To The One Who Makes Me My Best Self

Dear Sleep,

My favorite part of every day is coming home to you. My parents tell me I’m not a morning person, but that’s because you and I are busy spending valuable time together. Precious time, time that I wish could never be interrupted. You are my rock, my safe space where nothing can hurt or bother me except maybe the occasional bad dream. When I finally slip into my slumber, whether it be at four in the morning or ten at night, I am at my best, even if when I wake up things are at their worst.

Our relationship hasn’t always been easy and we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. In high school, I didn’t get enough of you. I craved you, but you were hard to find. I would lie in bed, hoping you would rescue me from the traumatic day I had, but instead, all I could catch was a raspy voice and droopy eyelids. I needed you, Sleep. Eventually, we sorted out our issues and rekindled our friendship. My life without you was dark and you were sorely missed. You are a necessity, not a suggestion, and I realize that now as a college student more than I ever could as a negligent teen.

I’m sure you hear all the time, “You can sleep when you’re dead,” but that phrase must feel like a punch in the gut to you, doesn’t it? We need you in order to survive and thrive in each of our lives, and people like me need you just to get through half a day. If I don’t sleep until 10, I need to take an afternoon nap. If I don’t get more than six hours of sleep at night, beware. I need you now and always, not when I’m dead. You make us healthy, you make us happy and you make everything bad subside for a little while. Why should we wait until we’re dead to get that kind of satisfaction?

I’m sorry if ever neglect you or take advantage of our time together. If I stay out too late or toss and turn in my bed wide awake until the early hours of the morning, it’s not you, it’s me. I can promise you that. I imagine you calling my name the second I wake up, asking me to come back and rest for a little longer. Believe me, if I could, I would spend every possible second with you. I don’t want to be selfish towards you, and I’m going to work on making the best out of all you do for me. You are what makes my house a home and what makes me a tolerable human being.

Sleep, you are the best thing for me. You are my favorite hello and my hardest goodbye. You are the sunshine on my darkest days and you have given me wonderful memories through dreams alone. I can’t live without you and would never want to. Although I don’t spend every minute of the day with you, I am always thinking about our next encounter. Thanks for all the comfort, warmth and joy you’ve given me in life thus far, and I look forward to the next moment we share together (which will be in about 30 minutes for my afternoon nap).

With adoration and appreciation,

Lovers of Sleep Everywhere