how important is sleep? By Abidemi A Popoola (Blissful Abi)

HOW IMPORTANT IS SLEEP?
A third of our lives are spent (invested) in sleep. How did I arrive at that figure??
Well there are 24hours in each day and we are meant to sleep for 8 hours each day. 8 is onethird of 24.

What you are about to achieve with the two-thirds actually depends on how well you sleep.
Many overlook, undervalue and disregard the importance and impact of sleep: if only they knew.
REST
RECUPERATION
RESTORATION
REPAIR
GROWTH
Are all direct benefits of good sleep. Yes I mean good sleep and this means there’s sleep that’s
not so good.
Other than insomnia itself, which is when the sleep flees: there are other causes of bad sleep.
They could vary from diet, state of mind, uncomfortable environment ( too hot, too cold, too
tight, too dark or too bright) to inappropriate bed, beddings and pillows.
If you handle your sleep time intentionally you reap immeasurable benefits. That’s why I referred
to it as an investment earlier. However if you treat it as ordinary, then the sleep time just goes
away and yields nothing, making it spent time.
I don’t know about you but I’d love my sleep to be an investment. I want all that great sleep
could possibly yield to me.
If sleep wasn’t so important it wouldn’t be necessary to sedate patients in order for medication to
work or to prescribe bed rest. And in some extreme cases people are induced into coma so that
their bodies can recover from severe damage.
Sleep is nature’s way to restore and also upgrade us.
So if we aren’t getting the whole benefits of sleep then we are being short-changed and our
systems short circuiting.
Nature is very wise and has provided for life. However, man thinks he is wiser than his maker.
Animals obey nature without question. They know and accept when to hibernate and when to
walk free. Birds know when to fly north or south depending on the season: but humans think

they are too good to obey nature. They have goals and they are too driven for sleep. The same
goals and drives that can’t rescue them if something goes wrong.
He who sleeps like a king thinks like a king. And who thinks like a king becomes a king.
The lack of good sleep eventually reduces brain function. Humans are said to be using just 10%
of their brains: and now one one is even accessing less??
The lack of adequate sleep has been linked to many illnesses and some are quite life
threatening.
I remember a time when I didn’t sleep for weeks. My body didn’t get the relief it needed and I
was gradually losing my mind. My weight went down by about 35kg. I was half my normal size:
my neck and eyes sunk in. It was not a pretty sight. I was extremely nervous and jumpy. Then I
started to hallucinate. Thankfully I got a doctor who said the first thing to do was to get me to
sleep. And sleep I did.
We need to sleep. And we need to sleep well.
We need good sleep.
After which we wake up feeling rested and renewed.
Many wake up worse than when they went to bed. The feel exhausted with aches and pains that
have nothing to do with age. They are sleeping on bad surfaces and using wrong support.
Honestly if you have the chance to own only one luxury item in your entire life, let it be
something that helps you sleep well. AND I DON’T MEAN MEDICATION!!!!
Your mattress and your pillows. Pillows?? To sleep well the body requires more than a single
pillow.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOOD QUALITY SLEEP.
I think organisations should be responsible for making certain that their employees are getting
good sleep.
They give loans and special allowances for wardrobe, vehicles, housing and furniture.
But the question is are they really interested in the staff wellbeing?
It would be an absolutely fabulous idea for organisations to start giving out sleep health
allowance: this so the staff can get the best sleep aids in form of mattresses and pillows. They
could actually have a deal with suppliers direct instead of giving money to the staff. This
ensures they actually do get what they are meant to.

This would definitely reduce the number of exhaustions and hospitalisation. A worthy investment
as it would drastically cut down on medicals.
And thus be considered a worthy investment for the organisation.
Organisation or individual being intentional about SLEEP is a life saving skill.

Article by Abidemi A Popoola (Blissful Abi)