the beauty of beauty rest...

Thoughts of a sleepy deprived mind....

There are a lot of reports out there telling us how important sleep is, well, actually how important getting the right amount of  sleep is. The problem with that is I've read reports that tell us that the right amount is not some magic, one size fits all, number. As individuals we each need our own right amount and only we can decide what that happens to be. After thinking and pondering on it, I've come up with a good way to tell if you've got your right amount figured out...... or not.

If you are trying to get just a few more minutes rest and your back is screaming at you in pain, you've been in the bed too long.

If your mattress has a permanent, indent that is an exact shape of your body, you're staying in bed too long.

If your cat has actually brought you her food dish and is shoving it under your nose, and the dog is standing at the door whining pitifully, looking for all the world as if she has her legs crossed while pacing back and forth, you've been in the bed too long.

If your boss calls wondering where you are as you were supposed to be at work hours ago, you've been in the bed too long.

If the mail and paper carriers shove their deliveries through a small crack in the window of your bedroom, you're spending way too much time in bed.

But if, on the other hand, you find people coming up to you and telling you that you are walking the way they feel... as if you have an energy leak- you may not be getting enough sleep.

If your dreams begin happening to you during the day, you may not be getting enough sleep.

If you can fall asleep standing up, without support, you may not be getting enough sleep at night.

If, you have a tendency to suddenly and without warning fall asleep at the worst possible time, (meetings, church, movies, conversations with friends...) you may not be getting enough sleep.

If you haven't made your bed in days, because you've only barely been in the bed and definitely not enough to mess up the covers, you may not be getting enough rest.

If yawning is in competition with your normal breathing, you may not be getting enough rest.

If you are ill, cranky, angry, mean, shouts instead of talking, you may not be getting enough rest.

Our body does need a certain amount of rest. Sleep allows our body to regroup and recuperate. A lot of cool physical things goes on while we sleep, when we sleep, if we sleep..

But we tend to spend too much time watching tv, playing video games, online social media, friends, the list goes on and on in what we allow to prevent our getting enough rest. Who needs the stumbling, frustrating, embarrassing moments of when we are stumbling around fighting sleep?

Lack of sleep causes a loss of production. It produces bad quality work. It is unsafe. We don't get along as well with others. It prevents our body from taking care of itself as it would if we spent more time taking care of it and getting enough rest.