Brain Awareness Week. Invest in your brain.

A baby sleeps so well, they feel tired and surrender into sleep.  That is what we need to do for optimal body, mind and brain health. Cutting corners on sleep is a no win habit as chronic lack of sleep increases disease risk and shortens your life span. Fatigue kills, but even low levels of tiredness impair attention and concentration, reduce memory and learning, leads to indecision, stress and threatens your mental health. Our brain completes crucial learning, memory and emotional functions when we are sleeping (during both REM and non-REM sleep) and this enhances our function (and survival) in future.

Day Four. Prioritise sleep, and  prepare yourself to sleep. The guidelines are between 7 to 9 hours every night for adults so make that your goal.  Develop set sleep and wake time, and a night ritual turn off screens, dim the light, get cool, calm, and comfortable.  The make it a routine for life.

Read more: Get the best selling book A Brain for Life Harper Collins 2016.