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Pandemic messing with your sleep? Here are some tips from a local expert

"The anxiety, and the stress, and all that uncertainty really has led to a lot of bigger sleep issues than we ever had before," explains sleep expert Sarah Moe.

MINNEAPOLIS — Have you noticed during the pandemic you've been feeling more tired? You're not alone. 

"The anxiety, and the stress, and all that uncertainty really has led to a lot of bigger sleep issues than we ever had before," said Sarah Moe, CEO of Sleep Health Specialists. 

Companies hire Moe to help their employees sleep better. And during the pandemic, she says that help is needed. Anxiety and stress can keep you up long after bed time. 

So how do you turn it off to get a better night sleep?

"It varies from person to person. It's really very difficult," Moe said.

She says you need to find a way to let the stress exit your body. You can talk to someone, work out, or just write what's worrying you down.

"The process of writing things down is really helpful for exiting those stressful thoughts from your body," she said. "Just write a few things down. That way your brain is able to process, either this is something I can do tomorrow to help ease that worry, or maybe it's something that's out of your control, so there's no point in worrying about it."

Moe says it's not just about quantity of sleep (and for the record - you should be getting eight hours), but quality of sleep.

To help with that, she advises avoiding electronics at least an hour before bed time, avoiding alcohol before bed, and during the day try to get some sort of exercise. 

"Your body is going to need to heal from that work out, and it allows us to get into the deeper, more restful, and restorative stages of sleep," she said. 

RELATED: Tips for getting more high-quality sleep at night

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