{"id":4625,"date":"2020-04-18T10:44:56","date_gmt":"2020-04-18T08:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dodocoaching.com\/?p=4625"},"modified":"2020-05-03T13:35:14","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T11:35:14","slug":"how-to-fight-covid-19-stay-home-and-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dodocoaching.com\/en\/how-to-fight-covid-19-stay-home-and-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fight COVID-19: Stay Home and Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Since the coronavirus has spread to nearly all countries, we are permanently reminded the steps to follow to protect ourselves. No more handshaking, frequent and thorough hand washing, coughing and sneezing in your elbow, keeping distance from each other, and staying at home as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\"how<\/span><\/p>\n

These low-cost measures are unhesitatingly all effective ways to tackle the virus. However, there is one piece of advice often overlooked, even completely left out: sleep well and get enough rest. Getting plenty of good sleep is actually one of the few proven strategies to boost our immune system.<\/strong> So, staying up to follow the news or binge watching your favorite show all night during this pandemic is not a good idea.<\/p>\n

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Why should you prioritize sleep in the time of coronavirus?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Like a mysterious vitamin S, Sleep allows us to regain energy, stimulate cognitive function, organize memories, prevent depression, help lose weight, and strengthen the immune system. Sleep doesn’t stop us from getting sick, but it does help the immune system protect us as well as possible. The less we sleep, the more likely we get sick after being exposed to a virus.<\/strong>\u00a0Cytokines are proteins involved in physiological sleep regulation. These are molecules secreted by the immune system to fight the viral or bacterial invader. It also explains why we stay in bed in case of illness. We sleep more until our body has regained strength.<\/p>\n

A study<\/a>\u00a0from the University of Washington Medicine found that chronic short sleep\u00a0suppresses immune response<\/strong>. \u201cThe immune system functions best when it gets enough sleep. Seven or\u00a0more\u00a0hours of\u00a0sleep\u00a0is recommended for optimal\u00a0health<\/em>,\u201d said lead author Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center. In addition, German researchers<\/a> discovered how sleep\u00a0helps fight infection and can sometimes be a great medicine. According to the study, sleep improves the potential ability of some of the body’s immune cells to attach to their targets.<\/p>\n

In extreme cases of sleep deprivation, lack of sleep slowly kills us<\/strong>. More than 20 large scale epidemiological studies all report that cause-effect relationship: the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life<\/strong>. In an article<\/a> published by the Guardian, Professor Matthew Walker, director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of Berkeley, sounds the alarm and expresses his conviction that we are in the midst of a \u201ccatastrophic sleep-loss epidemic\u201d.<\/p>\n

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How could a lack of sleep impact your life as a parent?<\/span><\/h1>\n

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep every night<\/strong>. When you sleep fewer hours a night on an ongoing basis, you build up a sleep debt that can be hard to pay back.<\/p>\n

Netherlands, New Zealand and France are the top 3 countries on the podium where people sleep the most, with an average of respectively five, four and three minutes more than eight hours of sleep per night. But not all developed economies rest well. Singapore and Japan are the world\u2019s worst countries when it comes to getting a good night\u2019s sleep, sleeping an average of 36 and 29 minutes less than the eight hours taken as the reference. It is likely that cultural and social factors are to blame for short nights.<\/p>\n

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The loss of sleep is a common problem in modern society, affecting many individuals at some point in their lives. Sleep deprivation is caused by consistent lack of sleep or reduced quality of sleep. If your sleep debt persists over time, i.e. you get less than 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis, you can suffer severe consequences affecting your entire life. Occasional sleep interruptions can feel like a nuisance. However, ongoing lack of sleep can cause many adverse effects like excessive daytime sleepiness, emotional difficulties, poor job performance, obesity and a lowered perception of quality of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As mentioned above, sleeping too little breaks your immunity down, leaving you more likely to get sick. As a parent, you very well know that this is something you wish to avoid at all costs. Being sick is simply inconvenient when you have a child; you cannot take care of your child well, and in the worst-case scenario, your child could also get the bug. Depriving yourself of enough deep sleep weakens our immune response to intruders. So, health care and grocery employees working double or triple shifts are currently so much more vulnerable, and not just because through exposure to the coronavirus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to research<\/a>, sleep deprivation is also linked to a higher mortality risk<\/strong>. An individual sleeping on average less than six hours per night has a 13% higher mortality risk than someone sleeping between seven and nine hours. An individual sleeping between six and seven hours per day still has a 7% higher mortality risk. Unfortunately, tragedies remind us how vital sleep is. In 2015, a man dies in Taiwan after 3-day online gaming binge. In 2018, a western Pennsylvania father fell asleep with his 1-month-old son on his chest. Smothered by dad\u2019s body, the infant had stopped breathing. In Florida, a 9-month-old baby died last year because he left alone in bath and drowned while parents sleep.<\/p>\n

