“People tend to take sleep for granted and wonder if it can really have that big of an effect on your immune system. I'm here to tell you that it can,” clinical psychologist Michael Breus aka “The Sleep Doctor” told Inside Edition.
Experts are saying that sleep is very important in the fight against COVID-19, but many are having a hard time sleeping in this uncertain era.
“Thinking about the stress of everything that's going on, I really honestly don't go to bed until 2 or 3 in the morning,” Jade Comstock, 22, told Inside Edition. “I also wake up a couple times during the night as well, so (I'm) definitely a lot more tired than usual.”
It is hard for the event planner to get a good night’s sleep without worrying about the coronavirus.
“People tend to take sleep for granted and wonder if it can really have that big of an effect on your immune system. I'm here to tell you that it can,” clinical psychologist Michael Breus told Inside Edition.
Breus, who is known as "the sleep doctor," says sleep is especially important now during the pandemic.
“There are things called killer T cells, these are what help fight the virus and infection. It turns out that the more sleep-deprived you are, the lower T cell production,” he said.
His biggest piece of advice is to have a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. He also recommends to put away your phone about 90 minutes before bed.
“All it does is raise your stress level and it's really hard to go to bed when you're stressed,” Breus said of phones.
He also suggests that before going to bed, make a list of what you are grateful for. He also says to go easy on the caffeine and alcohol.
“You can enjoy your adult beverage, but you don't want it to affect your sleep, which can indeed affect your immune function,” the doctor said.
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