Nature's Sweet Restorer

Your cellphone, much like your body, has a limited amount of energy before it needs recharging. Just as you can't expect your device to function indefinitely on a single charge, your body requires replenishment and restoration. This is where sleep steps in.

During sleep, your body repairs itself. You must give your body enough time for this rejuvenation. As an adult, it's generally recommended that you aim for around 8 hours of sleep each night.

Unlike children, who instinctively grasp the importance of sleep, we adults often fall into poor sleep habits. We sacrifice sleep for social activities, disrupt our natural sleep-wake cycles, and ultimately, suffer the consequences as we age.

Drawing from the timeless wisdom of the Yogis, here are some practices to help you sleep better:

• The best sleep is that taken between the hours of sunset and midnight.

• The best time for outdoor activities and the absorbing of vitality are the first few hours after sunrise.

• Sleep in a room with good ventilation.

• Use enough blankets to stay cozy, but don't overdo it. Do not bury yourself under a mass of heavy blankets.

• Never sleep in any clothes that you used during the day. It is not healthy or clean.

• Don't pile up too many pillows under your head, one is plenty.

• Relax every muscle in the body, take the tension off your nerves, and calm your mind. ‘Feel lazy’ when you get under the covers.

• Train yourself not to think about work or stressful things after your go to bed.

• Focus on your feet to help your body relax. It directs the circulation to the lower part of your body, and relieves the brain.

• And most importantly, do not force yourself to go to sleep, it usually produces the opposite effect. Just relax and do not care whether or not you sleep right off, feel perfectly satisfied with things as they are.

“Imagine yourself a tired child, resting in a half drowsy way, not fully asleep not fully awake.” Yogi Ramacharaka reminds. “Do not bother about later in the night, and whether or not you will sleep then, just live in the particular moment, and enjoy doing nothing.“

Prioritize sleep over late-night social engagements whenever possible, following Benjamin Franklin's timeless advice:

While special occasions and unforeseen events may occasionally disrupt your routine, strive to prioritize rest on ordinary days. Your body’s well-being depends on it.