Coronasomnia

While I was working at my 35 year career, I liked to get into work early.  I had a routine that had me up at 5:30 AM, and it worked well for me.

But after I retired, and no longer had to get up on any kind of regular basis, I woke up at 5:30 anyway.  Eleven years later, that's still the case.

So - sleep habits:  nature or nurture?  Clearly nurture in my case.  If this is generally true, the new world could see a lot more sleep disruption.

Back in June, it seemed that our sleep cycles were becoming more natural, because of a reduction in structured activities that normally would cause "social jet lag."  Now we are hearing about the aptly named "coronasomnia," caused by the increasing stress and anxiety of a world in chaos.

This is, apparently, a real thing, and something that is being taken seriously by the medical community.  It isn't hard to understand why.  Many of us have been set adrift, perhaps with adequate finances but disconnected from everything.  Zoom is not real life.  Others of us have had our jobs, our finances, our futures uprooted.  And none of us can see any hope if it changing soon.

Those who had difficulty sleeping in the before have significantly more difficulty; those who have had occasional nightmares are having significantly more.  In addition to "stress" and "anxiety," these sleep problems are described as being the result of "dread."

If this goes on long enough, there may be no springing back.  A particularly distinct form of PTSD.  A lot more cranky, touchy, less-productive, unfocused - tired - people in the new world.