Sleep is a wonderful thing. It is intended to give one's body, and hopefully one's mind, a much needed rest and opportunity for renewal. I've heard that it is during deep sleep that the body is able to heal and repair. The problem with sleep though, is that most of us need about 5 more minutes every night. Or at least that's what we think when we hit the snooze button.
It is amazing to me that babies can sleep almost 24 hours, waking only to eat and to be changed and bathed. We expect that. Doctors encourage that. Then as toddlers and small children, we enforce strict bedtimes and make kids take naps. However, most teenagers don't have a strictly enforced bedtime. My dad always said, "No phone calls, and you must be in the bed with the lights off by 10." But as my sister and I got older, that "bedtime" and those rules allowed for boyfriends who worked late and couldn't call until after 10, maturing girls who wanted to stay up watching tv, or the occasional weeknight date. And it seemed during those years, that my sister and I didn't need as much sleep to be productive. Then into college, pulling all-nighters, hanging out late at Huddle House, parties, going out on Thursday nights...sleep seemed much less in demand. (Unless you count the afternoon naps taken on the couch.) But as an adult, I find that I have returned to a bedtime. I'm usually near the bedroom area by 10, definitely in the bed by 11. Often, much earlier. I no longer am able to nap, except over the occasional lazy weekend (but always on Sunday afternoons--a rule in the Harper family). And as I look to my grandparents, I see a return to the longer sleep patterns. (Mamew being an exception.)
I used to kid that I wish I had a job where I could be paid for sleeping. I always meant that I would like to work in a lab where I could be the subject of sleep studies, judging the bodies reaction to dreams, medications, etc. But I realize how much enjoyment would be lost...the enjoyment I gain from sleeping. I've heard it said that lost sleep cannot be regained. Over-sleeping...not the kind that causes you to be late for work, but the kind where you sleep too much...only causes your body to be MORE tired. Crazy.
A couple of weeks ago, I heard on the radio during my 7 minute commute to work, that most Americans are not as sleep deprived as we think. The non-profit group that usually reports such news to us that we need more sleep than we are getting (TheAmericanSleepCouncilFoundationGrouporsomething), says that we are definitely sleep-deprived. Interestingly enough, some of their research is funded by gifts and grants from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture sleep-aids. Hmmm! The American Medical Association says that the required number of hours of sleep differs for each individual based on activity levels, diet, age, and stress.
I guess all of this rambling of sleep comes from the fact that I felt completely well rested last night. Over the weekend, I slept when I was tired; I got up when I was ready. Last night, I thought to myself, "This is going to be a good week. I'm rested. I'm ready." This morning, though, I went right back to my snoozing routine. I'm pretty sure that even if I didn't have to be at work until 10, or noon, or 2 this afternoon, I would still feel the same pain at having to get up...needing just 5 more minutes of blessed sleep.
