Feeling so tired now that you're in quarantine? This is why.
You would think: you finally have it quieter than ever. No countless appointments here and there, no trips, no weekends away, no full agenda.
But still, more people than ever are very tired during quarantine times, psychologists report. How is that possible? You have so little to do, right? Well, it's different. Your rhythm is completely disrupted. Your day is completely different from how it was: you need to go to fewer places, you are more at home. That gives not always the peacethat you think it gives: your body even gets a bit out of sorts because of it.
The strange thing is that being at home doesn't really boost your energy because home is associated with relaxation. Your brain has associated all that time working with a workplace, with biking to work, with having a cup of coffee with colleagues at work. So working from home creates a strange situation in your brain: you live and work in the same setting, you sleep where you also meet your deadlines. Error.
People are also reportedly sleeping worse than ever due to everything happening in the world right now. Unconsciously, you – all of us – will worry a bit before going to sleep. Do you still have a job at the end of this year? Can you still switch jobs soon, is it a good time to get pregnant? How is the housing market, your stocks, your own business? Can you still chase your dreams in the coming years or is it just pure survival and earning money for groceries? It brings worries we are not used to: because this situation is new for all of us. Young, old, mother, single, rich, fat, thin. Your quality of sleep decreases because of this and thus you are more tired than you are used to. There is something constantly in your head, whether you realize it or not: the corona crisis. Just the word alone, it literally makes me tired. And it haunts me as soon as I wake up.
What do experts say helps when you feel incredibly sluggish and tired?
- Go to bed at the same time every day and wake up at the same time. Set an alarm (or get a twin like I did, then you will never need it again)
- Drink less coffee and less wine (sad but true)
- Have sex: it relaxes like nothing else (and it immediately lifts your mood)
If it’s up to the cabinet, we will all continue to work from home for months. The message ‘stay home’ will change from May 11 to ‘stay home if you have complaints’. So make the best of it, at your kitchen table. And don’t set the bar too high for yourself now: it doesn’t matter if you fall asleep in the middle of the day. These are crazy times.
