On this World Sleep Day, as people around the globe made stronger commitments to themselves, Thrive Global India took another concrete step. It joined hands with SPACES, a premium home linen brand from the house of Indian textiles major Welspun, to issue a call on the importance of well-being.
Aligned with Thrive Global India’s vision of adequate rest, sleep and wellness, it will offer Thrive’s science-backed solutions and signature Microsteps to focus on thoughtful living in a specially curated section.
Recognising that bath and bedtime are the two most important daily rituals that help people Thrive in busy, fast-paced lives, Relax. Refresh. Rejuvenate brings the focus back to the act of sleeping and bathing. When used as ‘me-time’ they help us pause, refresh and recharge.
Speaking of the association between Thrive Global India and Welspun, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, Arianna Huffington said, “Thrive and Welspun are united in our mission to reinforce the value of mental and physical well-being. With #StayWell, we hope to empower people to take the time for themselves each day, as the science is clear that the key to performing your best is to prioritise our own well-being, which includes making the time to unplug and recharge.”
Dipali Goenka, CEO and joint managing director of Welspun India, said: “SPACES is all about thoughtful living, hence, we’re delighted to partner with Thrive Global India to integrate our world class products with a thoughtfully designed experience that empowers our consumers to lead a stress-free and healthier lifestyle.”
A decade after Huffington collapsed due to sleep deprivation and burnout and vowed to change her life around, and in the process made dedicated efforts to refocus attention on staying well for all.
Goenka takes well-being very seriously and strives to make it a part of her daily routine. Here are some glimpses of how these entrepreneurs incorporate it in their lives.
A bedtime routine
Having a bedtime routine allows you to tell your body that it’s time to relax and go to sleep. It’s the surest and softest lullaby. Huffington, for instance, starts her bedtime routine by escorting all electronic devices out of her room, and then takes a hot water bath. She also sometimes drinks chamomile or lavender tea and writes down the things that she is grateful for that day.
But a bedtime routine can begin even earlier than when you reach the bed. For Goenka, the sleep routine begins when she returns home and spends time with her family.
“By 8 or 9 pm, depending on my day, I stop looking at my phone and use that time to unwind,” she says. If she wouldn’t, her days would be 24 hours long.
After the screens are cast away, Goenka takes a hot water bath and then does breathing exercises. Finally, she reads a book that readies her for a sound sleep.
Don’t take sleep lightly
Like Huffington, Goenka is very clear that she needs to slowly allow her body to unwind to sleep well. If she doesn’t, she says, “my sleep is disturbed. I tend to get restless and don’t get up fresh at all.”
It’s a double-edged problem because if your work is not allowing you to sleep well, the lack of sleep will not allow you to work either. Work and sleep has to be intricately balanced, not by prioritising one over the other.
Goenka agrees. “I work out every morning at 6, and then it’s a long day at work. If I don’t sleep well, I get a headache, and I don’t want anything to compromise my productivity.”
In many cultures, including India, the slogger is rewarded and it’s almost cool to ignore your body’s needs. But that notion is undergoing a profound change, beginning with Goenka. “People who sleep for four or five hours?” Goenka says, “They’re going to burnout.”
“Sleep is mandatory and can’t be compromised at all. That’s what I tell everyone.”