It’s day 18744(-ish) of self-isolation, and you’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to spend two hours commuting each day – never mind what it’s like to be running to and fro between meetings all day. So why are so many of us feeling *so* wiped out?
You might feel relatively calm and relaxed on the outside but for some reason, while some have become accustomed to working from home every day, there’s a huge portion of us struggling with even the simplest tasks.
Finding it hard to crawl out of bed for your 9am Zoom call, despite your old routine calling for an easy 7am wake-up? Then tossing and turning until 2am as you will yourself to be even the slightest bit tired?
Thankfully we’re not alone, with everyone from celebrities to us mere mortals struggling to settle into an effective new routine.
Instagram / @haileybieber
We spoke to the experts to find out more, and discovered that there are three key reasons for ‘isolation grogginess’…
LACK OF QUALITY SLEEP
Dr Kat Lederle, author and founder of Somnia Sleep Consultancy explains that: “Lack of good quality sleep affects us in many ways. It lowers our mood, we become grumpy, anxious or irritated which can then cause conflict at home or with work colleagues.”
“For many there is a lack of safety at the moment. This can affect sleep in two ways. Firstly, your mind is racing with thoughts about the future and you find yourself worrying either at the beginning of the night or you wake up in the middle of the night and then struggle to get back to sleep whilst fighting with all these unwanted thoughts. Alternatively, you might sleep but the quality of your sleep is negatively affected by the worry and stress that we are facing at the moment.”
“Remember too that we just changed the clocks and lost an hour. This sudden advance is not something our body clock does easily and so it can take time to adjust all the different processes including sleep and wake times in your body, until they match the newly imposed social time.”
How to tackle it?
Registered Nutritionist and naturopath Lauren Windas suggests:
- Avoid electronics and bright lights for at least 2 hours leading up to bedtime.
- Use blue lighting on your devices and buy blackout curtains if you need to.
- Establish a regular sleep time and try and stick to it.
- Develop a sleep ritual, which involves sensible activities such as reading 15 minutes before you go to sleep.
NEW DIET HABITS
According to Nutritional Therapist, Sophie Pelling, the current chaos in almost every national supermarket could be part of the problem. “A lack of available fresh fruit and vegetables could lead to low intake of many nutrients that are required for energy, especially B vitamins and magnesium.”
Surprisingly, the location of your new ‘desk’ could also be to blame. “The proximity of working in or next to your kitchen seems to make snacking on highly processed/high sugar content foods much easier.” explains Sophie, “which sends your body on a blood-sugar rollercoaster and results in energy crashes, and of course more cravings for sugary or salty foods creating a negative cycle.”
Windas also considers your new desk location as detrimental, as it may encourage you to get up for more coffee breaks than usual. “Many of us may be increasing the amount of caffeine we are drinking, for a reason to step away from your home-desk to get you through the long days inside. While caffeine might make you feel more alert and awake, too much is actually very detrimental to energy levels and even lower our baseline level of energy from what it was originally. This is because when the caffeine starts to wear off, our brain now responds as though there is a lot more adenosine [a natural chemical that makes us sleepy] than before.”
Unsurprisingly, it’s a similar story with alcohol. Pelling notes that: “All those virtual happy hours mean that, for many of us, our alcohol content has actually gone up in the last few weeks. Alcohol disrupts our circadian rhythm and quality of sleep, leaving you feeling groggy the next day.”
How to tackle it?
Registered Nutritionist and naturopath Lauren Windas suggests:
- Pair carbohydrate foods with protein, fibre or healthy fats to slow down the sugar’s digestion.
- Stay mindful of how much caffeine you are drinking so that you can be aware of how it may be impacting your energy levels throughout the day.
- For a caffeine free energy boost try Life Armour Energise Capsules, with proven ingredients to enhance energy naturally.
- Save your alcohol intake for 2 times per week, such as the weekend.
LACK OF TIME OUTDOORS
With the country currently on lockdown, we’re each permitted to leave our homes once a day for some form of ‘exercise’. For those who are used to a quick F45 class every morning, or 50 lengths at the local pool, adjusting and finding a new form of exercise can be difficult. Sophie Pelling suggests you make the effort, as right now “a lot of us aren’t getting those natural energy and mood-boosting endorphins we’re used to, resulting in low mood and general fatigue.”
Dr Lederle reinforces the importance of using your token wisely. “Natural light really helps to improve alertness and mood. Daylight, and in particular morning light, helps our body clock to align itself with the external day, so that it can tell the body what processes are needed, namely to be active during daylight and rest during darkness.”
“However, being indoors all day means that our body clock is left to guess what time it is, so it will struggle to send its sleep signal at the right time and we end up going to bed later and later.”
How to tackle it?
- Use your one outdoors trip per day wisely, with a run or long walk outdoors somewhere that brings you joy.
- Try and stand every time you have a call or work conference call to avoid sitting down all day.
- Open all your windows for as much fresh air as possible.
- Set-up your work desk near natural light so your body clock can align itself with the external day.