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Garima Garg Seth

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<h3 style="text-align: center">
 THE GOOD NIGHT GUIDE
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<h4>
 DR. GARIMA GARG SETH is a pediatrician
 with a mission to help children learn good sleep habits. Here she explains
 to us what that means, and how as parents we can provide the best possible
 environment for children to develop a healthy sleep lifestyle.
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<h5 style="text-align: center">
 Early to bed and early to rise, 
 makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
 
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<h5 style="text-align: center">
 -Medieval Proverb
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 We all grew up with our elders quoting this old adage, but somehow today
 sleep has become a casualty of modern life. I often find parents saying that
 their children do not sleep until 12 or 1 in the night. Some are happy and
 proud about it, while some are worried. Sleep is extremely important to
 support children’s development both physically and mentally. Establishing
 good sleep patterns can help children to meet their full potential. It can
 improve a child’s quality of life, memory, learning, attention, and
 behavior. Children with good sleep do better in school and have lower rates
 of mental and physical health problems than those with sleep problems.
 


 It is also important for parents’ mental health. As a parent, it is
 important to introduce good sleep habits early in your child’s life. A
 well-rested household usually makes for a happier home.

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 How much sleep do children need?
 
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 Sleep needs change as children get older. There are set guidelines that
 define the amount of sleep needed by children for optimal health. Regularly
 getting this number of hours of sleep can help your child avoid health risks
 associated with sleep deprivation. Now this is a general guideline that
 applies to most children, but some will have different sleep needs. If your
 child sleeps less or more than the average time prescribed, it’s not always
 an issue. But, it might also be tempting to think that your children can get
 away with less sleep than they need or that they should be able to cope
 fairly well with a few skipped hours of sleep. This is not true
 either.


 The recommended sleep per 24 hours according to the age of the child, as
 per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is:


 Newborn to 3 months: 16 to 18 hours (including naps) 4 to 12 months:
 12 to 16 hours (including naps) 1 to 2 years:
 11 to 14 hours (including naps) 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours 6 to 12 years: 9 to 12 hours 13 to 18 years: 8 to 10 hours

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 What are the signs that children are not getting enough sleep?
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 They may show decreased levels of alertness, poor school performance, and
 bad moods. Young children may even have too much energy or hyperactivity
 leading to behavioral issues. In teenagers it can sometimes show up as mood
 changes and irritability.


 Listed below are just a few of the symptoms of sleep deprivation in
 children:


 Learning problems: concentration issues, difficulty remembering things,
 hyperactivity Poor mental health, behavioral issues, headaches Lowering of immune system function Weight gain, growth issues In older age groups: hypertension, obesity, depression etc.

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 Is a nap required during the day?
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 Napping is normal behavior in children. Most young children take naps
 during the day. Newborns and young infants usually take several naps: by 9
 to 12 months infants have a pattern of 2 naps a day, and by 15 to 24 months most children take only a single afternoon nap.
 Older children may not nap at all.
 


 Naps usually disappear by 5 years of age. Naps help preschool children to
 avoid becoming overtired. Ironically, an overtired toddler is harder to get
 to sleep than a well-rested one. Naps in preschool children can be
 encouraged and scheduled so that they aren’t too close to bedtime, as a
 poorly timed nap can affect your child’s sleep at night.

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 Good sleep routines 
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 Everybody can benefit from a sleep routine, including adults. This is also
 called good sleep hygiene. A good sleep routine is planned. Consistency and
 firmness are also keys.

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 1. Make sufficient sleep a family priority
 
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 As a parent, you are a role model for your children. First, understand the
 benefits of getting enough sleep for yourself. Set a good example. Show them
 it is part of a healthy lifestyle, just like healthy eating and exercise. It
 is understandable that sometimes, with current job profiles, it is
 difficult, but at least give it a try.

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 2. Stick to a realistic and consistent age-appropriate routine
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 We all have an internal daily body clock, sometimes referred to as the
 circadian rhythm. Our body functions according to it. Have a set bedtime and
 wake-up time for your children every day of the week, including non-school
 nights. It is better if there is not more than an hour difference from one
 day to another. Regular late weekend nights or sleeping-in can throw your
 body clock out of rhythm. 
 

