The pandemic has increased the overall stress levels for the average American. This has impacted health in different ways, and more people are suffering from sleep-related issues than before. A new study has shown that people are feeling more tired now than they felt during the early days of the pandemic.
Pandemic Increased Sleeplessness Problem Among Americans
The participants said that they slept for an average of 6.5 hours every night, and this is below the recommended level of 8 hours sleep. Researchers analyzed that other factors like stress and anxiety were causing more fatigue than lack of sleep.
Even though lack of enough sleep is the main factor for tiredness, it is not the only factor, according to experts.
The majority of the participants felt tired doing normal activities that did not require a lot of effort. More than half of the participants said that they were too stressed to get good sleep.
Experts feel that such factors influence the overall well-being of the person, and lack of sleep is just one of the reasons for constant fatigue.
People in the age group of 18-34 were more affected than others, and this can be attributed to pandemic stress. Due to covid restrictions, youngsters were not able to move outside, and this resulted in a loss of job opportunities and a lack of social interactions.
All these factors increased the stress levels among youngsters and resulted in a lack of sleep. A similar pattern was seen among young parents, and they were more tired than others during the pandemic.
Due to Covid restrictions, many people started working from home, and they had to deal with other issues like handling children and family during working hours. These factors can put a lot of stress, and such people could not manage so many challenges during the pandemic.
All these factors have impacted the mindset of many people, and they are feeling mentally tired even after the situation has returned to normal.
The latest poll indicated that a majority of Americans are experiencing some sort of fear. While most people are worried about health care issues and global recession, many others are concerned about the new Covid wave and the loss of jobs due to this situation.
Nearly half of Americans feel that the worst is not yet over, and this has resulted in a stressful situation.
To manage the sleeplessness problem, a third of participants worked on reducing stress levels at home and the office. However, according to health experts, a small percentage of participants have taken to using sleeping pills, which is not a good sign.
Most of the participants who reported using sleeping pills used OTC pills, and they did not consult doctors before using them.
Doctors say that using sleeping pills should be the last option, and they can only be used for a short duration. The pills do not help the person feel better the next morning, and it is not something that can be used for many months.
There are many side effects of such medication, and it can lead to many complications if used regularly without prescription. In most cases, the medication may not be addressing the real issues that are causing disturbed sleep.
In another disturbing trend, some participants reported using alcohol to get a good night’s sleep. While this can make people drowsy, it does not give good sleep.
People who consumed feel depressed or suffer from a hangover the next day. Doctors feel that proper medical help is needed for sleeplessness problems, and it should not be neglected for the long term.
