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Sleep is vital to our health. Sleep helps our body and brain to function properly. A good night’s sleep can improve our learning, memory, decision-making, and creativity.

When people do not have sufficient sleep, they can develop higher risks of getting depressions, seizures, high blood pressures, and migraines. Getting enough sleep can affect our metabolism, improve immunity, reduce likelihood of contracting diseases and infections.

Two factors which influence sleep: circadian rhythms and sleep drive.

Circadian rhythms are natural processes that run on a 24- hour cycle, which are regulated by biological clocks. These natural processes respond to light and dark and influence most of the living things like animals, plants and microbes. Circadian rhythms can affect important functions of our bodies. For instance:

• Hormone release
• Eating habits and digestion
• Body temperature

Sleep drive is recognized as homeostatic system. The longer you stay awake , the sleepier you are. The neurotransmitter which is called adenosine and sleep drive increase during wakefulness and dissipate during sleep.

1. Set a sleep schedule.The recommended amount of sleep for most adults are seven to eight hours. Try to sleep and wake up on the same time daily.
2. Eat and drink right. Do not go to bed hungry or stuffed and caution of intake of tea, coffee and those drinks that contained caffeine before sleeping. Discomfort from not paying attention to food and drink consume before going to bed can lead to discomfort and affect quality of our sleep.
3. Comfortable and restful environment to sleep. Keep the room cool, dark and quiet to create the conducive environment for us to fall asleep. Do calming activities before sleep.
   Short nap time and include physical activities in daily routines. A short power nap can boost our energy while prolonged nap hours can reduce sleep drive at night. Morning strolls or exercises can promote better sleep but avoid doing it near sleep time. Optimum nap duration: 15 to 30 minutes during day time. Napping for more than 30 minutes in the day will decrease people’s drive to sleep at night.
4. Supplements like Magnesium & Melatonin Supplements. Magnesium is able to aid with the regulations of melatonin production, relaxes muscles and induces sleep. (NIH, healthline.com). Melatonin is the hormone that tells our body when to sleep and wake. Chamomile tea, tart cherry juice, supplement like glycine help relax body and mind, increase the amount of melatonin in the body.
5. Moderate is the key. Consult medical professionals and health experts if you need help on improving your sleep. Avoid eating, drinking or consuming excessively.

(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences nih.gov, John Hopkins Medicine, sleepscore.com, drcraigcanapari.com, Harvard Health)