Q: I am 20 yrs. old health freak working as a technical support at night and reach home by 3.00 A.M. I get up at 8.30 A.M. with only 5 1/2 hrs of sleep and rush to the gym where I mostly do weights and sometimes cardio exercises. I try and sleep for 2 hrs in the afternoon. My question is that is my sleep schedule haphazard as after just 5 - 5 1/2 hrs of sleep I don't feel as energised as I used to when I slept for 8 hrs at a stretch. Is it alright to sleep in breaks when one is doing high intensity exercises in the gym? As I work as a part-time model, I have to maitain a very good physique and my job is also important to me. Doctor, I need your help to design a healthy work out schedule so that I can carry on with both my jobs.

A:Qudos for your joie de vivre! You seem energetic and doing well, yet, because of your hectic lifestyle, you feel a little jaded. That is understandable. If you are quite tired in the morning, you may possibly like to delay your workout schedule, so that you get your couple of extra hours of sleep. There really is no hard and fast rule that says that sleep cannot be added on in patches but you have to listen to your own body - if it says to you it is tired, then, you could well do with the extra sleep and not fight it. The high pressure that both jobs require can be countered by spacing your workout over different days or different times of the day (maybe cardio in the evening hours?). What is also of prime importance is that you add some relaxation exercises like deep breathing, yoga and maybe some pranayam. These can be done as part of your program, at the end of your workout, or even as a separate segment. Once regularly practised, that will help you cope much better with your hectic lifestyle. It makes a world of difference!