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 3. Predictable sequence
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 Have a set daily bedtime routine following a predictable sequence of
 events, such as brushing teeth, taking a warm shower, going to the toilet,
 changing into nightwear and reading a story, etc. It should not last for
 more than 15 to 20 minutes. Many parents like to use the 4 Bs of brush,
 bath, book, bed.

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 4. Beds are for sleeping 
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 Avoid spending a lot of non-sleep time in bed. Spending hours lying on the
 bed doing other things before bedtime keeps the brain from associating bed
 with sleep.

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 5. A comfortable, cozy room
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 A child’s bedroom can be cool, quiet and comfortable. Melatonin is a
 hormone which aids sleep and it occurs naturally in our bodies when it gets
 dark. So it is a good idea to put your children to bed in a dark environment
 and to dim the lights before sleep. A low-level night light is acceptable
 for children who find completely dark rooms frightening. Keep your child’s
 bedroom at a comfortable temperature (around 75° F, 25-26° C) and not too
 hot or cold.

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 <img
 alt="The-Good-Night-Guide-Sleep"
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Good_Night_Guide2_c498e5c6b1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:23:14.011Z"
 />

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 6. Relaxing activities 
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 The hour before sleep can be for shared quiet time, like listening to
 relaxing, calm music, or reading a favorite story book. Avoid high
 stimulation activities such as watching television, playing video games or
 exercise. Children can easily develop the habit of “needing” the television
 to fall asleep. It’s also difficult to control your children’s viewing if
 the set is in the bedroom. Melatonin production is interfered with by screen
 activities, both before bed and during the night. It is best not to have
 video games, televisions or telephones in children’s bedrooms. Set a
 “technology curfew,” especially for older kids. 
 

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 7. Exercise
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 Make sure your children spend time outside every day when possible and are
 involved in regular exercise. Having physical exercise as part of the day,
 at least 3 hours before bed, often helps with falling asleep and staying
 asleep for a longer time.

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 8. Avoid caffeine
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 Avoid caffeine (sodas, chocolate, tea, coffee) in the afternoons and
 evenings. Even if caffeine doesn’t prevent falling asleep, it can still lead
 to shallow sleep or frequent waking.

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 9. Eat a healthy meal well in advance and avoid big meals in the
 evening
</h5>

 But don’t send your children to bed hungry. A glass of milk before bed is a
 good idea. Heavy meals within an hour or two of bedtime may interfere with
 sleep.

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 10. Falling asleep routine
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 It is best for children to go to bed drowsy but still awake. Letting them
 fall asleep in other places forms habits that are difficult to break.If a
 child is awake in bed tossing and turning, it is better for them to get out
 of bed, do a low stimulation activity like reading, then return to bed
 later. This keeps the bed from becoming associated with sleeplessness. If
 still awake after 20 to 30 minutes, spend another 20 minutes out of bed
 before lying down again. Be gentle but firm if your child protests.If your
 child is never drowsy at the planned bedtime, you can try a temporary delay
 of bedtime by 30-minute increments until the child appears sleepy, so that
 they experience falling asleep more quickly once they get into bed. The
 bedtime should then be gradually advanced earlier until the desired bed time
 is reached. 
 

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 11. Cuddle up
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 Give a hug or a kiss, say goodnight to your children, sing a lullaby.
 Security objects at bedtime are often helpful for children aged 1 to 3 years
 who need to feel safe and secure, especially when their parent is not
 present or they are sleeping alone. Try to include their favorite doll, toy
 or blanket when you cuddle or comfort your child, but make sure it does not
 pose a choking hazard or cause injury. Cover toys or remove them if they are
 causing a distraction at night, so that they are out of sight.

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 12. Clocks are for waking up
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 Turn clock faces away so that children cannot stare at them.

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 13. Discipline elsewhere
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 If you need to discipline your children, use another space in the house,
 not the bedroom.

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 <img
 alt="The-Good-Night-Guide-Sleep"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Good_Night_Guide3_32024ac3c7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:23:14.448Z"
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 14. Make sure your children feel safe at night
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 If a child feels scared about going to bed or being in the dark, praise and
 reward them whenever they are brave. Avoid scary TV shows, movies and
 computer games. Don’t ignore their fears.

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 15. No worries
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 Avoid children worrying at bedtime. Children with this problem can try
 having a “worry time” scheduled earlier, when they think about and discuss
 their worries with someone they trust.

