Doctors are Seeing Rise in Insomnia During COVID-19 Pandemic

[TexasTowelie]

WORCESTER, Mass. - The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we go about our daily routines, and it turns out it's also affecting our sleep patterns.

Medical Director of the Saint Vincent Hospital Sleep Lab, Dr. Anthony Izzo, says the hospital is seeing an increase in chronic insomnia. He says anxiety around losing a job, getting the virus, and remote learning are a few contributing factors.

The hospital is expanding its Sleep Lab with a new testing technology allowing patients to track their sleep patterns at home and pass the information to doctors who can help evaluate and treat sleep disorders.

Dr. Izzo says there are ways to identify if your insomnia is brought on by the pandemic.

"I think as a nation we all have trouble sleeping, I think we are not great sleepers in the United States and I think there is a lot of different factors that play into it. Certainly, new changes in sleep patterns that have happened since February or March when the pandemic started to roll in and quarantine started to happen," Dr. Izzo said. "Those types of changes that people can link right to the start of the pandemic and quarantine are indicators that this is not just your garden variety insomnia."

Read more: https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2020/10/29/corona-insmonia-102920

[trueblue2007]

1. MY sleeping is horrible. ever since 2016 election.

[Thekaspervote]

11. Right there with ya..as I sit here 3:12AM

[CottonBear]

12. Me too. I am wide awake at 4:57am. I've been like this since 2016.

...sigh...

[CottonBear]

13. Me too. I am wide awake at 4:57am. I've been like this since 2016.

...sigh...

[newdayneeded]

2. No sleep

LOL! As I'm lying here at 2 am wide awake reading this. So yes, I agree with this story.

[ananda]

3. Same here

I’m indoors too much..
not enough sunlight probably.

[Demovictory9]

6. same here excepts it's just past midnight

[Yonnie3]

4. Apparently it is a non-partisan thing

We're up and on DU and t'Rump is rage Tweeting.

For me it is also the election.

[marlakay]

5. Just saw this at 12:20am wide awake

Again, sigh....

[wnylib]

7. No s#!t. It's 3:25 am where I am.

[Raster]

8. 12:43 AM...

...might be something to this.

[Dem2theMax]

9. Haven't fallen asleep before 3 or 4 a.m. in months.

And then if I'm lucky, I sleep three hours. And I have nightmares while I'm sleeping.

[Skittles]

10. I am always awake all night

I live my life updside-down....have for decades

welcome to my world

[Sedona]

14. thanks for this

Need to share with family.

Maybe once this orange nightmare is over we can finally sleep.

[IrishEyes]

15. It is 5:29am. I haven't slept a wink all night.

That is pretty much how it is most nights.

[EarthFirst]

16. I've had chronic insomnia since my 30's...

It’s never real sleep; it’s more of a rest period. It’s awful.

Many nights I’m averaging between 3-5 hours; often I’m wide awake by 4 a.m.

This morning I got up at 3:25; mind already working overtime for the day...

I’ve spoken with my primary about it; and how quick he was to want to prescribe low dose Xanax or Ambien. Not for me. The pharmaceutical hangover is tremendous for me; often lasting hours into the following morning. Even OTC Benadryl will have me lethargic into mid morning.

What I find works best for me is cannabis. Not large consumption either. I find evenings when I smoke one or two small pulls; the quality of the rest is far greater than evenings when I do not.

[Earthshine2]

17. Whenever I'm watching Morning Joe, like right now, it means I'm either up too late or up too early.

TV at this time is not natural, and very bad for my circadian rhythms.

[NurseJackie]

18. Include me in those numbers.

[TexasBushwhacker]

19. Oh yeah n/t

[redstatebluegirl]

20. Mine is related to the fat cheeto in the White House.

I had to get something to help me sleep last year.