“Good night, Sleep tight” - This is just how you do that.

A good night’s sleep is just as essential as regular exercise and a healthy diet. Poor sleep can cause negative effects on your hormones and brain function leading to weight gain, higher stress levels and increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and other lifestyle diseases . Both, quality and quantity of sleep are important in maintaining this homeostasis. At least seven hours of sleep is recommended for a healthy adult.

How do we keep a healthy sleeping habit?

• Maintain a circadian rhythm by sleeping and waking at the same time every day. Natural sunlight or bright light during the day improves sleep by 80%. But during the night, this may reduce the melatonin and have a detrimental effect on sleep. Blue-light that emanates from smartphones and electronic devices is the worst in this regard since it tricks the body into thinking that it's daytime.

• Avoid daytime naps for longer than 30 mins. A short power-nap, ideally 20 mins, at a regular time, may in fact be beneficial.

• Exercise, especially swimming, is one of the best ways to improve sleep and health. It can halve the time to get to sleep and provide 30 more mins of sleep at night. Preferably, it should be done earlier in the day, such as in the morning or afternoon.

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, tea and large meals at night. Alcohol increases sleep apnea, snoring and disturbs the sleep pattern. Caffeine is a stimulant of the nervous system and if consumed late in the day, it may prevent the body from naturally relaxing at night.

• Avoid drinking large amounts of liquids before bed since it can lead to frequent urination and disturb sleep. Use the bathroom right before going to bed.
  

• Commit to a relaxing bedtime routine, such as reading, bathing, or meditating. A warm shower just before bed works wonders.

• Create a Sleep-inducing bedroom. This is often an overlooked factor. Customise your sleep environment by maximising comfort and minimising distractions.
  

Set your bedroom thermostat to a cool temperature.

Introduce pleasant aromas like lavender.

Make sure your mattress, pillows, bedsheets and blankets are comfortable and in good shape.

Avoid light disturbance. Use room-darkening blinds.

Sleeping with night-lights may be useful for children who are scared of the dark. As they get older, it's important to wean them off the lights.

Sleeping with lights on may hamper sleep and increase the risk of developing diabetes.

Keep electronics out of your bedroom.

If you must check on an electronic device, wear blue light-blocking glasses to retain melatonin.

• Reserve your bed for sleep and sex only. You want a strong mental association between your bed and sleep, so keep other activities off it.

• Take a melatonin supplement. Melatonin is a key sleep hormone that tells your brain when it's time to relax and head to bed. These supplements give an improved sleep quality, are non-addictive and have no withdrawal effects. These are also useful when travelling long distances and help reduce jet lag.

• Once you wake up in the morning, make sure you seek light — either artificial or natural — as soon as you can. This will eventually set the tone for your body that light equates to wakefulness, while darkness means it’s time to sleep.

They say, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in a doctor’s book.”