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 16. Short and sweet bedtime checkups
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 When checking on children at night, when they are sleeping in separate
 rooms, checks should be “brief and boring.” The purpose is to reassure the
 child you are present and that they are okay.

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 17. Maintain a sleep diary
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 This is so you can keep track of naps, sleep times and activities to find
 patterns and address problem areas when things are not working.If your
 children still have trouble getting to sleep, contact your pediatrician or
 healthcare provider to rule out any sleep disorder.

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 With a butterfly kiss and a ladybug hug, sleep tight little one, like a
 bug in a rug! <a
 href="https://www.facebook.com/themoppetsclinic"
 target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 >https://www.facebook.com/themoppetsclinic</a
 >

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 Reference: AASM guidelines, May 2016,
 Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

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<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article by DR. GARIMA GARG SETH Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE
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Children’s sleep

Gayathri heads Shri Natesan Vidyasala School in Chennai and writes on education, student-teacher relationships, and life skills, regularly contributing to the Times of India Education Edition, and several international and national magazines. She is the author of the book, Never Alone.

gayathri-ramachandran.webp

Gayathri Ramachandran

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Gayathri Ramachandran explores the value of authenticity and courage in communication, first with herself and also with others. As an educator, heading Shri Natesan Vidyasala School, in Chennai, India, and a writer, regularly contributing to the Times of India Education Edition, and several international and national magazines, Gayathri is forging a path of self-care that will surely give permission for her fellow teachers and students to open their hearts and embody the age-old value of truthfulness.&nbsp;&nbsp;</h4>Life was perfect. Or at least, so it seemed. I had everything anyone could ask for—my work was going great, my personal life was smooth, and on the surface, I looked happy, blessed, and fulfilled. It felt like I was on top of the world. Or was I? If you’d asked me, I’d have said yes—a big, loud “Yes.” There were no visible cracks. No drama. Nothing falling apart.But there was also a small “No.” A whisper, tucked away in a corner of my heart. I couldn’t quite explain it, but something wasn’t right. Despite having it all, there were days I struggled to get out of bed. Nights when sleep wouldn’t come, no matter how hard I tried. Even the things I once loved—like my morning and evening walks—felt like chores. Connecting with people, which used to energize me, now felt exhausting. I smiled. I laughed. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t real. I was confused. I was scared. I didn’t know what was happening. And worst of all, I didn’t know to whom to talk.Should I seek help? The person I am, the work I do... how could I admit something was wrong? On the outside, everything was fine. But inside, it wasn’t.This feeling, and the heaviness, the random illnesses, the sudden tears, kept growing, bit by bit, day by day. It reached a point where I couldn’t ignore it anymore. It wasn’t just a phase; it was a storm quietly tearing me apart.I started to realize that just maybe, this was because I had spent too long ignoring my own needs. I was so scared of hurting the people I love that I stopped doing what I loved. I prioritized everyone else’s happiness, even when it meant sacrificing my own. I told myself I was strong enough to handle it, that it didn’t matter if I was unhappy, as long as the people around me were okay. But the truth is, it did matter.And then, I lost someone very close to me—a friend, a mentor, a guiding light in my life. She had always been there to hold my hand, give me advice, and simply listen when I needed to pour my heart out. I thought I had come to terms with it. I told myself I had moved on. But I hadn’t. The pain of her absence hit me in waves. Sometimes, it was the smallest things—a memory, a moment—that reminded me she wasn’t there anymore.&nbsp;The thought that I couldn’t turn to her, couldn’t hear her voice or feel her comfort, left an ache so deep that I couldn’t put it into words. I missed her terribly. And as much as I tried to push it all aside, it stayed with me, growing heavier with each passing day.This heaviness was something I could no longer ignore. It wasn’t just about losing her. It was about losing parts of myself—the parts that gave, gave, and gave until there was nothing left. I thought my boat was strong enough to sail through any storm, but now I see that even the smallest hole can let the water in, slowly but surely. And if I didn’t stop to fix it, it could sink me. It was time to stop pretending everything was fine. I felt alone. It was time to listen to that little “No.”So, I tried. I started writing, pouring my feelings onto paper. Did it help? Yes, but only a little. I began keeping a gratitude journal, focusing on what was good each day. Did it help? Yes, but only a little. I returned to singing, hoping it would bring the joy it once did. Did it help? Yes, but only a little. I added more moments of <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/stillness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stillness</a> to my day—five minutes became eleven, and soon twice a day. Did it help? Yes, but only a little.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Life isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t have to be.&nbsp; What matters is that I show up, fully and honestly, with the people who matter most.</h4><hr>Somewhere along the way, I realized that all these things were only helping a little. They weren’t enough to fill the growing void inside me. One day, I decided I needed to speak to someone. I thought it might help, that sharing might lighten the burden. But when the moment came, I couldn’t.Fear held me back.Fear of being judged. Fear of not being understood. Fear of being ignored. Fear of sounding silly. Fear of <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-stillness-paradox-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Silence</a>.&nbsp; Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of speaking even to the closest ones.All these fears swirled inside me, tightening the knot in my chest, misaligning everything within me. The energy within wasn’t flowing the way it should be! The hole in my boat couldn’t be ignored anymore. It was time to face it. Time to start healing. Time to stop pretending everything was okay.And finally, when I spoke to my friend, it all became clear. I discovered the root of my struggle—the fear of communicating. Deep down, I was afraid of being told I sounded rude, irrational, or unacceptable. I feared my words would lead to arguments or hurt feelings. Slowly, this fear had silenced me. It had become a clog in my heart, building up over the years until it consumed me.I realized something important that day: silence can feel safe, but it can also be a slow poison. It creates distance where there should be closeness. It builds walls where there should be bridges.In trying to protect others from my thoughts and feelings, I unknowingly punished myself. Worse, I punished the people who love me, the ones who deserved my honesty.I should have shared what I felt when things didn’t feel right, expressed what I wanted, or voiced what I needed. Instead, I bottled it all up, keeping everything inside until it became too much. And in doing so, I let so many beautiful moments slip away. When this realization hit me, I cried. I cried for all the precious time I had lost, for the days and months I can never get back; time when I could have been honest, when I could have connected deeply with the people who mattered most.But amidst those tears of regret, were also tears of gratitude.Gratitude for the all-knowing, all-loving force that held me together through it all. Gratitude that, despite my silence, I hadn’t lost what truly mattered. I could have experienced losses so deep they left my life at a dead end—unable to express my love, my joy, my gratitude, my struggles, my failures, and my triumphs. But that didn’t happen. Everything and everyone I hold dear is still here. And for that, I’m endlessly thankful.Now, finally, I’ve found the hole in my boat.Life isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t have to be. What matters is that I show up, fully and honestly, with the people who matter most. The hole in my boat wasn’t silence itself—it was the fear that silence would protect me. But I am learning to fix the hole now.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hole_in_the_boat2_94dbca69a7.webp" alt="hole-in-the-boat2.webp"></figure>I am learning to communicate. To speak. To express myself to the people who matter most, no matter what the outcome might be. I never want fear to grip me again.And I hope, if you’re reading this, you’ll find the courage to do the same. Don’t let fear of judgment or rejection hold you back. Speak your truth. Share your heart. Fix your boat.Because life is too precious to let it sink.

