The world nowadays is dominated by coronavirus news. Everyone seems to be worried about the rising numbers of infected people and the effect the pandemic has on the economy. It’s understandable if these concerns keep you up at night and cause you to wake up in a panic in the morning.

If you find it hard to get your seven to nine hours of sleep in these uncertain times, we have some tips for you.

It’s really important to establish a daily routine. You should wake up at the same time every morning to help stabilize your circadian rhythm. If you wake up at the same time every day, no matter how you slept through the night, you’ll probably feel tired in the evening and you can get back on track.

It’s also important to set a time for winding-down before you go to bed in the evening. This routine can be anything that helps you relax, like having a shower, reading a book, or watching re-runs of your favorite sitcom. Whatever you decide to do, keep in mind it should be a non-stimulating activity to get you ready for sleep.

What’s not recommended for your wind-down activity is mindlessly scrolling through social media or reading the news on coronavirus deaths. You don’t need any concerns to trouble your mind before going to sleep and also the blue light from electronics can impact your circadian rhythm negatively. It can keep you wide awake when you are supposed to be feeling pretty tired.

Watching TV is allowed because it’s usually too far from your face to influence your circadian rhythm, as we have mentioned, watching re-runs of your favorite sitcom on your TV might be exactly what you need at the end of your day.

Create an optimal sleeping environment. A dark room and a room temperature between 65 and 70 degrees are ideal for sleeping. Also, have in mind that hot baths are not a good idea before bed, because they can increase your core body temperature and make it difficult to sleep.

It is best to exercise in the afternoon. Because cardio raises your core body temperature, you should not exercise within three hours before bedtime. Afternoon exercise can be more beneficial for deep sleep than morning exercise.

Try not to eat right before going to bed. Still, if you wake up at night because you are hungry, have a light snack. When it comes to caffeine,  you might not know that it stays in the body for 8 hours. So, our tip is to avoid drinking coffee at least several hours before going to bed.

You might have the impression that alcoholic drinks help you fall asleep, and they might do that for you. But, the problem is that it becomes metabolized in the middle of the night. Thus, avoid alcohol a couple of hours before going to bed, too.

If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, don’t lie awake there. Get out of bed, go to another quiet room, and engage in an activity that you usually do during the wind-down time.

The goal is for you to feel sleepy again, and that is why you shouldn’t do the dishes or the laundry, although you might think that since you’re up, you could at least be productive. However, this is the wrong approach because it won’t help you get back to sleep.

When you get back into bed, resist the temptation to look at the clock. Just set the alarm for your usual waking hours. Watching the minutes go by can be an additional stress. One of the things that doctors tell their patients is that you can’t catch sleep, you have to let sleep catch you.