The Value of Sleep

Do you find yourself up at night, whatever the reason might be, unable to sleep. Waking up at night we tend to look at the time on our cellphone, only to then start looking at our emails, Instagram or Facebook feeds. Before we know it we're awake like an owl stalking its prey. Looking for something online, but nothing specific. Perhaps you're unaware that you are only looking for the “feel-good” hormone known as dopamine.

What to do when using my phone at night? Dr Walia advises you to beaware of  the following disadvantages of looking at your phone before going to bed:

• It keeps your mind psychologically engaged
• The blue light from the screen suppresses melatonin
• The alerting properties delay REM sleep

Its recommended to avoid looking at your phone an hour before going to bed. Its not easy, but what you can do is place your display settings of your phone onto night shift mode. This reduces the blue light effect which keeps our brain awake for longer.

Sleeping better has a number of valuable benefits in today's rush rush life. Simply put it comes down to good habits. Taking back the power over our phones is one thing. Sticking to routine sleeping patterns and getting decent sleep has the following benefits:

• Better productivity and concentration
• Lower weight gain risk
• Better calorie regulation
• Greater athletic performance
• Lower risk of heart disease
• More social and emotional intelligence
• Preventing depression
• Lower inflammation
• Stronger immune system

Sleep Recommendations

Sleep needs vary for different age groups, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the breakdown is as follows:

• Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
• Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
• Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
• Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
• School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
• Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
• Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
• Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
• Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours

If you are looking to sleep better, we hope these pointers have been able to assist you and your family to live a healthier life. Assisting you to fall asleep with more ease you can drink Rooibos Night Rest  tea which contains Melissea Folium and is known for its natural known for its antiseptic properties, calming and antidepressant effect. Used in treatments to counter hysteria and insomnia.