The hole in the boat

GEETU BOHRA

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<h4>GEETU BOHRA is passionate about the 3Rs of waste management – Reduce, Reuse and
 Recycle. Here she shares some thoughts on how we can all do much more to reduce our footprint and care for our
 beautiful Mother Earth.</h4>
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Most of the waste that we create in our households, and which we dump outside, can be
 made into something else. When I heard that Sweden imports garbage and waste from other countries, it really shook
 me. What they do with it is amazing: they produce half of their electricity with that waste. They segregate the
 waste and convert most of it into other resources.
In our houses, roughly 60% of the waste is from the kitchen – vegetable peels, leftover
 food, and so on. Recyclable items, like polythene and plastic, make up approximately 30%, and a small amount may be
 hazardous, like e-waste. So just imagine how much waste we can make into resources! We start with segregation at the
 source.
There are 3 Rs to waste management:
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">REDUCE</h3>
We need to change our lifestyle. Nowadays we prefer comfort. If there is a disposable
 plate and a washable plate, many of us will grab the disposable plate so that we can eat and throw. We just leave it
 there, but we don’t realize how much that small act of ours is going to impact the whole ecosystem.
We waste food that somebody else could eat. To provide for that, farmers must grow more.
 Because the requirement is more, more deforestation is happening to create land for farming.
These are the repercussions. Just a small act of wasting food and dumping garbage
 creates all these imbalances. So first we need to reduce our consumption as much as possible. How can we reduce?
Here are some examples:
Don’t use plastic bags: carry your own bags whenever you go to buy something.
When you buy a shirt or other item, leave behind the packaging. If everybody does that,
 then the sellers cannot keep storing the packages and after some time will have to tell the manufacturers to stop.

