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Home » Categories » Health » Sleep Disorders » Sleep Seems Like Such a Waste of Time. » Printer Friendly
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My mother will tell you that I was never a nap taker as a child. I would kick, scream, cry, and stare at the ceiling waiting for nap time to end. Even in nursery school when we were to layout our towel on the floor for a quick nap after lunch, I was always called down for being disruptive. "Jonathan Searles, you go to sleep right now!" my teacher would say. I would answer with tears welling up in my eyes "I'm not sweepy." The world was out there and closing my eyes meant I was going to miss some of it. Things would happen while I was slumbering.
I am an early riser, 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. most mornings to work and 5:30 to 6:00 a.m. on weekends. In some circles too much sleep implies weakness or laziness. In my case I am so accustomed to getting up early so that if I awake any later I feel I am weak or lazy. Did you catch that? Ben Franklin said "Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I'm healthy enough but I am waiting for the other two.
Even today I find that sleep is a distraction. I know I need it when my body screams for rest, but I still don't want to miss anything or "waste" waking hours. Doctors differ on the amount of sleep they suggest as an average for most of us and they would say that most Americans do not get enough sleep. Seven to eight hours a night is the average they suggest for most, although there are differences for age.
Sleep is a multimillion dollar industry with promises of better night sleeping through better equipment or drug induced slumber. Since we may spent as much as one forth of our lives asleep, or in some cases over half of our lives asleep, it appears to make perfect sense to help people close their eyes and get the best sleep by possibly assigning them a "sleep number" based on the amount of air pumped into an air floatation device cleverly disguised as a mattress.
You can buy mood setters and noise makers that bubble like a creek or hum like a bee to help you find a restful noise by which to sleep. I am sure they would just make me get up to go to the bathroom more often or swat at the noise by my ear. My dad has a cpap machine that sounds like Darth Vader gargling that he wears to bed, but I guess that is another part of the sleep industry. Sleep disorder causes and remedies are very popular. I published this under www.searchwarp.com heading of "sleep disorders" because I am sure it qualifies that there is a condition or syndrome in which people dislike sleep.
In some circles we find that proper fashion is also a must for the proper sleep. Pajamas are available in all forms and thicknesses with or without foot cover and in colors that almost glow in the dark, which I would think would make it more difficult to sleep. Sleep outfits range from the clothes you wore during the day (my son's favorite) to wearing nothing at all. The nothing at all option is available to all of us but should not normally be practiced by those who tend to kick off their covers during the night, sleepwalk through the halls of hotels when traveling, or move quickly downstairs when they awake on Christmas morning.
Apparently there are also some interesting medications or drugs out there to aid those who feel they need better sleep through chemical intervention. It must be quite a problem because I see many television commercials referring to sleep problems although far fewer commercials than other types of "dysfunction".
Our world does not rest. When we were younger, the television stations would sign off every night and sign back on every morning. Today, we have 24/7 news, weather, sports, evangelical enlightment, reruns, movies, and the inalienable right to take advantage of today's offer for only 5 easy payments of $19.95. Now, for me, this just reinforces my childhood thought that the world is still moving while I am sleeping my life away.
Michael Jackson recently died from what appears to be a drug that he asked to be injected with so he could get some relief from insomnia. Essentially, he was died because he needed some sleep. Doctors and anyone that has pulled all nighters studying for final exams in college will tell you that you must have sleep or your body will cease to function. To this day I still feel that sleep steals time away from me; time to think, time to read, time to be with friends and family. Some of us may need sleep to escape everyday life because we are robbed of joy that life brings and are plagued by depression, loneliness, or illness. Many doctors believe the American people are sleep deprived. Most days this can be seen on the subways, buses, and planes as commuters drool upon their chests on the way to their final location.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could fast recharge like my cell phone battery in 1-2 hours? A world without sleep would give us twice as much human accomplishment and creativity. As it is now we need sleep to accomplish anything and rest our minds so they can be more creative. Oh well, it's Sunday afternoon and I feel a nap coming on. I just hope I don't kick, scream, cry and stare at the ceiling, which really irritates my wife.
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