Another gorgeous California mountain view
“I love sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?”-Ernest Hemingway
I’ve been a big fan of sleep ever since. Sleep is not some sort of luxury for those who don’t have to work for a living nor is it a vice for those people who are just too lazy to do anything else. Sleep is a necessity and a vital ingredient for a healthy prosperous life. Your body can’t function properly without it. We’ve been made to think that those who sleep too much are unproductive. There’s a huge distinction between sleeping till noon each day just because you don’t want to get out of bed and getting a healthy 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
I blame sleep’s bad rap on media stories where some famous entertainment or business leader brags about how little sleep they need and yet maintain these fabulously productive fulfilling lives. I don’t buy it for one second. Humans need sleep and at some point if you go without it for too long you will pay for it. Just like those super skinny models who say they eat tons of fatty food but don’t gain weight. Sorry I don’t buy that either. You might be able to do it for a while but eventually it catches up and you gain tons of weight. The same goes for sleep. Eventually it catches up and you just can’t go without it any longer.
Is sleep at the bottom of your priority list? If so, consider the following risks when we don’t get enough sleep. Our immune systems are more vulnerable and we get sicker often. We run out of energy during the day and are not as sharp and focused as we would like to be. We can nod of while driving (very dangerous). When we are tired we do things like grab unhealthy fast food, too much coffee, and other stimulants in a desperate attempt to wake up, not to mention we don’t have the ambition to exercise. We look tired all the time and age faster than necessary.
Do you want to be healthier and more productive? Then ask yourself are you getting enough sleep? If not, then maybe it’s time to put sleep at the top of your priority list. Next week’s post will explore ways we can make sure we get that much deserved “beauty sleep” we all need. Until then, sweet dreams!
(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.
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Yes the famous people who achieve so much because they sleep so little are glorified in many articles I’ve read too. However I’ve also read quite a few articles recently that stated most people in the Western World are seriously sleep deprived and have steadlily become so since the invention of electricity! As well as providing us with an easier and more comfortable lifestyle, electricity has given us the ability to see, hear or do 24 hours a day and plenty of things with which to see, hear and do – so we need never go to sleep! It’s time to use the Off switch more and be in control.
Good point about the electricity Megan. It makes total sense.