• Wellness Sleep Routine For Recovery, Hormone Balance, Cognitive Function

In a world where everyone is going through something, ensuring a balanced sleep time daily may be the only saving grace for wellness and sound mental health. Thus, going through life without organised sleep equates running empty on wellness and healthy living in all aspects.

Why You Should Sleep
Everyone needs sleep to survive. This is because sleep time is how the body and brain rest to allow essential health recovery, cognitive function and hormone balance.   

How Sleep Happens
Sleep happens when two internal biological mechanisms: circadian rhythm and homeostasis work together to help your brain transition from being awake to sleeping and vice versa.
  
The two internal biological mechanisms are basically a natural internal clock regulated by the brain chemicals and signals that releases calm after being awake for long to slow down active cells for the body to go into rest mode. This is why the ability to stay awake and sleep is beyond subconscious control.
  
However, as the hurdles of life kick in day after day, sometimes, the ability to return to rest mode after a long day of ‘awakeness’ becomes almost impossible.    
  
For some, sleep comes easy but creating the time for it based on a tight work life schedule and other activities becomes the challenge thereby struggling with the biological sleep drive until it becomes difficult to sleep. 
  
For others, sleep doesn’t just happen for them easy as their hyper active brain wouldn’t give their mind and body the permission to calm and allow sleep to take over its duties. This is where the sleep routine comes in.

Make A Functional Sleep Routine
A functional sleep routine does not only capture and control the hyperactive chemical that struggles with sleep drive but also helps individuals with unending daily activities draw the line.
  
Structure an organised bedtime activity that prepares your body for sleep within a stipulated time every day with self-discipline. For instance, if you plan to sleep by 10pm:
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You must ensure to return home at 6pm every day as though your life depends on it.
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Have a bath and dinner if you haven’t already within an hour. By 7pm settle into a clean and body soothing sleep wear.

. Make your bed with a clean sheet.

. Minimise the lighting in your home.

. Get into bed by 8pm/8:30pm.

. Relieve the day’s activities if you have to in bed and you can do so with a choice cocktail in bed.

. You can also read in bed to unwind.

. If you’re married or with a partner and there is desire for couple’s time, by all means, do so within another hour.

. At this time your brain is fully relaxed and the sleep drive kicks in within minutes and here comes the long stretch sleep from 10pm to 5am. A 7-hour night sleep is all you need for recovery, hormone balance and cognitive function.