CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – As the delta variant spreads and vaccination and masking continue to be a priority, some people become anxious and lose their eye.

“It makes me very anxious and a little nervous,” said Nina Casto, a resident of Charleston, West Virginia.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors in parts of the United States where the highly contagious delta variant of the virus. coronavirus fuels outbreaks of infection.

COVID-19 and its variants have caused so much stress that many people don’t sleep well, creating a negative cycle, with sleep deprivation causing even more stress. Sleep specialists call it coronasomnia or COVID-somnia.

“Since the start of the pandemic last year, we have seen a significant increase in the number of insomnia. [cases]Said Dr Loay Alasadi, sleep specialist. “It’s a new disease; we had no treatment for it. It was devastating for the economy and the people.

According to the Sleep Foundation, coronasomnia is characterized by an increase in sleep problems during the pandemic, as well as anxiety, depression and stress.

According to sleep physicians, the average time it takes to fall asleep is 30 minutes, but those with COVID-somnia can take hours to do so.

“These blockages have kind of made me regress, years and years back. I have been in retreat for almost half a decade. Every night it’s very hard to fall asleep, ”said Michael Fischer, a resident of Sissonville, West Virginia.

But experts say there are ways to avoid this problem.

“Just follow the rules, get the shot, and if you’re still worried about it try to have what we call a worrying moment – 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Try to avoid to worry before you go to bed, ”Alasadi said.

He also recommends practicing techniques such as exercising earlier in the day, cutting out caffeinated drinks or alcohol after noon, and quitting smoking to avoid COVID-drowsiness.

Currently, about 164.9 million people, or 49.7% of Americans, have been fully immunized, according to CDC data, with 191.8 million people, or 57.8%, having received at least one dose of ‘a COVID-19 vaccine.