This thing called “Sleep”

 If anyone asks me a question now what would I do if I get an hour extra every day? My humble answer is to sleep for one hour extra. Sounds very lethargic, isn’t it? Because we live in a world where we encourage late workings, we glorify if someone sends mails at midnight. But the real question you should ask yourself, when was the last time you woke up without an alarm clock feeling refreshed, not needing caffeine? If the answer is “no”, you are not alone. Two third of adults fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep. I doubt you are surprised by this fact, but you may be surprised by the consequences.

I was referred to this book called “Why we sleep” authored by Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist, who talks about how a good night’s shut eye can make us cleverer, more attractive, simpler, happier, healthier and ward off cancer. It’s an eye-opener for me. There are so many things that we do in day to day life which deprive us from a good sleep. Sadly, human beings are in fact the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep without legitimate gains. So much so that WHO has now declared a sleep loss epidemic throughout industrialized nations. Sounds scary now?

But in his book, Walker also talks about few tips for healthy sleep. These are simple & easy to execute tips and if followed properly, I am sure you will see a significant difference in your daily routines. I am following these tips and assure you it works.

1)     First and the most important tip is to stick to sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Waking up late on weekends won’t really make up for the loss of sleep during the week, rather will make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning. Sleep is not like a bank which accumulates debt and then you pay later with penalty. If there is only one piece of advice you remember and take from this note, this should be it.

2)      Don’t set an alarm in the morning. Rather set an alarm for bedtime. There’s even a greater danger that lurks within alarm clock: the snooze button. Using snooze feature means abusing your heart repeatedly. Waking up same time every day as mentioned above helps you avoid using the alarm clock.

3)     Keep the temperature 1-2 degrees cooler in the bedroom while going to sleep. You will always find it easier to fall asleep in a room that is too cold than too hot.

4)     Take a hot bath before bed. The drop in body temperature after getting out of the bath may help you feel sleepy, and bath can help you relax and slow down so you are more ready to sleep.

5)     A TV, cell phone, tablets or computer in the bedroom can be a distraction and deprive you of needed sleep. Using LED devices at night impacts our natural sleep rhythms, the quality of our sleep and how we feel during the day. Use a printed book for reading rather than a tablet at night.

6)     Exercise is great but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least thirty minutes on most days but not later than two to three hours before your bedtime.

These some of the tips mentioned in the book, I am following and clearly experiencing the importance of a good night sleep. I feel it is time for us to reclaim our right to a full night sleep, without any embarrassment or the damaging stigma of laziness. It will help you and your family maintain a good health & wellness and realize what it feels to be truly awake during the day.

Have a good night!