COVID-19 Prevention & Treatment

Good Quantity And Quality of Rest

The body goes through wear and tear in the course of a normal day.  At the end of the day, after hours expending energy being awake and working on your daily tasks, your body needs time to rest.  It is during this rest time that your body recalibrates its systems, recuperates expended energy, recovers from all the stress, and rebuilds whatever cells were damaged in the course of the waking hours. Do not underestimate the importance of adequate rest.  People who do not get enough rest have evident deterioration in brain and body function, sometimes to the point of inability to perform routine tasks safely due to loss of focus, or loss of motor skills, or both.

Without rest, the stresses and damages on the body will accumulate because the body is not given a chance to recalibrate, recuperate, recover, and rebuild.  One of the body’s systems to take a direct hit would be the body’s immune system, it becomes weak over prolonged periods of inadequate rest.  With a weakened immune system, any virus will have an easier time overcoming the body’s defenses, making its host fall ill easily.

Sleep is regarded the best form of rest.  It is a long-held belief that the average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep a day.  In actuality, the quantity of sleep may be important, but the quality of sleep is just as important.  Having 7 to 8 hours of shallow and interrupted sleep will not bring the body to the deep sleep state that it needs to recover, recuperate, and rebuild itself.  If you wake up after 8 hours of sleep and still feel exhausted and unrested, it is a probable sign that your sleep quality is bad, and your body is not getting enough recuperation. There are many ways to get a good night’s sleep, and medication is not necessarily considered the best option.  There are usually some daily habits that need to be tweaked to prepare you for a good night’s sleep.  For example, drinking stimulants (e.g. sodas, coffee, energy drinks) less than 2 hours before bedtime is a usual culprit for poor quality sleep.  Even if the stimulant effects wear out by your designated bedtime, your sleep quality will still likely be poor, and you will not give your body a chance to fully repair itself.

Try the following habits to help you get better quality sleep:

1.         Drink nothing but water at least 2 hours before bedtime, but do not drink too much that you would need to urinate often.  Food is ok, but no more coffee and soda in those 2 hours before bedtime.

2.         Allot at least 3 hours between your last workout and bedtime.

3.         Make your sleep environment as quiet and dark as possible.

4.         Do not use gadgets to lull you to sleep.  The light from the gadget actually stimulates the brain to resist sleep.

5.         Try to get your mind relaxed at least 1 hour before bedtime.  Whatever stressors you have, try to tell your mind to set it aside to the next day.  

6.         Start taking deep, long breaths to calm the body and mind.  Inhale 3 to 5 seconds, hold your breath for 3 to 5 seconds, exhale 3 to 5 seconds, pause for 3 to 5 seconds before you inhale again for the next cycle.