On 23rd March ,when the UK entered into a form of suspended public life, in all homes across the land, millions of us pondered first to know how and then scrambled into actions designed to survive whatever the unseen threat of Covid-19 might throw at us.At the start, I took to heart some self care tips I discovered from busy Mum and not-for-profit entrepreneur Beth Kanter. For me, the key questions became: how to ensure a supply of vital food and paper products and, how to maintain at least our current level of physical fitness and mental health.How were we going to survive what for most of us looked like being an indefinite period of staying at home?It made us look at a significant adaptation of the way we were accustomed to live everyday.
Eat well.Exercise appropriately.Sleep well
Many of us will have watched the daytime TV offerings with keep fit and cooking guru Mr Wicks, or perhaps preferred for those with longer memories ,the Green Goddess,Diana Moran.Perhaps then we turned to platforms like Zoom or Skype to keep in touch with loved ones from whom by edict we had been summarily parted.As the weeks went by, we may have looked to revive long abandoned hobbies – the long spell of warm dry weather has caused the bee populations to work the harder but more of that later- or brush up on old skills, or even taken-up new ones. Behind all of this we will have realised, I most certainly did, that a strong routine to back our resilience was essential.It became important to eat and sleep well, and to exercise appropriately.This still applies even as we face a slow return out of lockdown.We will all have learned more about ourselves and will be able to carry forward the positive aspects of our enforced isolation.
Resilience Pandemic or No
It occurred to me that for many of us over the last months life may not have changed all that much. In laterlife, often after retirement, adaptation to a different way of life has always been important health and wellbeing.It has often been thrust upon us and surprises us even when expecting it.With fewer family members, friends or work colleagues around, a greater degree of self-sufficiency is required to manage a degree of isolation.Obviously some of us are better equipped to deal with these challenges than others.What has hit me forcefully is that resilience is therefore not only required for lockdown but for always.Many older people were challenged in life before the pandemic struck and will likely live with many of the same challenges later when hopefully it has passed.Maybe the takeaway is that what we have learned to cope with through the threat of covid-19 will stand us all in good stead in the future laterlife.
Disturbed Sleep
Some breaking news comes from Kings College London about the effects of lockdown on our sleeping habits.Researchers there report that we are all experiencing a worsening of our sleep patterns with one half of the people covered by the study saying that their sleep had been more disturbed than usual.
Good refreshing sleep is one of the three key essentials mentioned in my opening comments.Sleep isn’t just a way to refresh your body and mind and prepare for the next day. As something that takes up approximately one-third of your entire life, your body and mind both take advantage of this large amount of time to help repair and restore the body to its normal functioning.
Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night is a solid start, but you also need to guarantee that the sleep you’re getting is of high quality. This will allow your brain to optimise the body’s condition to provide the greatest benefit in the long term.
Here are some body processes that your brain can more effectively initiate when you’re getting enough sleep, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
- ● Removal of toxins from within the body
- ● Reduction in the development of chronic conditions (heart disease, diabetes, depression)
- ● Repair of cells in the brain and body
- ● Improvement in memory and brain functioning
- ● Energy production
When you lack the appropriate amount of sleep, you’re severely limiting what your body and mind are capable of doing. Unfortunately, the importance of sleep is often understated, and many fails to recognise just how much sleep can impact your health.
Lack of restful and revitalising sleep is not a new phenomenon at any age as recent reports have pointed out.You can try some sleep tips and keep in mind my favourites:
- keep a temperature you are comfortable with in your bedroom
- settle down with the minimum of distractions. TV and other electronic devices should be switched-off
- use bedding you feel most comfortable with
The bees have it
Ah, yes the bees I mentioned earlier. A bunch of bees has taken over my bird box in the garden adding adding accidental beekeeper to my list of lockdown interests!
But finally…
…as we continue to abide by and make the best of lockdown I leave you with a mantra which inextricably links the three key essentials to help keep you in best of health in these and all times :
eat well – exercise appropriately – sleep well.
Do tune in again next time.
