Tips to ensure a proper sleep

Get regular physical exercise, as simple as a 15-minute walk in the morning or afternoon.

Don’t nap more than 30 minutes during the day.

Move the TV and computer out of the bedroom. Turn off internet on the phone and put it on ‘silent’ mode 30 minutes before bedtime – thus associating the room purely to relaxation and rest.

Use a pre-sleep routine such as listening to relaxing songs, thinking positive thoughts and doing a mental body scan while focusing on the breath.

Follow the 8-hour day rule – 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep and 8 hours play (and other activities).

Be consistent and practice these in a disciplined approach throughout the year.

Benefits of sleep

Sleep helps the brain work properly. While you're sleeping, the brain prepares the body for the next day’s functioning. It forms new pathways of information.

Sleep helps to maintain a balance in the hormones that develop feelings of hunger or feeling full. Without enough sleep, the level of ghrelin goes up and the level of leptin goes down, which evokes the feeling of hunger as compared to when well-rested.

Sleep and not a nap is better. Napping does not provide all the other benefits of a night-time sleep.

Circadian rhythms are the changes in mental and physical characteristics during the day (circadian is Latin for "around a day"). Most circadian rhythms are controlled by the body's biological clock.