Has sleep eluded you over the past few months? You’re not alone.

Has sleep eluded you over the past few months? You’re not alone.

According to sleep experts, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic about a third of adults in the U.S., including seniors, reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep.

The pandemic created a host of new challenges for people who previously had no sleeping problems. Social isolation, school closures, working from home, layoffs and furloughs, and worries about finances and staying healthy are negatively affecting sleep.

Experts with the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension service are hosting a webinar to discuss the importance of sleep. The webinar will begin at 11 a.m. Sept 23 and will be presented by Lourdes Olivas, Extension Associate II in the NMSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences department. To register, visit https://aces.nmsu.edu/covid19/sleep-webinar.html.

The webinar will discuss the negative physical and psychological effects of not getting enough sleep, and offer strategies to increase the amount and quality of sleep.

“This presentation will help participants understand the importance of sleep, how it impacts your day-to-day life, and hopefully provide some ideas on how to improve your quality of sleep in order to prevent health complications,” Olivas said.

Olivas has a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. As an Extension associate, Olivas provides community programs in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and diabetes.

The webinar will be hosted by the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service Behavior Health and Wellness Team, which is made up of Extension agents and specialists. The team’s role is to explore ways Extension can promote behavioral health and wellness through Extension outreach.

For more information, contact Olivas at 575-646-5763 or loumunoz@nmsu.edu.