Have you been feeling lonelier lately due to the current lockdown situation? Then there's a good chance that you don't sleep well either... We explain exactly how that is possible in this article!
While you probably know the well-known reasons for poor sleep—too much caffeine, being exposed to screens at night, you name it—there could also be a reason you might not have considered. Less social connections can also ensure that you do not get the best out of your night's sleep…
Research has shown that loneliness has greatly affected people's overall health over the past year. And we're not just talking about the elderly… The survey showed that especially students and young parents (especially women) who were at home with their children experienced feelings of loneliness.
Constant loneliness has an impact on our mental health and can, among other things, bring our fight-or-flight system to life. This also affects our sleep; In the past, being alone meant being in danger, keeping you constantly on the alert. Humans are social beings and we are developed in such a way that we feel safe when there are more of us. Because our brains always protect us from danger, loneliness can make us constantly alert and always on. As a result, we do not enter our deep sleep phase, the phase in which we refuel and recover from the day before.
Based on this theory, it could therefore help you to make contact with others and to connect with each other. But is that also possible online? In principle, an online meet-up can make you feel less lonely, although it will not fully match the feeling of meeting face-to-face and giving each other a hug. It is clear that hearing each other's voices also works well, so feel free to schedule a phone call (or video call) with your best friends more often, that can do wonders for your mental state - and therefore also your sleep.
Image:GettyImages, Source:Womenshealthmag.com
