For a long time, my night routine looked like this, even on school nights—8 pm dinner, 8.30-9 pm lounging around, 9 pm-11 pm gaming with friends, 11-12 pm stand-up comedy on Youtube, mid-night snack, 12.30 pm attempt to sleep followed by half an hour of tossing and turning and then finally dozing off at some point. Since I get up for school at around 6.15 am, my total hours of sleep were roughly 4 and 5 hours, but I thought I was managing fine. I was functioning in school, coping with homework and extracurriculars, hitting the gym and benching 80-100 kgs without much problem.
Running on a few hours of sleep seemed enough, and increasing the number of sleep hours certainly didn't seem a priority. And then there were always weekends when I could catch up on sleep. It's not like I was a walking zombie or anything. The failure to focus in physics class, the extra fatigue I felt at the end of school, and the intense irritation I felt when my annoying kid brother was typical for a teenager, weren’t they? After all, I am an eleventh grader juggling coursework, extracurriculars, an active social life, gym sessions and preparing for college. Besides, all my friends and peers have a similar schedule. We love pulling all-nighters and being night owls. How uncool would it be to sleep at times at night like some toddler?
But while exhaustion and irritability were my biggest problems at first, I had no idea what havoc was unfolding beneath the surface. Then, it all caught up with me. Blinding headaches, brain fog, and forgetfulness seriously affected my academics; I was too exhausted to go to the gym anymore, which I enjoy most. This is when I knew I was doing something wrong and needed to correct it.
I started to research my symptoms, and from everything that I found, the diagnosis was precise—I was chronically sleep-deprived. The lack of sleep negatively affected my concentration, moods and even, surprisingly, muscle strength.
I know that diet and exercise are essential to a healthy life, but I did not give enough importance to sleep. All these are intertwined. A nutritious diet helps make us healthy and strong, which helps us exercise better, which in turn leads to good sleep. Good sleep is a critical component of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. How?
Sleep is critical for muscle recovery. When we exercise, we strain our muscles, which causes tiny tears in the tissue. These tears need time to heal, and sleep is the best way to give our muscles the rest they need. During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormones, which help repair and rebuild our muscles. Without enough sleep, our muscles won't have time to recover from our workouts, which can make it harder to build strength and endurance.
Sleep is also essential for maintaining a healthy weight. When we're sleep-deprived, our bodies produce more of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates our appetite, and less leptin, which signals that we're full. This can lead to overeating and weight gain, even if we stick to a healthy diet and exercise routine. Additionally, lack of sleep can increase cortisol levels, which can cause your body to store more fat around your midsection.
Finally, sleep is critical for mental health and well-being. When well-rested, we can better manage stress, regulate our emotions, and make good decisions. Lack of sleep can make us irritable, anxious, and unable to cope with challenges. It can also impair our cognitive function, making concentrating and remembering things harder.
A lot of this is not new information, but here, I will stress the difference between knowing something and implementing it in reality.
So, how can you get more sleep? Teenagers require between 9 to 10 hours of sleep, and here are a few tips on how to get an adequate amount of shut-eye:
1. Stick to a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends.
2. Create a relaxing bedtime routine, such as taking a warm bath or reading a book.
3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
4. Make your bedroom a comfortable and quiet environment for sleep.
5. And the toughest one of all - Limit screen time before bed, as the blue light from electronic devices can interfere with sleep.
Getting into the requisite sleep cycle will take a lot of work. Consistency is vital, and most of the changes are simple to implement.
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