Importance of sleep

Importance of sleep can’t be overemphasized. All of us sleep, some more, some less. Sleep gives our bodies the time to repair & rejuvenate the body and get us ready for the next day. In this day & age, sleep is the first thing which everyone skimps on as a result of the fast paced stressful life.

Importance of sleep has been scientifically proven in several studies which show that sleep starved individuals are prone to more accidents, infections & illnesses.

Even if you forget the studies & science, you’d have noticed yourself how groggy & edgy you feel when you are sleep starved. It’s your body’s way of telling you to slow down to give your body the time to repair and heal itself. Instead of listening to our bodies, we numb those signals by using tea, coffee and other stimulants. This is not only counterproductive but forms the basis of several health issues.

Siesta (taking a nap after lunch) is also known as the power-nap as it recharges your battery and gives you a boost of energy so that you can last the rest of the day feeling fresh. If your work schedule can be flexible, do take a siesta.

Unless your job requires you to work in shifts, the natural cycle of life works on the simple logic i.e. night is for sleeping and day is for working. At around 11 PM, most normal individuals get a surge of sleep. If you want to enjoy a good night sleep, you should be in your bed at least 30 minutes before that and do some relaxing activity e.g. reading. This will prepare your body for sleep.

Everyone needs different amount of sleep but usually its between 7-8 hrs. If you wake up tired & groggy even after this much sleep you should investigate your diet, exercise & stress management routine. If it doesn’t reveal anything, go to the next step i.e. ask other family members if you snore as that could be causing you sleep apnea, which in turn means that you are not going into deep sleep necessary for waking up fresh. There are a couple of reasons for snoring e.g. blocked nose due to allergies, DNS, overweight etc. Once you address these issues, you will have a good night’s sleep and wake up fresh.

Along with other strategies, homeopathy can help in addressing most of the underlying issues which cause sleep problems.