Harvard Health Content API

The pandemic is leading some people to put off visits to their eye doctors. Delayed care could allow eye problems——such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, or an eye stroke——to go undetected or unchecked, especially since these conditions may not have symptoms in the early stages. But allowing eye problems to progress can result in eye damage and vision loss. It’s best to keep scheduled eye appointments, especially eye care for existing conditions.

The pandemic makes coping with holiday pressures a little tricky. If one is concerned about COVID-19 exposure at a holiday event, it may help to chat with loved ones to get support for a decision about whether to attend. If one must celebrate the holidays alone, it may help to grieve what is lost, savor past holiday gatherings, watch online religious services, and continue to practice special traditions—such as making holiday foods or putting up holiday decorations.

Experts recommend an average of seven to nine hours of total sleep per night, but you also want your brain to reach a stage called deep sleep. During this stage, the brain creates and stores new memories, makes a hormone that helps tissues grow and regenerate, and “flushes out” toxins and waste products that have accumulated during the day. One can take several steps to improve sleep quality, including going to bed and waking up at the same time each day; avoiding mobile phone use, exercise, or caffeine intake too close to bedtime; and using a noise machine to increase deep sleep.

Wearing a face mask can be uncomfortable. It can make breathing feel a little challenging, spark feelings of claustrophobia, or irritate the face and ears. Fortunately, many steps can help reduce face mask discomfort. For example, if breathing with a mask on feels difficult, it will help to breathe at a slower rate. If ear pain is a problem, it will help to use an “ear saver” that relieves pressure on the ears.