My alarm rings at 6.30 every morning. I press the snooze button for a few extra minutes of sleep, in the hope of achieving a state of rejuvenation and a burst of energy. Unfortunately, what greets me instead is grogginess, irritability and fatigue. These are some of the apparent effects of sleep deprivation.

Sleep is nature’s way of helping the body and mind to rest and be rejuvenated at periodic intervals. People believe that when one sleeps, the brain switches off; in fact, while the body rests a lot is going on in the brain — repair, restoration, dreaming, processing of new experiences and information are just some things your brain deals with when you are fast asleep.Sound and deep sleep adds value to our waking hours as it keeps us energetic and alert throughout the day.

Nature has divided our sleep cycle into five stages. The deep sleep stage is when the brain enters into the REM (rapid eye movement) cycle. This is when the sub-conscious overrides our conscious mind and dreaming takes place. Interestingly, a lack of REM sleep plays havoc with our system. Emotions become fragile which can cause mood swings, irritability and confused thoughts. The light sleeper in particular, may not experience a complete REM cycle which can cause problems.

Another benefit of sleep is that it boosts our immune system by helping our body produce extra protein molecules which help fight infections. At least seven to nine hours sleep is mandatory for adults; so much information is absorbed during waking hours that the brain needs its very own quiet time to process and absorb all the data. “Let’s sleep on it” is a wise decision because sleep not only helps retention but also aids in recalling the forgotten facts. So, to sharpen your memory — take a nap!

Sleep is Mother Nature’s magic anti-ageing remedy. The second stage of sleep, called delta sleep, is the time when our hormone levels peak. This is when cell repair and damage control to the skin takes place.

Here are a few tips for a good night’s sleep:

• Give yourself the time and space to wind down from the stress of the day and reach a calm state of relaxation that makes it easier to fall off to sleep.

• Pick up the obvious signs and clues from how nature intended night time to be. Don’t allow light to filter into the bedroom from the laptop screen, make sure there are no chinks between the curtains and fix the noisy fan and AC so there is no annoying sound to interfere with your sleep. Sleeping in a dark room helps the brain to produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates our biological clock.

• Abstain from caffeinated drinks, especially in the late evening, as they stay in our system for up to 14 hours, thus decreasing total sleep time.

• Set a fixed time to sleep every night so that you can wake up at the same time every morning. You may miss your late nights on weekends but it will also mean no more Mondaymorning blues.

Sweet dreams.