Are you suffering from coronasomnia?

It seems that over the last year our sleep patterns and our dreams have changed.

The pandemic has changed many things in our lives - and not for the better - and sleep is certainly one of them. A new survey has found that 34 per cent of respondents from Cork suffer from insomnia with 31 per cent of these attributing coronavirus and the lockdowns as a cause.

DFI beds surveyed 1,600 people aged from 18 and below to 70-plus over a two week period in February and found that sleepless nights are being suffered due to worries about family and finances and are leaving people tired, irritable, confused, angry and unable to focus on day-to-day activities.

Insomnia linked to the Covid pandemic - called coronasomnia by sleep experts across the world - is also causing a huge range of worrying physical and mental health conditions.

They include aches and pains on waking, night sweats, night terrors, recurring nightmares, ‘unusual restlessness’, sleepwalking, breathlessness, tongue biting, waking up screaming and sleep apnoea – which can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Irish Covid-19 Sleep Survey 2021 has uncovered a range of new physical and mental conditions being endured since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The CSO’s Covid-19: One Year On study found 42 per cent people across the state rate their overall life satisfaction as low.

A representative for DFI Beds said: “Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the three keys to a healthy, happy life. When combined with exercise and healthy eating, people can massively reduce anxiety and cope better with the inevitable stresses being caused by the Covid pandemic.

“Our sleep survey has found that worries about Covid, finances and family issues are causing people to suffer a huge range of disturbing sleep-related physical and mental health conditions that indicate that the public could benefit from some tips to help them achieve a better night’s sleep.”

So DFI Beds teamed up with Cork-born Dr Pixie McKenna to produce a five-point plan to improve sleep during the ongoing lockdown.

Dr McKenna said: “Lack of sleep is not only associated with ill health but it also has significant consequences for sufferers in daylight hours including irritability and accidents.

“The DFI Beds sleep study highlights the onset of new medical and physical problems in the majority of those surveyed since the start of lockdown. Without a doubt, many of these issues are either caused by or confounded by coronasomnia which has gripped the nation.”

Dr McKenna has provided five tips to help us sleep better:

- Reduce your caffeine intake, especially after 6pm.

- Limit technology use in the evening - have electronic shutdown at least 45 minutes before bed.

- Reduce light and noise exposure - silence and darkness are sleep inducing.

- Feng shui your sleeping space - think of your bedroom as your nest. If it’s untidy or cluttered, it could affect your sleep.

- Set a sleep routine - we are creatures of habit and hardwired to work on a schedule. Set yourself a strict go to bedtime and get up routine.

Key findings from the DFI Beds Covid-19 Irish Sleep Study can be found at dfibeds.com/pages/covid-19-sleep-study.