Healthy Sleep

Healthy sleep is not a luxury — it's essential. Adults need 7-9 hours, teens 8-10, children more. Chronic short or disturbed sleep raises risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, accidents, and infections. Indian urban adults often chronically under-sleep; fixing that is one of the highest-yield health habits.

Foundations — what actually works

• Consistent sleep schedule — same bedtime and wake time every day, weekends too.
• Wind-down routine — 30-60 minutes of low-stimulation activity before bed (reading, warm shower, stretching, gentle music).
• No screens in bed — blue light suppresses melatonin; the scrolling keeps the brain alert.
• Cool, dark, quiet room — curtains, eye mask, ear plugs if needed.
• Bed only for sleep and sex — not work, TV, long phone calls.
• No caffeine after early afternoon, no alcohol within 3 hours of bed, no heavy meals late.
• Daylight and exercise in the morning/midday — reinforces the circadian rhythm.
• Manage stress before bed — writing down tomorrow's list, brief breathing/meditation.

When sleep is disturbed despite these

• Rule out sleep apnoea if you snore or a partner reports pauses.
• Rule out restless legs, reflux, nocturia, pain, anxiety, depression, thyroid.
• Review medicines that may be disrupting sleep.
• See a Health Expert — chronic insomnia is treatable with CBT-I, not just pills.

For shift workers

• Darken the bedroom completely during day sleep; black-out curtains, eye mask.
• Keep the room cool; noise-cancelling.
• A strong pre-shift caffeine can help; avoid caffeine in the second half of the shift.
• Short nap before night shift.
• After shift: wear sunglasses home if sun is up; short wind-down, then sleep.
• Shift work is a known health risk — minimise years in rotating shifts where possible.

Sleep is productive time — the brain consolidates learning, repairs tissue, clears metabolic waste (including the proteins implicated in dementia). You will not "catch up later" reliably. Treat sleep like dal — a daily non-negotiable.