peaks.
During deep sleep, our body switches to an 'anabolic' state

- building muscle, growing new skin, and relining our gut wall. New hormones and enzymes are manufactured, and our blood is cleansed and detoxified by our liver. During sleep we also recharge our 'batteries' - the stores of energy-giving substances in our liver and muscles - so deep sleep is vital for renewed energy the following day.
Our health, our energy, and our immunity all depend on our ability to get deep restful sleep.
A top priority
When we are young we don't need as much time to fully recover and rebuild again. Sleep often seems like 'a waste of time'; we assume our body magically repairs itself whilst we're out dancing or in the pub!
As we get older or run down by work or illness, our mind and body need more time to fully recover, recharge and rebuild again. Often, however, we end up giving ourselves even less time, because we don't understand or respect this fundamental healing period for ourselves. Some days we may need more sleep, and other days less in order to wake up feeling refreshed, energised and positive again. The importance here is to change our attitude towards sleep from being a nuisance to a top priority. Prioritising deep restful sleep is learning to understand, respect, and assist our body's attempts to repair, recharge and rebuild again.s
So how can we help our body fall into a deep peaceful sleep each night?
A tranquil space
We need to create a tranquil space at home - a safe, quiet, peaceful environment that we dedicate solely to sleep and recovery - for optimal healing. It should be free of clutter and distraction, television, or computers, and should symbolise peace to us whenever we enter it.
If it's difficult to dedicate a whole room to this sole purpose, we can temporarily create a 'tranquility zone' by draping sheets over TV and computer, and lighting candles and incense to support this

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