While some of our sleep or exercise routines may have taken a back seat during this lockdown, experts suggest ways in which we can get back to our pre-corona lifestyles.

Due to the lack of a regular routine, erratic dinner, snacking on junk food, our sleep and diet patterns have gone for a toss for most people during the lockdown. There is also the anxiety and stress about working from home, daily household chores and an endless pandemic lurking in the world. “There is no particular routine or pattern that people are following, every day it’s different. If you have been following a haphazard schedule for a few days then it might affect your sleep and diet cycle,” says Kavita Mungi, a Mumbai-based mental health counsellor.

Experts suggest a few ways to help you bring your sleep and diet in control:

Follow a routine: Mungi advises, “If you’re sleeping at a particular time, then try to sleep at that time everyday. if you keep changing that, then your body will get confused and will not know what to follow. You might not be able to fall asleep immediately for various reasons but what you can do is have a nice warm bath in the evening, meditate a little, do some yoga and listen to some calming music before sleeping.”

Scrolling: Relentlessly browsing through your social media feeds before bedtime, Mungi says, is not a “good idea”.

 Eat healthy: 29-year-old Risheek Raizada has been tempted to order food from outside during the lockdown but he resists the urge. “My flatmate and I cook our own food. We try to get vegetables and fruits whenever we go out for a grocery run. We have been trying to eat healthy,” he says.

Mungi says, “You tend to pick up food from the refrigerator, which is generally junk. Late night binge eating could also affect your diet and sleep cycles.”

Mungi says, “You tend to pick up food from the refrigerator, which is generally junk. Late night binge eating could also affect your diet and sleep cycles.”

Work out regularly: Raizada says, “Working out for an hour or so leads to exhaustion and might help you fall asleep.” Shivjeet Ghatge, CEO of StepSetGo, a fitness app, says, “We try to reward the basic form of exercise that is walking. We have challenges that help you earn coins. Doing it alone is no fun,so we have social competitions between you and your friends’ circle and family".

Manjari Keswani, a psychotherapist, based in Mumbai, says, anxiety and stress about the future of your job, the health of your loved ones and the general uncertainty of things, are perhaps a few reasons why some people are not able to fall asleep on time. She insists that “exercise is a must” as exhaustion could push you to sleep. She also suggests introspecting the triggers for your anxiety. “If it’s the news [that triggers you], then lower its consumption,” she concludes.