In my office there was a badge of honour — 'I worked until 3 AM last night.' Whoever slept the least was considered the most dedicated. I followed this culture for five years. After five years I had chronic migraines, irritability, weight gain, and a complete creativity blockage. The doctor said — 'Your biggest illness is sleep deprivation.'
Why Sleep Is Our Greatest Health Investment
When you sleep the body does nothing — this is a misconception. When you sleep the body works the hardest. The brain flushes out toxins linked to Alzheimer's. The heart repairs. The immune system rebuilds. Hormones reset. Growth hormone is released. All this happens only when you are asleep.
In a rat study scientists did not allow rats to sleep. All rats died within 11-32 days — without any other illness. Only from sleep deprivation. This is an extreme example, but it shows — sleep is not optional, it is survival.
India-Specific Reasons for Poor Sleep
We have specific problems that differ from other countries. In joint families there is the noise of late-night TV serials. In cities there is traffic and construction sound pollution. In summer there is the problem of air conditioning. Husband and wife on different schedules. And the biggest — WhatsApp groups that are active even at 11 PM.
One interesting piece of research — people whose phone was on their bedside table, even face down, had 20 percent worse sleep quality than those whose phone was in another room. Just from the phone being physically present — even without notifications — the brain stays in alertness mode.
Kavita Joshi, author"I kept my phone outside the bedroom for a month. The first week brought anxiety. The second week brought the best sleep I had had in years."
Sleep Hygiene — The 5 Habits I Adopted
First habit — consistent sleep time. Sleeping and waking at the same time every day. Even on weekends. The body follows an internal clock — Circadian rhythm. When you disturb it by staying up until 2 AM on weekends, Monday's thinking capacity drops.
Second habit — a wind-down routine one hour before sleeping. My routine is — warm shower, 10 minutes of light reading, dimming the lights. The brain needs to be signalled that 'the day is now over.' Phone scrolling sends exactly the opposite signal.
Third habit — room temperature. Research says 18-20 degrees Celsius is ideal. In India this is not always possible, but a fan and light cotton bedsheet make quite a difference.
Fourth habit — no coffee after 6 PM. Caffeine stays in your body for 6-8 hours. Chai at 7 PM means its effect lasts until 1-2 AM. This small change makes a very big difference.
When Sleep Changed — Everything Changed
After three months of consistent 7.5-8 hours of sleep — migraines reduced by 90 percent. Weight dropped by 4 kg — without any diet change. This happened because with sleep deprivation ghrelin (hunger hormone) rises and leptin (fullness hormone) drops. With good sleep this balance is restored.
But the biggest change was in creativity and problem-solving. Presentations that wouldn't come together in hours now came together in 30 minutes. Ideas weren't blocked. The brain was fresh. A well-rested brain and a sleep-deprived brain — these are two different machines.
Kavita Joshi"Prioritising sleep is not selfish. When you sleep well, you are a better parent, a better colleague, a better human being. Sleep is not self-care — sleep is the foundation."
If You Can't Sleep — What to Do
If you lie in bed awake for more than 20 minutes, get up. Read a boring book. In low light. When sleep starts to come, go back. Don't let the bed become a memory of 'the place where sleep doesn't come.'
