We can handle celebrity super couple nicknames like Brangelina and Kimye, but we don’t think ‘coronasomnia’ sounds cute at all. However, like it or not, coronavirus and insomnia seem to go hand in hand and coronasomnia is indeed real.

Coronasomnia is the marked increase in sleep problems because of COVID-19. It’s caused by the actual virus of course, but it’s also caused by financial and emotional stress, loneliness, professional worries and the sense of being out of control of one’s life. This is particularly concerning when you consider that lack of sleep was already considered a public health epidemic before the virus.

A recent Sleep Foundation article quotes Dr. Abinav Singh of the Medical Director of the Indiana Sleep Center in the US, who coronasomnia one of several “tandemics”. He explains it as “an epidemic caused by, made worse by, and runs in tandem with the pandemic.” Another example of a tandemic is the increase in mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

The difference between insomnia and coronasomnia is that insomnia would have been identified before the pandemic started, and coronasomnia is directly related to experiences around COVID. For many people, the stress and anxiety, ongoing social distancing, minimal work-life boundaries and ongoing uncertainty has made sleep worse than ever before.

Six things you can do about insomnia caused by coronavirus

• If your sleep begins to suffer, seek professional help as soon as possible. We’re now solidly in our second year of the pandemic which means there has been ample time for sleep problems to become sleep habits, which could in turn become sleep disorders. Please note that this article, and any information provided on the Sealy blog, is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
• If you’re working from home, create a separate work and sleep area if possible. Try not to work in your bedroom, and definitely don’t work on your laptop in bed! Let your brain associate your bed with sleep and relaxation, rather than work.
• Be mindful of the media you consume, especially close to bedtime. Reading pandemic-related news might make you feel anxious, which will hinder your sleep.
• Try get outside into the sunlight the first one or two hours after waking up. This helps to set your circadian rhythm.
• Create a calming bedtime routine which you start at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Stick to the same bedtime and waking up time. Your body, and your sleep, responds well to routine.
• Try to clear your mind by journaling and meditating.
• Fit exercise into your day but be careful not to exercise too close to bedtime.