Coronavirus lockdown left you exhausted and having vivid dreams? Expert reveals how quarantine is impacting sleep

WITH the pubs closed and daily commutes cancelled, most of us have no excuse for not getting enough sleep. 

But many people have reported feeling exhausted during the day and finding it harder to wake up in the morning.

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Others have reported experiencing vivid and disturbing dreams – or remembering them really clearly when they wake up.

Experts explain that it’s likely that the changes to our everyday lives are having an impact on our circadian rhythms.

Otherwise, known as the body’s inner clock, these 24-hour cycles dictate everything – from when we feel sleepy to when our immune cells are most active.

Professor Colin A Espie, Professor of Sleep Medicine at Oxford University, told Sky News: “Sleep is central to our lives and because it happens automatically we take it for granted.

“Now we are in one place [most of the day] it is easy for sleep and wakefulness to merge.”

He said that this amounts to a “dampening” of our circadian rhythms and can make people feel fatigued during the day and unusually groggy in the morning.

Natural daylight is also important to our sleep cycle – but by staying inside more and not needing to get up as early, it’s likely that this has had an impact, he explained.

Prof Espie added: “That loss of light and change of habit allows the body clock to drift and can lead to a sense of malaise.”

He recommended getting up at your usual time – unless it was very early – and getting dressed.

Get up early

For those who exercise outside, Prof Espie said it’s best to try and do it early in the day and make the most of the outside light early on.

If not, even standing at your front door is enough to get that daily exposure.

Prof Espie also suggested that getting into bed too early could cause problems so slip between the sheets just before you want to go to sleep.

Also, use some low lighting in your bedroom just beforehand to help you drift off.

If you can’t sleep, get back out of bed and do something else for a short while before trying again, he said.

But most importantly, he says you should simply try sticking to a sleep routine – and avoid having naps.

“It’s easy to eat more than you need but it’s hard to sleep more than you need,” he said.

“By sleeping outside of normal times, a person’s sleep pattern will fragment and make it harder, with sleep often becoming lighter.”

Vivid dreams

Meanwhile, other experts have said they’ve noticed an uptick in people reporting vivid or disturbing dreams.

Dreams expert Jane Teresa Anderson told The Sun: “Most people are saying to me that their dreams are not only vivid, but they’re movie-length dramas.

“Often our dreams are more vivid when they’re more emotional.”

Dr Ian Wallace, psychologist and dreams guru, explained that many people are remembering their dreams more than usual.

He said: “Quite simply, many people are no longer waking up to their usual alarm – which would usually switch off any dreaming activity and make it fade straight away.

“Quite simply, many people are no longer waking up to their usual alarm – which would usually switch off any dreaming activity and make it fade straight away.”

Both experts suggest taking a deep breath when you wake up, and thinking over what each of your dreams may have meant – unpicking how you feel in real life, before solving the problems as best you can.