Catching some zzzs: sleep patterns impacted by quarantine

Catching some zzzs:  sleep patterns impacted by quarantine 

EMILY GREEN

Video Editor

     In the current worldwide pandemic, day to day normal activities have changed due to the new quarantine requirements.  Going out to eat, going to school, and just going out in public are shut down until this crisis is controlled.

With this new lifestyle change noticeable sleeping routines have changed as well. In a poll conducted for North Harford student’s 61 percent of students have reported that they have lost hours of sleep during this virus, whereas the remaining 39 percent has had a constant amount of sleep.

Junior Chloe Mcartor commented “My sleep schedule has been negatively affected by this new quarantine because I don’t have a set routine to follow. I also must accommodate my parents’ schedule since they still work, so I stay up later to take care of my younger siblings.”

Similarly,  junior Chloee Roberson stated,  “My sleeping schedule has been affected during quarantine because I’ve tended to stay up later at night and sleep in too late, then half my day is gone. It has been harder to sleep without having a specific schedule for school to follow.”

According to Mic.com, “ Exposure to natural light and regular mealtimes are two of the most powerful forces in aligning our circadian rhythms. But for many of us, quarantine has changed the amount of time we spend outside, and we might be eating at different times than normal.”

Junior Tylar Kight adds “This explains a lot as to why my motivation to be productive and get my work done has gone down. All my normal day to day activities that I do have shifted along with my time schedule. Everything, including my sleep is feeling off to me.”

Some people are using this quarantine to catch up on lost hours of sleep. Mic.com “Sleep debt (also known as sleep deprivation) is associated with declines in performance, memory and our immunity.”

Solutions to this problem start with establishing a new routine.  Sophomore Andrew Gainey mentioned “With having no school it’s hard to stay in a routine to follow, but now that we have online school I think making a new routine and trying to adjust to it will benefit me more in the long run.”

Mcartor stated, “Some days I do wish I got more done in my day but with the crazy world around us right now it’s not a bad thing to take a break and reflect.”