Rest . . . Can’t Skimp on it, Can’t Bank It
Rest . . . Can’t Skimp on it, Can’t Bank It
My precocious 4 year old great granddaughter was telling me about the seeds she had planted with daddy. She had forgotten to water them that day, so we talked about how they grow. “Every day they need water and sun. It helps them stretch and grow little by little until they become what they were intended to be.” I told her.
“What happens at night?” Elisabeth asked. “The seeds have to rest.” I said. “Nothing can grow constantly. It grows during the day and rests at night, so it can grow again tomorrow. “ She said nothing, but her big round eyes told me she was thinking about this.
How profound I can sound to a 4 year old. Later I reflected on what I had said. When our lives become super busy, over-committed, with too many goals and “To Do’s”, we lose not only effectiveness, but more importantly: REST.
We cannot rest completely with too much unfinished business. We will either put off sleep until too late for the natural rhythms to work properly, or we will lie there mentally continuing our day. Night after night, we do just three more things instead of going to bed, thinking we will catch up on our sleep on the weekend or the holiday.
Here’s what I have learned about the resting period known as sleep :
- Must be consistent, with an adequate amount each night. Check out this link to see what the Washington Post found happens when you don’t get adequate rest, we’re talking diabetes, cancer and obesity.
- Allows our cells to repair and rebuild. Harvard Medical has a good article on this. It confirms the physiological changes that occur during sleep include rebuilding and repairing cells.
- Heals our mind and spirit. A great piece from Asia One expands on this. Our minds and spirits need to rest regularly. The benefits are great and the lack affects our outlook and interactions with others negatively.
- Frees our minds and thoughts, allowing us to regroup sufficiently for a new day. So, how do we do this? You must prepare your mind to be ready to rest, when your body is ready to rest.
- Turn off the television at least an hour prior if you are a couch potato.
- Tidy your space and lay out what you will need the next morning. It is freeing, with less to remember.
- Take a bath or shower with a change into comfortable night clothes. It further sets the stage for resting.
- Sip a cup of herbal tea and read meditational material.
- If you journal, put down thoughts or commit your concerns to a list.
- Open a window.
- Use a fan, mood music or nature sounds for white noise.
- Remove all light sources.
- Finally, a little talk with your Creator always helps. It should include thanks for the good things and lessons of the day, along with placing the impossible situations we all seem to have squarely in His hands for the night.
- Gives time for our creative juices to replenish. A mind freed of concerns to the fullest extent possible is free to create. Unsolved problems by bedtime go into our subconscious. During deep sleep, our amazing minds actually solve problems. As you lazily come to wakefulness, there it is! The solutions fall into place. You wonder why you didn’t see it before!
- Cannot be banked, to catch up another night. Realize it. You are in charge of yourself!! Make a conscious decision to plan to sleep when you should be doing so. Everything will not ever be done. Give yourself permission to go to bed. Try the tips above to ready yourself. Consistent rest is the only healthy rest. You cannot “catch up later”. Your body responds best to regular rhythms and spaces for all activities, including a regular, adequate time to sleep.
- Will eventually make you sick. Lack of adequate sleep creates stress to our whole body. Our immune system also works to heal while we rest. If we consistently get less sleep than we require, our immune system weakens. We become susceptible to the colds and germs around us, that we might otherwise be able to resist.
Remember, like I shared with little Elisabeth, plants don’t grow 24 hours a day. They need a dark place to rejuvenate. So do you!
Do you over-commit?
Do you compulsively do too much before allowing yourself to rest?
Do you think that you can push, push, push, then instantly plop into bed and still sleep well?
Perhaps you have identified definite results in your own life that directly relate to your sleeping and rest habits. Please share your experiences:
Anne
32 Comments
Avoiding all electronics at least one hour prior to trying to fall asleep is a very important key.
One other thing I don’t see on here that folks can really benefit from is dedicating as little as 5 mins to giving yourself a nice stretch.
Two quick stretches I enjoy before bed are a nice hamstring stretch:
Sit facing a wall (or your headboard) with your butt about 6 inches away from it.
Lie back and extend your legs up the wall.
If this is too intense a stretch for your hamstrings, slide your butt farther away from the wall.
