Many people have reported disturbed sleep patterns and strange dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s no wonder that during times of disruption, disturbance, and crisis, people struggle to calm their minds and enjoy restful, restful, and restful sleep.

COVID-19 has disrupted all of our lives. All that was familiar or safe is gone and no one has been affected by its presence. People have seen family members, friends, neighbors, or colleagues get sick and maybe die. They themselves may have gotten sick for a while.

Businesses have been forced to close, leaving staff and owners potentially with no income, career, or business to return to. Schools are only open to the children of key workers or vulnerable children, which means that most parents have to educate, feed and care for their children from home while possibly trying to continue working. Thriving main streets have become ghost towns as we are instructed to stay home and only go out for essential reasons.

While this change of pace has brought with it an opportunity to reassess our lives and our priorities, the prevailing fear and uncertainty have disrupted many people’s sleep patterns.

Dreams allow our unconscious minds to process what happens each day, to review and sometimes revise our perspective as a consequence. No doubt he has heard the phrase, ‘go to sleep and see how you feel in the morning’, intended to discourage us from making hasty or hasty decisions. And yes, often after a good night’s sleep, a new way of thinking or feeling emerges.

But when it’s not just us who are affected, when the news channels are saturated with statistics and instructions and we are in uncharted waters, these unsettling times understandably trigger strange dreams.

Someone shared an interesting dream in which people were walking in a single file, keeping a significant distance, with no one looking at each other. While this is all too familiar during COVID-19, it also references how far apart we are becoming from one another. People are social distancing, staying apart. Many people are looking at each other, monitoring what customers are doing in stores or their neighbors, being wary or angry about how others should, should, or should behave. There is little eye contact in these situations.

Dreams allow our unconscious minds to resolve issues and concerns in an effort to re-establish some semblance of control in our lives. And so they might include unusual assets, where we’re flying, hopping, or hopping from one place to another, or perhaps feature a monster, mythical creature, or celebrity that features special attributes and abilities.

Ways to support better sleep if you have experienced strange dreams;

During this forced time of change, our diet and drinking habits can be very different. If we get up later, we may skip breakfast or combine breakfast and lunch, instead grabbing a sandwich and eating on the go. Our coffee habit may be different, and alcohol sales have certainly skyrocketed. These sudden changes impact our metabolic rate and affect our sleep and dreams.

– Establish a new daily routine. Getting up at the same time, showering, getting dressed, maybe working, exercising, eating regularly bring order to your life and help you feel more in control.

– Exercise, especially outdoors, is important to relieve stress and helps you sleep and dream better. Being mentally and physically exercised allows us to get tired and feel ready to sleep. If you can’t walk, maybe spend time in your garden or maybe use one of the many free online exercise classes that offer something for all levels.

– Be attentive to the diet, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Use this time to hone your culinary skills or start baking from scratch, perhaps involving other family members as well. Avoid the temptation to start drinking alcohol earlier each day or to consume too much coffee.

– Ration your time watching the news or on social media. Nothing significant has likely happened in the last hour, so avoid constantly checking for updates. Allow yourself to be distracted by other, more positive activities.

– Count your blessings. Yes, there’s a lot to be upset about, but worrying won’t change that. Focus on what you have; discover benefits, gratitude and smiles throughout each day and notice that your stress levels gradually decrease.

– Allocate time to work and be productive. Set up a work station and designate specific hours to work or study. Why not commit to learning a new skill, a foreign language, practicing a musical instrument, reading, or doing crafts? Treat this time as important to me.

– Stay in touch with others. A phone call or online group can be a nice way to share advice or talk about how you are feeling and coping, especially if you are alone. Perhaps send a “thinking of you” card to someone who is lonely. And many business owners are finding that by being more flexible they can stay in touch with customers and continue to trade to some extent.

– Record your successes and achievements every day and have treats. A quiet bath, reading, or pampering session are important ways to relax, manage stress, and invest in a good night’s sleep.

COVID-19 is an unprecedented time. Be kind to yourself and gradually achieve a more positive mindset. Doing this helps you sleep better at night and consequently fewer strange dreams.