Why and how to sleep well?

1. Sleeping for more time while in bed (at least 85% of the total time)
2. Falling asleep in 30 minutes or less
3. Waking up no more than once per night
4. Being awake for a break of less than 20 minutes during sleeping hours

• NREM Sleep- Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. It is the type of sleep when you don’t dream. It is what most people associate with sleep. It is a very relaxed type of sleep that gets progressively deeper through three stages called N1, N2, and N3.
• REM Sleep- Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. This sleep is your dream state. Your eyes move rapidly. It is a rather active sort of sleep in which the brain is almost as active as if it were awake. It is also called paradoxical sleep because you only look like you are fast asleep but there is a lot of stuff happening inside your brain.

Our body cycles between NREM and REM sleep every 90 minutes, this is known as the Sleep Cycle.

Having a complete sleep cycle is important because each type of sleep has its own special benefits. For example, some of the things happening to you when you are in deep NREM (N3) sleep are-

• Wounds get healed
• Energy is restored and the body undergoes maintenance
• WBCs are created to prop up your body’s defense mechanism
• Muscles are relaxed and restored
• Growth hormones are released
• The brain reorganizes the mental pathways within the cortex, an activity vital to learning and to brain development.

• For 1-2-year-old/toddlers- 11 to 14 hours a day
• For 3-5 years old/preschoolers- 10 to 13 hours a day
• For 6-13 years old/older children- 9 to 11 hours a day
• For 14-17 years old/teenagers- 8 to 10 hours a day.

• Inability to fight infection or diseases
• Cause of Weight Gain
• One of the major causes of accidents
• Linked to substance abuse
• Associated with depression
• Cause fatigue and affects athletic performance.

• Increases decision-making skills
• Improves memory and concentration
• Enhances work efficiency
• Widening attention span
• Increases Alertness.

• Block out lights in the room
• Avoid all handheld devices
• Read any book physically like self-help for you or stories to your child
• Avoid long afternoon naps
• Have melatonin supplements
• Follow a bedtime and wake-up time routine even on weekends
• Exercise regularly
• Manage temperature and noise in the room
• Avoid alcohol and heavy meals in the evening
• Practice a relaxing meditative bedtime ritual
• Avoid stimulants like caffeine, nicotine etc.
• Limit fluid intake to prevent ‘Nocturia’- medical term for excessive urination during night
• Sleep on comfortable, supportive and allergen free mattress and pillows

Good Sleep