A healthy lifestyle is composed of four elements – exercise, nutritional diet, recovery and sleep. Out of these, sleep is the most underrated aspect. Most people associate “sleep” with tiredness or laziness. Well, it’s not completely true, it depends on when and for how long one sleeps. For a moderately active adult, rest is extremely important. If you exercise about 30-45 minutes a day, your body is fatigued. Muscles break down and they require protein and sleep for optimum recovery. Scientifically, one complete sleep cycle is 90 minutes long, sleeping less is futile, thus.

Plan your nap in a way that you get at least one sleep cycle in. In the case of a full night’s sleep, a healthy number would be anywhere from six to nine hours, more than this would trick the brain into lethargy and instead of activating our system, it would make us lackluster, in case it is less than six hours, our body would feel deprived if energy throughout the day, hindering out productivity both physically and mentally. In preparation for a restful sleep, ensure that you have your last meal about 2-3 hours before going to bed. Cut down on caffeine post 5 pm, as it would only lead to insomnia. If you have trouble sleeping early, try reading a few pages from a book, or have a cup of chamomile tea. Switch off any gadgets at least 30 minutes before sleeping, it will give your mind sufficient time to relax and prepare for the day ahead.