There is a classic saying that justifies ignoring our instinctual need to rest, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." This saying is blasphemy in my eyes. There are so many reasons to love sleep, and here's why.
First of all, the truth is, we have no idea what happens when we are dead; maybe death is a perpetual state of wakefulness. In sincere truth, it is essential to our well-being to rest on a regular cycle and to deprive ourselves is to shave time off the longevity of our lives. Sleep is an undeniable factor of life, so embrace it!
Sleep allows you to let go. Sleep serves as an escape, a retreat, a "spa of the mind," if you will. Taking time to relax the body and clear the mind becomes monumental in times of high stress, decision making or emotional turmoil. The phrase "sleep on it" comes to mind. To "sleep on it" is to give yourself time to clear your conscience, your thoughts and your emotions. Taking time to take care of your physical well-being becomes your taking care of your mental and emotional well-being.
Sleep is not just essential to well-being. It truly makes you feel better. When your are sick or sore, all you want to do is sleep. It serves as a healing ritual for the body. Not only do we awake feeling better, but feeling rested and rejuvenated. This rested feeling brings comfort and a feeling of safety. This is why we wrap ourselves up in our warm covers on that cold January morning: to feel comfort, safety, that feeling of restfulness. Sleep gives you that comfort.
Not only is sleep a proponent of happiness and well-being following sleep, but it is a dreamland of fantasy. Dreams, although rarely remembered, are the manifestation of our hopes, desires, fears, potential and more. We don't have to remember our dreams to appreciate the ability to let our minds wander and embrace whatever we refuse to, or cannot, embrace or even admit consciously.
These are all excuses. They are reasons that I use to justify my constant desire to sleep and / or nap. See, I have a reputation, a reputation among friends and family that states my ability to sleep until 3 in the afternoon, that states my almost daily requirement of naps, that states my record 37 hours of sleep straight (to be fair, I was a teenager returning from two straight weeks of counseling camps). That being said, sleep is essential, undeniable and required. So why not find pleasure in that?
Sweet dreams!