There are many things we can do to reduce our garbage. If you come up with some ideas,
 please share them with us.
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">REUSE</h3>
I have seen in my native place, a small town in a hilly region in northern India, that
 people take their own bags or vessels to buy things. Even for oil they use a recyclable can. In the West today,
 there are many stores where people take their own vessels to buy goods. To achieve this we need to transform our
 lifestyle and lead a life where we reduce our waste by reusing things.
Some people think so creatively and do amazing things. For example, instead of throwing
 away an old T-shirt or giving it to someone else, you can make a bag out of it in just two minutes! You can also
 involve your kids. When they do something on their own, they learn.
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<img decoding="async" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/birdhouse_dd7649bf75.jpg"
 alt="from-waste-to-resource">
<h6 style="text-align: center;">A five-liter water can that has been made into a beautiful
 birdhouse.</h6>
&nbsp;
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/flowervase_71884c5719.jpg"
 alt="from-waste-to-resource">
<h6 style="text-align: center;">A flower vase made from a toilet cleaner bottle.
</h6>
&nbsp;
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/penstand_5175b0a86d.jpg"
 alt="from-waste-to-resource">
<h6 style="text-align: center;">A hand-wash bottle and toilet cleaner bottle are made into
 a pencil box and pen stand.</h6>
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If we teach our children, they can learn by having fun.
<h3>RECYCLE</h3>
Recycling starts with segregation. After we segregate, it’s very important to take the
 waste to the right place. Most of us think that by segregating waste our job is done – no! Here are two examples of
 recycling:
Depending on the quantity, our wet organic and food waste can be made into Biogas, or we
 can make our own manure.
Some people start their own business in recycling. If we segregate our waste, they may
 come and collect it and some may even pay us for certain items like wood, glass, plastic or paper.
By segregation we are doing something good for the environment, the person who has a
 business, and ourselves.
With one act we can do something good for so many people. So make sure that your waste
 reaches the right places.
We do not need to be so dangerous to the environment. We need to think, act and
 implement to make the future better for us and for all our friends, the many species of plants and animals on Earth.
 And that is in our hands, my friends, in your hands and mine. We have to work towards waste management as a team,
 but let’s start by implementing it as individuals!
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<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by GEETU BOHRA</h4>


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From waste to resource

Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s and continues today.

George Bernard Shaw

Choose your circumstances

George Lois

The creative act

George is a yoga teacher working with poor children in Kampala, Uganda. He has created yoga and mental health awareness, improving the livelihoods of people. George is certified from S-VYASA Yoga University in India, and Satyananda Children’s Yoga at Yoga Pura Vida in Tanzania.