Based on a research<\/a> conducted about the sleeping habits of people from across the UK, it appears that parents are getting just 5.1 hours of sleep per night in the first year of their child’s life. This means that they lose a total of 44 nights during that period. Due to the insufficient proper sleep new parents are usually getting, they could be considered as a vulnerable COVID-19 risk group<\/strong>. The National Sleep Foundation<\/a> states that, \u201cinsomnia in parenthood can come from having to multitask and balance busy lives. Lying down in bed brings spinning thoughts of to-do lists and worries about family matters, both small and large<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"sleepThe inability to disconnect is not the only reason for sleep challenges. Research conducted by the University of Berkeley with 2\u2019000 parents, focused on the impact of a child\u2019s sleep on the parental balance. It revealed that parents sleep an average of 6 hours per night and have a hard time managing the lack of sleep.<\/p>\n

30% of divorced or separated parents mention that the main reason that triggered their separation is the sleepless nights caused by their baby crying.<\/strong>\u00a0Beyond an insufficient duration of sleep for the young parents, it is the duration of uninterrupted sleep which is invoked. At least 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep would be needed to properly concentrate and, among other things, prevent postpartum depression.<\/p>\n

Of those surveyed, 11% admitted to pretending to sleep when their baby\u2019s crying wakes them up, leaving their partner to care for the child. The same number of parents decide to close the door, to stop hearing the screams. According to psychiatrist Bernard Geberowicz,\u00a0100% of parents experience turbulence when their first baby arrives<\/strong>. He also states that 20 to 25% of couples break up after four or five years of cohabitation, which often coincides with the beginnings of parenthood.\u00a0This is linked to the numerous symptoms of sleep deprivation, such as irritation, depression, and getting defensive more easily when running on little to no sleep.<\/p>\n

Postpartum depression, referring to the depression some mothers deal with after giving birth, has now reached a 1\/7 women rate. This has also been closely linked to sleep deprivation. More specifically, women who get less than 5 hours of sleep on a constant basis are at a higher rate of suffering from postpartum depression<\/strong>. This perinatal mood disorder can lead to severe marital or relationship problems.<\/p>\n

Read: Understanding postpartum depression<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Restricted sleep has also negative effects on our facial appearance and social appeal<\/strong> according to research<\/a> carried out by the Royal Society Open Science. The results showed that study participants were less inclined to socialize with individuals who had gotten insufficient sleep. Furthermore, sleep-restricted participants were perceived as less attractive and less healthy.<\/p>\n

Why is sleep also crucial for your baby?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Science tells us that if we get the appropriate number of hours of sleep, it helps the learning process, increases our ability to concentrate, aids metabolism and weight control, reduces irritability and impatience, decreases the risk of suffering from depression and strengthens our immune system.<\/p>\n

Similarly, healthy sleeping habits are essential to promote children\u2019s cognitive, behavioral, emotional and physical development<\/strong>. By providing your child\u2019s brain sufficient sleep, she will learn better by maximizing her concentration capacity, will be less likely to go through mood swings, happier, healthier and successful. From an early age, you can help your child develop a good foundation for peaceful nights.\u00a0A healthy sleep hygiene starts early in life\u00a0(Read:\u00a0What is a healthy sleep hygiene?<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Here are a few reasons, among others, that explain why sleep is essential for little ones:<\/p>\n