3 Likely Changes To Have Taken Place in Your Body During Quarantine
In this pandemic, going out or being outdoors has been given a new meaning, considering the apprehensions of being infected or contributing to the spread of COVID-19.
And, as the cold season in many parts of the country nulls outdoor dining and other comparatively lower-risk activities, a lot of people face the possible days, weeks, or even months of not leaving home.
To ensure none of us contracts the virus or spread the infection, we must stick to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's safety guidelines, particularly in terms of going out, even when it means not going out.
But do you know what it means for both your brain and body to stay home for long hours? According to Laura Dabney, MD, a psychotherapist, "Light, noise, sound and different conditions" are all the things that help a person grow.
The expert also said limiting life to the four corners of your home and those kinds of healthy motivations can wither and set the stage for some unhealthy practices.
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Changes to Watch Out For
Here are three of the changes that can occur when you're spending long hours inside your home.
1. You Become Moody and Start Feeling Depressed
When you're always inside the home, you tend to start feeling cozy. But that coziness may begin getting replaced by cabin fever and possibly, negative thinking.
Furthermore, being cooped leads to deprivation of access to nature, and it means you are more likely to experience the same things regardless of the time of the day.
Dr. Dabney said both anxiety and depression go up when a person is stuck inside. Even if you are opting to the stuck inside, she added.
In June 2010, a study in which the Journal of Environmental Psychology published found that being exposed to natural environments improved vitality "by as much as 40 percent," while spending some time indoors resulted otherwise.
Meanwhile, during the onset of COVID-19 lockdown in China, a study by Psychiatry Investigation found that "the vast majority of adults spent" most of their time inside their homes.
As a result, 60 percent of the respondents complained they felt depressed, while 46 percent said they were feeling irritable.
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2. Your Vitamin D Levels Can Drop
According to the US National Library of Medicine, the human body makes at least some of your Vitamin D exposure to the sun. Therefore, according to your diet, not going outside your house could mean you lack nutrients.
This is particularly true for seniors or elderly individuals and dark skin, who could not produce vitamin D from the sunlight as efficiently.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano internist Ruby Shah, MD, is unclear, "at which point lack exposure to the sun" would start affecting the vitamin D levels. However, "we know this" that just sending between 10 and 30 minutes under the sun most days of the week is adequate to retain sufficient levels.
3. You will Experience Sleep Disorder
Being depressed and stressed can affect your sleep, too. This was according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Therefore, if being inside for an extended period will impact your mood during the day, you will likely find yourself unable to sleep at night.
That's not the only factor, though. According to a 2013 study in Current Biology, even if you are emotionally okay, lack of time outside can negatively affect your snooze time.
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Oct 07, 2020 08:20 AM EDT