If you are the one yawning during office meetings, waking up weary or cursing your weighing machine, it’s time to understand your sleep pattern and take control.

Lack of consistent sleep routine makes us feel less productive, triggers health problems like weight gain, ages skin prematurely and even reduces immunity.

Believe it or not, according to a recent survey more than 80 percent Indians feel sleepy at work (Telangana Today), at least thrice a week. You might blame the heavy greasy lunch sometimes, but people even wake up feeling tired and a good number believe they suffer from insomnia.

Insomnia comes from the Latin words for ‘no sleep’ and it’s one of the most commonly overlooked health problems today. According to the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research, up to 40% of the population experiences signs of insomnia every year.

Sometimes you feel your eyes pop open at 2 or 3 AM, and you can’t fall back asleep. Everyone has an occasional restless night, but if it becomes a pattern or if you regularly find it hard to get back to sleep within 15 or 20 minutes, or if you wake up more than two or three times per night, then there is an issue that needs attention.

What’s causing it?

1. Sleeping Late –

While there are a number of psychiatric and medical causes for unhealthy sleep habits, sleeping late is one of the major non-medical cause. And who is to blame, you ask?

Binge watching videos on smartphones, shows on TV, working late on laptops and refreshing Facebook a hundred times are the common culprits.

Sleeping late has its part to play too. It is recommended that regular sleeping time should be around 10-10:30 pm for a blissful sleep in alignment with our body rhythms. We all have an inner biological clock, which determines the daily cycles of physical, behavioural, and mental changes. Those cycles are called circadian rhythm.

1. Stressed Brain – 

The mind is often full of worries that leave you tossing and turning for hours, not being able to sleep, no matter how tired you are.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just take your brain out and leave it on the nightstand? We wish! While we know it’s not literally possible, try and calm the mind down so that there are as little thoughts as possible. Stay away from using smartphones and electronic devices at least an hour prior to your sleep time. Try to read for an hour to help put your anxieties away.

1. Could it be your mattress?

Some people sleep enough hours, but still wake up tired. Common reason can be the mattress. SleepyCat‘s mattress is an easy solution for people who keep turning sides all night. They are specially designed using gel-infused, orthopedic memory foam layer that contours to the body and relieves the pressure. The advanced technology of tiny crystals inside delivers a cooling sensation by absorbing the body heat.

SleepyCat offers true value for money by providing a luxurious mattress straight from its factory to your doorstep, at a fraction of the price of traditional retail.

Why is undisrupted sleep important?

Sleeping for 8 hours does not guarantee a good sleep, especially if it is disturbed. A normal night’s sleep includes many seconds-long mini-arousals as a result of changes in brain wave activity. We should get full sleep cycles for optimal rest of mind and body. This is called delta or deep sleep.

During that time, the brain slows down, and there’s minimal activity. That time you breathe slowly, heart rate and blood pressure go down. This is the time when the body repairs itself, tissues regrow, dead cells shed, bones build and the immune system is replenished.

Hence, we can all inarguably agree that good sleep enhances your chance for healthier life, beautiful skin and a bright mind. This will lead you to have optimistic thought, improved job performance, and reduced stress.

You can make the switch to sleeping right

• Create a sleep schedule and adhere to it
• Set the mood to relax the mind
• Use the right mattress to help you relieve the stress and pain
• Follow your Circadian rhythm
• Exercise – Get the body worked up and tired enough to get a good night’s sleep
• Eat right – A healthy routine with a balanced diet at proper intervals can make a big difference. Try not to eat right before bedtime, which can cause bloating and other digestion related problems, making it difficult to sleep.