How to deal with pandemic-induced insomnia

For many Americans, sleep is elusive. Even before the pandemic, more than 50 million Americans suffered from some type of sleep disorder. Now layer on a deadly virus, and all the stressors that come with it. It’s no wonder sleep specialists around the globe report a surge in sleep disorders. 

For some people, the connection between insomnia and the virus is literal. Patients recovering from COVID-19 have been known to suddenly have trouble sleeping, likely because the disease upsets the nervous system. But for many others, the connection is more nebulous. Anxiety over the future, the stress of surviving in lockdown and a loss of regular routines all combine to make sleep elusive.

How do you combat COVID-somnia? Friday at 9 a.m., MPR News host Kerri Miller asked two sleep experts about the science of insomnia.

Guests:

• Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos specializes in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

• Alicia Roth is a psychologist specializing in behavior sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center.

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