If it’s not enough, scoot closer.
Let your arms rest by your sides, palms facing up, and breathe gently, feeling the stretch in the backs of your legs.
**********
Breathe
**********
Another squick easy stretch is the Childs Pose
Sit up comfortably on your heels.
Roll your torso forward, bringing your forehead to rest on the bed in front of you.
Lower your chest as close to your knees as you comfortably can, extending your arms in front of you.
Hold the pose and breathe.
Focus your breathing to the sore areas in your body, it works wonders…….
Wow, Ash!! I have to try those. Thank you so much for specific feedback that I can try in addition to what I found and what others mentioned. I need you to show me the second one in person, though. I can’t picture exactly what I need to do.
Hugs, Anne
Annie,
Thanks for writing about sleep. I LOVE to sleep!! I think I’m made for living in Italy where the families go home in the middle of the day for a meal and a nap before returning to work or school. I appreciate all your information on how important it is for our health to get enough rest. Sometimes a quick 15 to 30 minute nap is all I need to feel like a new person. I will be looking into the articles that you posted for more words of wisdom.
Kari
Thanks, Kari. When I read your FB posts, I can tell you have no problem with going to bed when you are supposed to. And when I see you, you are almost always cheerful, enthusiastic and joy-filled. This is a side-effect of being well rested as well as peace in your soul.
I too have found that a quick recline at lunch, even if it is 10 minutes puts me on a fast-track for the afternoon jobs. When you get your villa in Italy, check to see what they have next door. I could handle it, too!!
Hugs. Annie
Absolutely!! We’ll be neighbors under the Tuscan sun!!
Love you Annie!!
And sing “Mama Mia”! Love you, too!
Hey Annie,
You know there is obviously a reason the CIA ranks sleep deprivation as one of it’s top three interrogation tools. I’m afraid to ask what the other two are. Boy are you so right when it comes to this topic. Nothing gets repaired and rebuilt while in motion, nothing. It is so vital to our well being, that it could be the most important thing you do for yourself besides breath, drink and eat. OK, you have convinced me, I’m going to go take a nap…
Hey, Chuck
It’s 2:17 pm according to your post…NO NAPS yet! Waterboarding was in the news last year or so a lot, so guess that is one. We all need that dark, quiet place for repair and rejuvenation. And then when we wake up, we can SMILE, right??
I wish my body was able to rest. I am going to try some of your advice about drinking tea, reading meditation material and taking a warm shower to get relaxed. You don’t realize how tired you are until you take a look at your sleep pattern and schedule. I am hoping for some good nights of much needed rest.
Amy, How I hope it works for you. You are an amazing woman and yet I know your health could be better and you sure wouldn’t mind!! If better sleep can be gotten, I will bet it gives you a stronger immune system and probably a few more perks along with it. Let me know how it goes. Thanks for posting.
Hi Anne –
I value my sleep to say the least. I love taking naps. My life has changed so much in the last year that I have been going to bed much earlier and waking up much earlier too. My sleeping patterns have changed too, I use to be able to take a 2 hour nap, no problem. Now I am lucky if I can get a 30 minute nap in. Rest is so important! Thank you for the great reminder. If we don’t care for our selves who will? XOXO
Neil
Thanks for your comments, Neil. Harder to get sleep sometimes, with little Jesse right? I am reflecting back to your blog, reminding us if we don’t put ourselves first, in the sense of taking care of our needs, we won’t have anything to give others. Maybe you were part of the inspiration for this topic. Rest is super important. I learned a lot myself while researching. XOXO Anne
Hi Anne –
Actually Jesse Joe is a great sleeper, he will sleep from 7:30PM – 8:00AM most everyday. I am just getting old and my sleeping patterns have changed. I do love getting up early in the AM, as long as I get to bed before 10:00PM. So much for my past life of living the life of a single man. I would not trade it for anything, family life is a blessing.
Neil
Neil,
Yes, family life is a blessing and it looks so good on you. Having known you as a single man and seeing the peace you now obviously possess, I love seeing the difference. You also look rested…more than I do. I really was taking a subject I need to work on and go for it. The benefits of being well rested are all there for the taking. I am making a conscious effort to discipline myself and I feel better and better. Thanks… Anne