Why is sleep important?

Sleep. We all know how important it is for our well being and yet it is something we’ve taken for granted right from our teen years. 

As kids, we followed our body rhythm of sleeping and waking up according to our body requirements. As we grew, we started ignoring sleep and replaced it with entertainment. Sleep patterns got erratic and so did our health. 

Let’s discuss the benefits sleep has on our physiology. It’s called “beauty sleep” for a reason.

• Sound sleep prevents weight gain. When we don’t sleep well, our body produces a hormone which boosts appetite, causing us to eat more during the day.

• Sleep rejuvenates our body and helps us cope better with emotional stress, depression, and anxiety.

• Sleeping well can lead to good mood as our body feels rested causing our energy levels to rise. When our energy is high, we don’t get frazzled easily and stay in a happy mood.

• Sleep helps in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels, hence decreasing the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

• Sleeping well can improve our productivity as our concentration and cognitive functions like memory, and alertness also improves. 

Are these reasons enough for you to follow your body clock and sleep 7-8 hours every night?

To help you achieve this, let me tell you some simple rituals which you can begin.

• To sleep well, our minds should be in a relaxed state. Getting off social media, tv or laptops at least 45 minutes before bedtime, helps our body produce sleep inducing hormone easily.

• Try to keep your sleep time the same every night, for our body clock to get accustomed and making us feel sleepy.
• Take a warm water bath, put essential oil diffuser or some light music to help you relax and the body to feel prepared to fall asleep. 

• Soft, clean, cool cotton bed sheet and a light blanket are another important aspect not to be overlooked.

• Gratitude journaling before bedtime helps us download all that we are feeling and thinking, making us feel light and free of thoughts. It also helps us count our blessings and puts us in a better mood.

• Meditation is another way to calm our monkey minds and centre ourselves.

Now we know the benefits of sleeping and some simple tips to help you fall asleep better at night. 

Like we always believe, stay healthy, live better and sleep better. 

Sweet Dreams.

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