Source: Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

By Kayla Gustafson

Like most people, the last few weeks of my life have consisted of a series of canceled plans and major disruptions to my normal routine. Working from home has taken on a whole new meaning—Platforms like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime are helping people to navigate this new normal of staying home and saving lives. Families are connecting to play digital board games, friends are gathering for morning coffee in their pajamas, and entire school districts are educating the next generation over the internet. I myself have spent more time on video calls in the last two weeks than I care to count. And while I’d love nothing more than to have all my friends in my home for dinner, or meet my grandma for tea and scones at our favorite café, I’m glad for the opportunity to utilize my social capital from a safe distance. In fact, because of my social capital, I might just be better at night.

New findings from a group of researchers in China evaluate the correlation between the social capital and sleep quality of individuals self-isolating because of . Social capital simply means having people around who you can count on. To measure this, researchers asked nearly 200 Chinese citizens on day three of their COVID-19 self-isolation about the number and quality of their social connections. They also assessed participants’ , , and sleep quality using a variety of psychological measurements. Respondents with less social capital reported higher anxiety, leading to poor sleep. Similarly, a lack of social capital was correlated to higher stress and lower sleep quality. The researchers explained,

“People who have more social capital usually have less stress because they have spir­itual or material support from others. Social support helps to reduce the perception and evaluation of the threat of stress events, the physiological response and inappropriate behav­ior caused by stress, and the level of and anxiety induced by stress.” (Xiao et al., 2020).

Social capital can reduce stress and anxiety, which leads to better sleep during these uncertain times. How can you assess your own social capital?

First, make a list of all your friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, and classmates. Then, narrow it a bit by determining how many of those acquaintances are trusted or would help you out if you were in a pinch. Also, consider the groups that you are a part of, like religious communities, gym memberships, or neighborhood associations. Again, narrow this list by asking if the organizations would help you if you were in need. By this point, you should have an idea of the social capital in your life.

Now, consider how you can maintain these relationships during COVID-19. This is the perfect time to teach your grandparents how to work FaceTime, and let them read a story to your kids every night before bed. The busy friend you only meet up with twice a year? Perfect chance to give them a call, they probably have a minute (or an hour) to talk. You might not be able to attend church service on Sunday morning, but many churches are ramping up their online offerings with everything from streaming services on YouTube and Facebook to collecting donations for congregants in need. Other organizations are holding Zoom meetups or Instagram-live events.

Reaching out to others won’t just help you, it will help them, too. Dropping off a loaf of freshly-baked bread at your sister’s door or sending an encouraging email to an old co-worker might just help them get a better sleep tonight.

Kayla Gustafson is a graduate student in the Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership Program at Wheaton College (IL).