Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep

Indians are the second most sleep-deprived after Japanese, with an average of seven hours and one minute of sleep. Sleep deprivation can adversely affect the immune system, cardiovascular health, and hormone levels leading to problems like obesity, high blood pressure, infertility, and imbalanced sugar levels.

Physical and mental health does not depend on exercise and diet only. We typically miss out on a major piece of puzzle-sleep. Getting a good night's sleep is extremely crucial for your brain and heart. Factors like unhealthy daytime habits, diet, and lifestyle choices greatly influence your immune system, vitality, mood, heart health, and weight.

Benefits of a Quality Sleep

There's a vast difference between quantity and quality sleep. You can sleep for ten hours and might still feel dizzy and inactive the entire day. This is because sleep relies not only on the number of hours, but how well do you sleep. A night of good quality sleep can easily boost your mood and has endless benefits, like:

1. Help maintain your body weight.

2. Improve productivity and concentration.

3. Improve athletic performance.

4. Reduce the risk of heart-related diseases.

5. Boost metabolism.

6. Reduce the risk of diabetes.

7. Reduce depression, stress, and anxiety.

8. Improve immune system.

9. Increase ability to interact socially.

10. Improve mood and memory.

Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

With increased stress and responsibilities, having a good night’s sleep is a challenge. Therefore, below mentioned are a couple of tips that might assist you in optimizing your sleep cycle.

1. Take care of your eyes: If you frequently use electronic devices, it's better to wear glasses that block blue light. This will reduce the stress on the eyes and helps in eye pain.

Do not watch TV before sleeping and switch your phone's screen to night light.

2. Avoid caffeine at night: Caffeine is actually beneficial and enhances energy and vitality, but consuming caffeine at night can worsen your sleep cycles.

3. Avoid afternoon naps: A quick daytime nap helps in relaxing your body and increase focus. However, a long afternoon or evening nap can confuse your natural clock. 

4. Maintain a sleep cycle: It's best if you maintain a consistent sleep and wake cycle. Your body gradually adapts to this cycle and you will feel sleepy around the certain time at night. 

5. Use essential oils: Essential oils can boost your sleep cycles. Use an essential oil like tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, or lemongrass oil in a diffuser which can help you relax and de-stress your brain. 

6. Use eye mask: Using an eye mask or eye pad helps to eliminate the light in the surroundings, enhancing your sleep quality. 

You can also apply a slice of cucumber to each eye before bedtime to relax and reduce stress.

7. Avoid heavy dinner: Always have light suppers, especially before bedtime. This helps in digestion and inflammation. Also, do not eat late at night.

8. Pre-bed relaxation techniques: Developing a pre-sleep routine helps to relax your body. You can choose to have a hot bath or meditation before bed. Do not write or read right before bedtime.

9. Avoid liquids before bed: This helps in managing urination frequency and promotes better sleep. This tip also helps in reducing bloating.

10. Exercise regularly: Exercising helps in sleeping better at night. It also improves symptoms of insomnia and apnea.

Sleep is equally important for your mind and body. A balanced sleeping pattern helps in improving health and boosts productivity. So, sleep sound and work hard in the day to achieve great things in life.