Sleep isn’t optional—it’s biological maintenance.

Sleep is where wellness happens. During deep sleep, your body repairs tissues, your brain consolidates memories, and your cells clear out waste. It’s also when hormones like melatonin and growth hormone help regulate everything from metabolism to immune function.

During my years training as a resident in Paediatrics, one night in every three was on call. Some of these nights I was able to catch a brief nap before my pager called me to emergency or the hospital pediatric ward. Many nights I got no sleep at all. But tough as it was for residents in the medical specialties, the macho culture of the surgical specialities added more strain – residents were often on 1 in 2 and expected to be on all the time.

Consistent poor sleep speeds up aging, increases inflammation, and raises your risk of chronic disease. Even one night of sleep deprivation can affect cognition, blood sugar, and mood. Chronic sleep loss? That’s like aging your body on fast-forward. Unlike most residents, I was in my thirties at that time and I suspect that that is why much of that period in my life is, if not totally blank, certainly cloudy.

The good news: better sleep hygiene can drastically improve both the quality and quantity of rest—even if you can’t always control how long you sleep.

3 Easy Action Steps:

1. Set a consistent bedtime. Your brain loves consistency especially if it fits with your chronotype. Mine is Lion, early to bed early to rise.
2. Limit screens an hour before bed. Blue light interferes with melatonin production
3. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. No television on the wall. Treat it like a sleep sanctuary.

Action Steps

Follow the Growing Older Living Younger podcast : ( Find episode 132 Dr. Michael Breus: Sleep Times and Chronotypes)

Schedule a One-on-One talk with Dr. Gillian Lockitch – leave a request in the comments.

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