when we want to sleep. Express.co.uk chatted to Dr Verena Senn: in-house Sleep Expert at Emma to find out why you might be feeling tired in the day but unable to sleep at night.
Why am I so tired in lockdown?
If you are working from home at the moment or you are furloughed, you are probably moving much less than you would if you were going in to work.
Despite not being as active, you are probably feeling more tired because you are sleeping less or not getting high-quality sleep.
According to Dr Senn, the root cause of your tiredness could be loneliness.
Dr Senn said: “Loneliness itself leads to higher levels of stress, which causes a spike in levels of cortisol in our bodies.
“Cortisol is known for being part of our fight-or-flight response, keeping us alert and ready whilst high levels are in our systems.
“Unsurprisingly, high levels of cortisol make it difficult to fall asleep, as well as increasing the likelihood of having an interrupted sleep.”
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Even if you wouldn’t consider yourself lonely, your body is starting to see loneliness and social isolation as a threat.
Dr Senn: “In addition to this, we’re also beginning to understand that the brain and body perceive loneliness and social isolation as a serious threat, similar to how our bodies react to any harmful external factor.
“It seems that loneliness puts us on high alert, which interferes with our bodies ability to wind down and relax.”
There is no shame in feeling drained, Dr Senn said it is very normal given the circumstances.
She explained: “The last year has been extremely stressful for us all for various reasons.
“All that stress isn’t just exhausting emotionally, it’s also exhausting literally. “
A study from the Economic and Social Research Council-funded Centre for Population Change at Southampton University found the number of Brits suffering sleep loss caused by worrying rose from one in six to one in four as a direct result of the pandemic, so you’re not alone.
Dr Senn added: “Stress and poor sleep can often feel like a never-ending cycle; you have a stressful day, which impacts your sleep thanks to higher levels of cortisol in your system, which in turn makes you more susceptible to stress the following day.
“But there are things we can do to de-stress an evening to ensure we start the next day fresh.”
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How can I stop being so tired?
The solution to a problem is often to reverse the cause, and the same is true in this instance.
To stop being so tired, you need to carve out some time for socialising every single day in lockdown.
Dr Senn said: “Humans are extremely sociable animals, and it’s clear from the above that without enough social interaction, our minds and bodies start to go on high alert bringing its own set of issues.
“Make sure you take time out each day for some form of social interaction.
“Those living alone should look to meet people at least once a week, as well as carving time out for those important calls.
“Yes, Zoom fatigue is real, but so too is the danger of a lack of social interaction and humans’ brains are literally wired to connect.”
Dr Senn recommends having a look at some of the brilliant UK initiatives and organisations to help support those who are suffering with loneliness, including Tackling Youth Loneliness, Campaign to End Loneliness, WaveLength and The CO-OP Foundation’s Belong.
The NHS also provides a portal complete with resources to help anyone suffering from loneliness, social isolation and those currently shielding.
What do you do if you can’t sleep?
Lots of us are feeling sleepy in the day but wired up at night when it’s time to get some shuteye.
This creates a bigger problem and tiredness becomes an endless cycle.
Dr Senn said: “If you cannot get to sleep at night due to stress, try not to fret over it too much.
“Doing so will only increase your stress levels, increase your cortisol and activate your sympathetic nervous system, continuing that never-ending cycle. Just know that you will drift off eventually.
“If you feel you’re too focused on getting to sleep, take yourself out of your room and read a book, but make sure you keep the light dim and it’s a physical copy, otherwise blue light emitted from your e-reader will suppress the production of the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin.
“Also, you don’t want to read anything too gripping, but enough to take your mind off of things.”
She also recommended listening to something mildly distracting such as low white noise, an audiobook read by a soothing voice or even some relaxing music.
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