The Significance Behind Getting Enough Sleep 🛌 🥱

---

---

Whenever I'm spectating a family movie or tv show, there is always a younger individual that complains about their bedtime to their caretakers. This circumstance reminds me of when I would protest about my bedtime to my parents. I would want to read a few more pages from a book I was entranced by, watch more of a poignant film, read over the last paragraph I've written for my creative writing project, or add the final details to my artwork.

As I have gotten older, (I'm 16), I've started comprehending why my parents instilled strict sleeping schedules in our household.

For example, I could be studying for a test until 22:30 pm and end up falling sleep at 23:00 pm. The next morning, when I wake up at 6:45 am, you could offer me a million dollars and I will refuse to get out of my warm bed and fuzzy blankets. My poor mother has to endure my grumpy attitude and sarcasm early in the morning, on the days when I did not get at least 8 and 1/2 hours of sleep. The funniest part is that the minute I get home, I crash land into my bed, in desperate need of taking a nap.

Since starting high school, in August of 2021, I've noticed a recurring pattern. There is a pronounced trend present where classmates of mine get a concerning amount of sleep. Moreover, they compensate for their sleep deprivation with excessive consumption of caffeine. It always leaves me pondering how it is that they can function, focus in class, and don't have a sassy attitude or feel under the weather.

---

Here's how I perceive the phenomenon aforementioned:

After an overwhelming day or week has ended, our bodies deserve to rest and recharge their batteries.

Let's picture the following scenario together: it's a Friday evening, and you have been yawning for the past 4 hours. You could barely keep your eyes open, but you knew that if you took a nap, that you would wake up the next day and tick off your to-do list tasks far too late. After your hard work and patience, you change into your favorite pajamas and snuggle in your soft bed, greeted by your fresh sheets, and untouched pillow. (which is cold on both sides! 🥳)

If pondering this scenario made you sleepy, please take an hour or so to take a power nap. Your to-do list is not going anywhere. Once you wake up rejuvenated, you'll accomplish your workload efficiently, meaning that you will spend less time on it to achieve superior quality.

It's possible that some of us perceive sleep as a waste of time. Why lie in a rectangular piece of furniture with a bunch of cloths on it for 8 hours when I could do so much more in that time? Other individuals have so much work to conclude that they prioritize productivity over their health.

Here is the main takeaway from this article:

Sleep is essential for every creature made of stardust! 🪐

Lack of sleep "is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. A common myth is that people can learn to get by on little sleep with no negative effects. However, research shows that getting enough quality sleep at the right times is vital for mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety." (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Additionally, not prioritizing your health will mean that you are not well enough to complete whatever it is you have to, in the first place. Even if you manage to accomplish your to-do list, I highly doubt that your work will impress you or exceed your expectations.

The following table from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exemplifies how much sleep we should get daily to ensure that our health state is stable for a prolonged period of time, which will in turn decrease the severity and number of medical complications we will be subject to in the foreseeable future:

Still don't believe in the significance of sleeping?

Fine.

I asked good ole' Chat GPT about its thoughts on this topic. If this doesn't convince you, I don't know what will 😭

Here's the response I received:

In conclusion, sleep is a consequential aspect of our lives that we must regulate in order to be productive, efficient, happy, positive, and friendlier. (And not dependent on coffee 😳)

Please take care of yourself and be intentional with your sleep! Life is too short to be cranky!

I really hope you enjoyed this article, and if you did I would love to see what feedback you have for me! Please leave me a comment at the end of this article to let me know what you think, and thank you to those of you who have already shared your thoughts with me via the comment feature or privately.

Sending virtual hugs and lots of happiness your way! 🧸 🌻 🤪