george-okurut.jpg

George Okurut

<h4>GEORGE OKURUT is a yoga teacher in vulnerable communities. He works with poor children in Kampala, Uganda. These projects have created yoga awareness, and mental health awareness, improving the livelihoods of people. George is a certified yoga teacher from S-VYASA Yoga University in India, and Satyananda Children’s Yoga at Yoga Pura Vida in Tanzania.</h4>My journey with yoga started in 2016 when I came to Kampala. I went to one of the dance communities and was introduced to yoga practice; I felt so attracted by it. The trainer, Bobby, told me that I would learn much more if I went to the National Theatre. There I met a lady called Bibotag, who explained the <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/devotion-is-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mentorship</a> of yoga. In 2017, one of the teachers gave me a scholarship to be qualified as a yoga teacher for children at Yoga Pura Vida.When I came back to Uganda from Tanzania in 2018, I developed my inner understanding and study of yoga to share with my community. I come from a background of domestic violence, trauma, stress, and depression; and I was also a victim of the war in northern Uganda for almost two decades. So yoga offered me a lot. When I blend yoga with dance, it gives me calmness and a deeper understanding of myself, so that I can be someone who is more transformative with my community.<h3>What transformation happens with yoga?</h3>I found a lot of transformation and help through yoga. I had an accident as a child, while pushing a vehicle that was stuck. I slipped, my legs went under a tire and the car rolled over my back. Afterward, I couldn’t bend my back much. But I started to practice yoga regularly, and now I can flex my back, I can do everything with my back. I’ve benefited from yoga in other ways too, like now I can control my emotions, I know what I need, and it has built self-confidence, because before I had so much anger, even with my family, that I couldn’t so much as talk.Now I can stand in front of my community, share with my community, and through yoga I have helped some from my community to develop inner peace. We have that need for inner peace to understand more of ourselves, to believe more in ourselves.So I’ve achieved a lot of things through yoga, including new friendships, and meeting people I could never have expected to approach.<h3>Yoga in Africa</h3>In the middle of Africa, which is really quite wild and remote, yoga is still very new. I’m trying to create awareness by taking yoga into different communities, and there are many challenges. Uganda is a Christian country, and people feel that we are trying to bring an Indian belief system or religion into Uganda. But with a smile and with my energy, I tell people my story – where I come from, what I’ve gone through, and how it has changed my life. When they hear how it has helped me transform, and how it will help them, they begin to listen. My generation has gone through domestic violence, and because of peer pressure they are smoking, drinking, and they forget their life generally. That is what I’m working on now. I collaborate with different organizations to give them scholastic material, so that they can even go back to school. The more we motivate young people, the more they will believe in something. I have tried to work with people in education; if they keep practicing yoga, with time they will understand the health benefits.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/yoga_for_reconciliation2_68c98863bc.jpg"></figure><h3>Being a yoga artist in the community</h3>Being a yoga artist is like being a dance artist, and it means a lot to me. But the business side is difficult because it’s hard to find clients who subscribe to the teaching. It will be hard to sustain unless a big organization sponsors me to reach out to communities.I come from a community with high crime rates, where peer pressure drives young boys to smoking, young girls to early marriage, pregnancy, and prostitution, and there’s a lot of domestic violence. I use yoga as a tool to transform my community positively, giving them hope. We have a lot of young mothers and children with little money, who cannot easily get medical help. When they practice yoga, they grow healthier so that the small amount they earn from their work can buy other things. I use yoga to teach my community to be healthier in body and mind; not to be traumatized by the alarming situations going on in the country and the economy. I’m so happy to be sharing yoga in Uganda, even if it’s still a challenge.The people here really need this, but they find it very hard to find time, and they cannot pay. I call many organizations around the world to sponsor these projects, and really appreciate those who support us to reach out to more communities, including schools. Yoga is how I earn a living, and I need sustainable work, perhaps as a certified teacher for children and adults in Uganda, where people can come to practice and feel at home with other people. &nbsp;To watch the whole talk, go to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x02ojzfR7OY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x02ojzfR7OY</a>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL</h4><hr>

Yoga for reconciliation

Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (1804–1876) was best known by her pen name George Sand.&nbsp; She was a French novelist and journalist, and one of the most popular writers in Europe at the time. Sand was a notable writer of the European Romantic era, with more than 50 volumes of various works to her credit, including tales, plays and political texts, as well as her 70 novels.

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George Sand

The last limit of experience

George Santayana

Habit is stronger than reason

George Shinn

Collaboration

Georges Braque

What is art?

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Georgia O’Keeffe

With color and shape

Ghazal is studying neuroscience in the medical program at Texas A&M University and has published research in international journals on the Internet of Things and Special Education, the neuroscience of meditation, and breast cancer.

