KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Doctors within the University of Kansas Health System gathered Thursday morning to discuss mental health and how to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The doctors addressed everything from social media to when to shower.
Dr. Suzanne Stevens, a specialist in sleep medicine, introduced the idea of "COVID dreams."
The anxieties of working in healthcare during the pandemic, worrying about financial security, worrying about family safety and stressing about the lockdown might transition into people's dreams.
The medical experts went on to provide some advice for anyone experiencing stress, anxiety and dreams related to the pandemic.
Dr. Greg Nawalanic, an expert in psychiatry, said that deep breathing is the most effective way to reduce an anxious response.
"Why are you feeling the way you're feeling?" he asked. "The anxiety gets worse when we don't have any sort of control that we can exert."
Nawalanic said the fact that COVID-19 often spreads without symptoms is causing a lot of people to experience anxiousness, not knowing who has the disease and can spread it.
Exercise and time outdoors were also emphasized, as they are mood boosters.
Anxiety does impact sleep, according to the experts, but that can be mitigated with sleep hygiene.
"The worrying about not sleeping creates this vicious cycle," Newalanic said.
Every person should have a personal sleep plan.
That might include items like turning off screens an hour before bed, keeping the bedroom dark and cool or not turning on the TV if you get up in the middle of the night if you wake up.
"If you hear all the bad things, that's what you're going to dream about and think about at night," Stevens said.
Exposing yourself to news and social media for the entire day can transfer those responses to the online negativity into your dreams.
Stevens recommended setting aside a certain time where you check your phone or the news and not having it on all day.
Working from home can also affect sleep patterns.
Staying up later or sleeping in later because you are working from home can affect when you dream and what you remember from it, according to Stevens.
"That waking time is an anchor that sets the tone for the rest of your day," she explained.
Getting up and getting light, positive interactions and exercise on a set schedule can set you up for a successful sleep.
So can showering at night and sleeping in clean sheets.
Stevens explained that our body temperature naturally drops when we get sleepy, and taking a warm shower then cooling down as you go to bed can help you stimulate that response.
The doctors also advised connecting with friends in family, though from a distance or virtually.
Balancing out the negative thoughts and media consumption with positive interactions will help with sleep and overall mental wellbeing.
