🛒I Was on Panic Buying Due To COVID19 Pandemic Lockdown.

I can still remember how I was extremely worried on March 14, 2020, when I heard the news that the National Capital Region of the country Philippines will be locked down on no specific date as to when. The word “Lockdown”, it is something that made me scared of, because I only heard and saw those scenarios in the movies where the apocalypse is the main setting – all about survival. I went ahead to the nearest grocery store and spent more than 30k for three months' supply of food and likes. 

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I’ve forecasted that in the next few months when the government declared total lockdown, there will be no establishments opened and food will be the main problem. Panic buying happened; canned goods and noodles became scarce. In fact, you’re only allowed to buy five pieces of instant noodles and you have to go put the next day to buy again which defeats the purpose of lockdown if you keep going outside to buy such items especially if that is the only item you’re capable of buying from your tight budget.

Not to mention, there are also scheduled market opening depending on the first letter of your last name to avoid the area became congested. Those challenges and uncertainties are on the top of my head because I am only alone and those trigger my anxiety.

Undeniably, the COVID19 pandemic and lockdown happened. Numerous Filipinos lost their job; many of the people who are in the middle class became poor; there are industries being forced to close due to fluctuation of the economy.  And, as of the time being while writing this blog entry – it has been 9 months and we are still in the middle of this COVID19 battle.  I am hoping that we can make it as we’re all in this together!

💊 With the Help of Melatonin, I Solved My Sleeping Problem.

As I grew older; well  33 to be exact, and with my lifestyle – who worked in a call center in the graveyard shift,  having quality sleep is one of my goals. Working at night and forcing myself to sleep in the daytime is my normal routine for almost  15 years now, and browsing on my social media before going to bed is one of the major reasons why I am really having a hard time getting asleep. Not to mention, all the stress from the work and from my personal issues. Sleep problem arises!

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Antihistamine’s side effect is my “go-to” solution. Taking such medicines even without an allergy attack became my normal routine 30 minutes before bed just to get the feeling of drowsiness. But my body became immune to it wherein I need to increase my dosage. But, what if I will have an allergy attack in the future; it’s going to be a huge predicament as normal antihistamine might no longer effective on me due to immunity. And so, I have to stop it and try to condition my body clock to wake up during the night and sleep in the daytime because of the call of duty.

Adherence to a normal sleep routine became a challenge to me in a few months because I need to render overtime at work. Well, it is not mandated but “extra money doesn’t hurt”, but unconsciously working too much and extending work hours at work – affects me negatively on my sleep pattern. Honestly, I over-rendered six hours every day at work because of the extra income that I may get and I almost forgot my health. 

Until I noticed a dramatic effect on my health because of sleeplessness, I had ulcers on my mouth, I became hypertensive at the age of 33 of 150/110 blood pressure, loss of appetite, and having behavioral problems, - (e.g. Rapid change of mood, irritability and losing the drive to work). It also affects negatively in my work performance which is measured in a monthly target. Then, I realized that I need to rest myself or else  I will suffer the consequences if  I will just ignore my health and just prioritize my work. Indeed, health is wealth especially in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic, and having a weak immune system will make me more vulnerable 

Recently, I discovered this synthetic melatonin that can be purchased over the counter. I did extreme research about this food supplement before I will take it. Melatonin's main job in the body is to regulate night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles. Darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin, which signals the body to prepare for sleep. Light decreases melatonin production and signals the body to prepare for being awake. Some people who have trouble sleeping have low levels of melatonin. It is thought that adding melatonin from supplements might help them sleep.

According to WebMD, Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in the body. Melatonin used as medicine is usually made synthetically in a laboratory. It is most commonly available in pill form, but melatonin is also available in forms that can be placed in the cheek or under the tongue. This allows the melatonin to be absorbed directly into the body.

Some people take melatonin by mouth to adjust the body's internal clock. Melatonin is most commonly used for insomnia and improving sleep in different conditions. For example, it is used for jet lag, for adjusting sleep-wake cycles in people whose daily work schedule changes (shift-work disorder), and for helping people establish a day and night cycle.

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So far, I am using it and I actually love it. It has been a while since I experienced dreaming. And with the help of melatonin, I even achieved REM (rapid eye movement) and deep sleep. The only downside is, I am extending my sleep hours which also became a problem especially I have to wake up because of my work schedule but it is manageable. The important is, I am able to sleep and I love it. 

I do not have any plan of taking this supplement for a long span of time as it has a negative effect on health. This is just a perfect short term remedy if you are having a sleep problem that needs to be addressed.