Not Sleeping May be a Spiritual Problem
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 01/16/2008 at 1:13 PM
David Carlson at the Point brought this Mark Earley commentary to my attention. In it, Earley discusses our strained relationship with sleep. Judging by the response to my previous post "Get Some Sleep," which dealt with the correlation between rest and a high GPA, sleep -- and its proper place in our lives -- seems to be a hot topic. Society certainly goes to great lengths to decrease its power over us.
According to a recent article in Wired Magazine, "A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called 'orexin A' reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests."
Personally, I would rather not take a chemical that helps me perform like a well-rested monkey. But the prospect of a chemical that could reduce sleepiness without the side effects other stimulants are known for could have far-reaching repercussions.
While the drug is still many years away from reaching pharmacies, it reminds me how important it is to examine the trends facing society from a biblical rather than a purely cultural perspective. We live in a culture today that spurns rest.
Isn't that the truth? We view sleep as the enemy -- a threat to the things we want (although I must admit, I am a sucker for a good 3-hour nap). Earley points out that we should consider rest not only from a cultural perspective but also from a biblical one.
God built rest into the very rhythm of creation. Keeping a day of rest made His top-10 list. And believe it or not, rest serves a purpose -- a divine purpose. It reminds us that God is in control. What happens when you cannot finish everything that you think you need to get done and your body is telling you, "you have to go to sleep"? You are thrown into a situation in which you must depend on God.
Rest reminds us that there is Someone we can rest in. And our need for rest is a daily reminder that we are finite creatures and must trust in an infinite God.
So what's the verdict? Do you get enough rest?
1. Cath said the following at 1:28 PM on Jan 16:
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Good article, Suzanne! I have always been a "I-need-9-hours-a-night" kind of person, and I like that verse [in Psalms?] about God giving rest to his beloved people. Sleep is awesome especially since I got a really, really comfy mattress. = ) Pillow tops are the way to go.
2. Elizabeth said the following at 1:31 PM on Jan 16:
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Recognizing that rest is a very natural part of our existence and that God made it to be that way is incredible. More often than not it is a difficult to deal with people that do not view "time&rest" in the same light, so it is very encouraging to have this article reaffirm what I've been thinking and to make others aware that we have time to rest!!
3. Christina said the following at 1:34 PM on Jan 16:
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I KNOW I don't get enough rest. Its why I have every plan to modify my schedule in the next week to work that in.
Getting up at 6 AM, work til 11:30, go home for a relaxing mid-day meal and a nap, and then back to work til 5:00.
I love my naptimes. And I've noticed lately that I'm having a hard time being still and just BEING with God. I've been consistent on Bible reading and prayer, even throwing in some good My Utmost for His Highest, but I'm not stopping to just enjoy being with God. Its frustrating and annoying. And culture, society, and work don't help. "Why do you need sleep? Your young..."
4. Tom Neven said the following at 1:35 PM on Jan 16:
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It took me some time to get over feeling guilty for taking a 3-hour nap on Sunday afternoons. Not any more, though. Black eye shades on, white-noise machine on, and I'm zonked. And I feel doubly refreshed when I awake, knowing I had a good rest and knowing that God blessed that rest, too.
5. erin said the following at 2:04 PM on Jan 16:
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Sunday afternoon naps are the best. Not that I have trouble taking naps any day of the week. :) I think I get plenty of sleep, but when I was in grad school, that definitely was not the case. If I feel pressed for time and need to get things done, sleep is usually the first thing I sacrifice, unfortunately.
6. Carrie (the original) said the following at 2:31 PM on Jan 16:
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2 weeks ago I slept for 4 hours on Sunday afternoon. I was a few minutes late to evening worship, but apparently I needed that whole 4 hours.
In college Sunday afternoons were coveted and planned for naptimes. Church, lunch, sleep, dinner, church, hall meeting. Now that I'm in the real world and have world's-most-boring-desk-job-ever, I just don't need that Sunday nap like I did in college.
I miss working so hard that I just had to collapse into my bed one day a week.
7. Elizabeth said the following at 2:31 PM on Jan 16:
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This reminds me of a quote by CJ Mahaney in which he said that sleep is another chance to exercise our dependence on God (pretty much what this article said). I hadn't ever thought of sleep that way before, but I am so glad this is how God chose to give us rest.
I'm working, too, on making Sundays a day of rest and doing things like laundry either during the week or on Saturdays.
8. Ben said the following at 4:02 PM on Jan 16:
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I would add one thing to the post - requiring His creation to sleep was a neat way for God to create dependence and faith into His creatures. We must trust God to protect us and care for us for 8 hours every day while we are completely unaware of the world around us. We as creatures like to fight against sleep becuase we want to be in more control of our time and situatiuon, but God designed us to need sleep and all its dependence.
9. Shannon said the following at 6:53 PM on Jan 16:
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Sounds great...but what if one can't sleep? I've never been able to get regular sleep for very long, and yes, it's incredibly frustrating to be sleep-deprived for your entire life. Have you found anything in the Bible about sleep deprivation?
10. John said the following at 10:25 AM on Jan 17:
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Shannon, I know where you're coming from. Naps are utterly impossible for me, and it's tough to get to sleep at night.
I usually manage to get close to 8 hours of sleep, but it has always taken me 30 minutes or more to actually fall asleep once I lay down. It's incredibly frustrating, but the wheels in my brain just take that long to slow down.
I find it easiest to get to sleep when I've exhausted my mind during the day through heavy homework or reading. Even then I still get too lost in my thoughts for a nap to be possible - I just end up laying there and thinking for an hour, wishing I was doing something else...
11. J.T. said the following at 8:37 PM on Jan 17:
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I'm in college, soooooo ... no.
12. KJ said the following at 9:43 PM on Jan 17:
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What trips me up is all the references in Proverbs to lazy people (as a door turns on its hinge, so a lazy man turns in his bed...a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest...) I don't find a lot of support in Scripture for getting as much sleep as my body craves (which is an unfortunate 9-10 hours a night) since sleeping a lot seems to be equivalent to being lazy.
13. Mike Theemling said the following at 1:00 PM on Jan 18:
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To those who have complained about sleep problems, you may need to see a physician about it. But often sleep problems are caused by irregular sleeping patterns/habits (as told by my doctor when I went in for sleep problems). Meaning the best way to ensure a good night's rest is to:
- Get 6-8 hours of sleep each night (most people underestimate how much they need. Unfortunately for me, I need my 8 hours. I can just barely get by on 7)
- Go to bed at about the same time every day
- Avoid long naps if possible (as it disrupts the sleep cycle)
- Maintain proper diet/exercise