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Ghazal Yadav

<hr><h4>GHAZAL YADAV asks if we have been sleeping long enough and soundly enough. She explores the relationships between work-life balance, toxic productivity, FOMO, social media, and declining sleep quality around the world.</h4><hr>It is no secret that sleep has slowly been pushed lower and lower on society’s priority list of needs. In the United States, adults average <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-recommended-amount-sleep.aspx">6.8 hours</a> of sleep, a stark difference from 1942, when the average was 7.9 hours. Sleep disorders are on the rise, and melatonin sales in the US have increased by almost <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28095978/">500%</a>, with sales of 62 million USD in 2003 compared to 378 million USD in 2014.At the onset of 2023, many people probably added “sleeping more” to their New Year’s resolutions. As with many of the items on their list, however, this will be easy to give up quite early into the year. To truly reprioritize sleep in our lives, we need to examine the root of the problem: sleep is no longer considered a worthy need.The concept of work-life balance has dramatically transformed over the past few decades. “Leaving work at work” and fully engaging in our personal lives when we’re at home seems like a distant privilege today. The advent of the smartphone has let work pressure seep into all hours of the day, and most people are expected to remain mentally clocked in after leaving work.Despite the fact that we all face the repercussions of a perimeter-less workplace environment, the modern-day tendency to serve one’s self-interests pushes us to compete with one another and propagate the system, thus compounding the problem. Not only are we now bogged down by an eternal workload, but we feel obliged to cope with it alone. It is now the individual’s responsibility to run the career treadmill and compete, or accept defeat and fall behind. In today’s hypercompetitive environment, choosing to limit one’s ambitions is a death sentence.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Getting_better_sleep2_5c29d01618.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T10:51:00.644Z" alt=""><hr>What has accompanied this shift in society’s perspective on work is a culture of toxic productivity. Harsh, quantity-driven output metrics now dictate how we spend our time. Life coaches, self-help books, media, etc., all now emphasize how to squeeze out every last bit of work from one’s day, creating the illusion that without quantifiable results life has no inherent meaning. Even the paradox of relaxing productively is now a commonly accepted idea.This is where the issue of sleep being of lesser importance stems from. Why sleep when we can spend the same time making more money? Why sleep when we can study harder? Why sleep when we can spend that time getting ahead of our peers?Most college students, including myself, are familiar with the infamous <a href="https://thepolypost.com/opinion/2015/03/10/article_f5353dc8-c73a-11e4-9bb8-0fe126932886/">College Tripartite Triangle</a>. This is the idea that a student will only be able to attain two out of three main priorities: good grades, enough sleep, and a social life. It is ingrained in us from quite early on that there will never be a point of balance, and that we must sacrifice something in order to live the life we dream of.Maintaining good academic standing is a non-negotiable priority for most, leaving the choice between sleep and socializing. The prevalence of low self-esteem and loneliness issues in this young adult age group makes students more susceptible to the fear of social exclusion, more colloquially known as the Fear of Missing Out. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8283615/">FOMO</a> doesn’t just encompass the idea of missing out, but creates a sense of “compulsion to maintain social connections.” Naturally, with only 24 hours in the day, college students facing the Tripartite Triangle dilemma find it easiest to compromise on sleep.In this state of constant stress, social media is a convenient outlet. The ability to easily engage our mind in something so enticing that we forget our ongoing struggles creates a cycle of addiction. Social media has shifted from being a means of connection to a means of escapism. Moreover, it seems to solve the FOMO dilemma in that it offers the illusion of staying perpetually connected and up to date with what our peers are doing.Unfortunately, social media use, especially to quench FOMO, can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563213000800?via%3Dihub">affect sleep patterns</a>. Those with FOMO are more likely to check social media within 15 minutes of going to sleep. When coupled with the addictive nature of such apps, it is normal that usage extends into the late hours of the night.Exposure to the blue light emitted by screens at such hours disrupts the production of melatonin. This hormone is integral to our sleep schedule, reducing alertness and signaling to our bodies that it is time to sleep. And in addition, continually stimulating the brain so late into the night makes it harder for the body to wind down. Such high levels of <a href="https://www.sleepstation.org.uk/articles/sleep-tips/social-media/">cognitive arousal</a>, especially when we are physiologically preparing to sleep, disrupt the sleep cycle.<hr><hr><h4>Prioritizing sleep is a crucial first step&nbsp; to spending time at work more efficiently,&nbsp; thus making it easier to engage in&nbsp; meaningful social interactions and remain fully present&nbsp; for our loved ones in the personal sphere of life.</h4><hr><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Getting_better_sleep3_8e00415d3c.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T10:53:17.128Z" alt=""><hr>So, as you plan the changes you have decided to make in 2023, remember to evaluate what systems have prevented you from being able to achieve them until now. Take the time to pause, reflect, and reprioritize. Will you sacrifice sleep for the mirage of productivity? Will you let your fear of social exclusion prevent you from achieving balance in your life? Prioritizing sleep is a crucial first step to spending time at work more efficiently, thus making it easier to engage in meaningful social interactions and remain fully present for our loved ones in the personal sphere of life. In 2023, let’s make sleep high on our priority list.<hr><hr><h4>Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4><hr>

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