Sleep is something we take for granted, until we get deprived due to a bad night’s sleep. Often this means we struggle through the day trying to focus and get things done. Everything seems to be an effort. Sleep is essential to feeling rested, refreshed on waking and alert. Getting the right amount for your mind and body feels wonderful and helps you wake up feeling ready to go. Every person is different when it comes to the amount of sleep that’s optimal for them, but most people fall within a range, depending on their age.
There is no precise number of hours of nightly sleep that guarantees you will wake up feeling totally refreshed, quality of sleep is also important. Putting things in place to ensure sleep is uninterrupted, or if interrupted at least you can get back to sleep easily, and that it is of a good quality. According to the National Sleep Foundation, based on age and lifestyle, what’s recommended for you likely falls within a certain range. Try following these guidelines, to be alert and full of energy during the day:
Teenagers: Teens (14-17 years) require about eight to 10 hours of nightly sleep.
Adults: Between the ages of 18 and 64, should aim for seven to nine hours of nightly sleep.
Older than 65, you may need a little less: seven to eight hours is recommended.
Looking at these hours I can remember the days when I was burning the candle at both ends. Alas no more! Or am I simply wiser? Now I understand that a good night’s sleep requires preparation, and that preparation is as important as preparing for a meeting, driving some form of machinery that requires focus to be safe while operating it, warming up before running a full or half marathon or preparing dinner for your family after a full day’s work.
In today’s pressured and fast-paced world, many people sacrifice sleep to meet work demands, but the very foundation of productivity and performance lies with getting good quality sleep each night. Sleep is also linked to wellbeing and vitality. Constantly feeling tired weakens immune health, leaving your vulnerable to catching every bug that is going around. Sleep plays a vital role in ensuring focus, positive mood, motivation, and constructive and productive relationships.
Why Sleep Matters for Everyday Performance
Sleep is the time when the brain and body recover, process information, and get prepared to welcome the next day. Quality sleep improves:
o Focus & Decision-Making – Being well-rested means we think more clearly, solve problems faster, and make fewer mistakes.
o Mood & Stress Management – A good night’s sleep helps regulate emotions, reducing stress and irritability while improving teamwork and communication.
o Energy & Motivation – Sleep fuels the body and mind, helping us to firstly have the motivation to do things and then to stay engaged and productive throughout the day.
o Health & Resilience – Sleep deprivation means the immune system doesn’t get time to rest and that leads to catching the seasonal bug or flu when it is doing the rounds.
For adults, the way you feel while you're awake depends in part on quality of sleep the previous night. The same is for children. Irritable, cranky children are not fun for anyone, including the child. During sleep the body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. On-going sleep deficiency can raise the risk for some chronic health problems, but it can also affect how well we think, react, work, learn, and interact with others. Therefore, it is realistic to deduce that poor sleep is going to lead to difficulty making decisions, solving problems and controlling emotions, as well as an increase in mistakes that result in having to do re-work, lowering productivity.
Sleep hygiene is one of the essential pillars to good health and personal performance whether you want to excel at sport, at your job or in some other way. Sleep, mas mentioned is critical to effective brain function. During sleep the brain as for the body, is getting critical rest from stimulation, enabling preparation for the next day by creating neural pathways to support, maintain and improve brain function.
On a physical level, sleep is responsible for repair of body cells as well as effective functioning of the immune system. It is the immune system that defends the body against foreign and harmful microbes, including seasonal flus and bugs and relies on sleep as one of the essential pillars to stay strong. On-going sleep deficiency may lead to the inability to fight off common colds and infections catching the bug every time it goes round the workplace, public transport or when the children bring it home from school.
Tips to Getting a Good Night's Sleep
• Create a routine around sleep to prepare yourself that naturally slows mind and body.
• Be in bed ideally around 10pm and no later than 11pm which is when the "second wind" kicks in. In Ayurvedic medicine this is known as Pitta time.
• Keep the bedroom cool and dark.
• Avoid any Wi-Fi driven device at least 1.5 hours before going to bed and keep all Wi-Fi driven devices out of the bedroom. Blue light stimulates the brain creating active, circulating thoughts.
• If you need your mobile in the bedroom as an alarm, turn it to airplane mode. Switch off Bluetooth connection and keep it away from your head.
• Switch off the Wi-Fi router at night.
• Create a relaxing routine before getting into bed that helps you wind down. You could try, a warm bath or shower with essential oils such as lavender and chamomile, or massage oils into your feet before getting into bed (Always dilute essential oils in a carrier oil - fractionated coconut, olive, sweet almond etc.) Read, meditate or listen to relaxing music.
• Avoid sleep disruptors before bed – caffeine, heavy meals, alcohol and smoking.
• Get at least 30 minutes of outdoor exercise every day to help regulate your circadian rhythm
• Be active during the day so that you are physically tired when going to bed.
• Finish eating your last meal two hours before going to bed.
• Difficulty staying asleep, try meditating instead of lying there getting more frustrated at not being able to sleep. If this doesn’t work take a walk around the house for 10 minutes and then go back to bed.
• Inhaling lavender mist can be beneficial to calming your nervous system and enabling sleep.
• Avoid going to bed when you are angry. Release this anger through understanding and forgiveness before getting into bed, releasing any circulating thoughts.
Not all these points will be relevant to everyone, if struggling to sleep try different tips to see if they help in you feeling relaxed and consequently dropping asleep.
"Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together." Thomas Dekker
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