Why sleep is the greatest revenge.
There are days, and then there are days. There are happy giddy fun-filled days that just seem to move well like no man’s business. But, there are also days when nothing just seems to go right. You get overwhelmed with the workload and your to-do list looks untouched. Those days where you are as lazy as you are frustrated. We’ve all had days like that. Maybe they’re as frequent as regular days, even. How do we move from it and how do we make sure we don’t drag the problems of one day to the following days and destroy the rest of our week? It’s simple — unplug and recharge.
With a day job, a blog, a budding freelance writing career, and sometimes, one too many demanding clients, I certainly know what overwhelmed means. I’m burdened with deadlines that are daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly; so, I find myself questioning my right to rest, have fun, or just be. However, I realized that the times where I try to do it all without properly stopping to give myself the rest I require, I end up torturing myself and accomplishing just a little over nothing. This is not forgetting the dozens of migraine pills and food supplements I had to pop on a daily just to make sure I didn’t breakdown. I’m sure a lot of us can relate.
The truth is that while we all want to prove that we can put our daily 24 hours to good use, there is only too much our bodies can take. If we however, try to push ourselves to the limit (which we all can), we would breakdown sooner or later. Sleep deprivation has been known to cause death. It’s that serious; if you fail to take care of your body, your body would not be able to take care of you eventually. The best way to accomplish all that you need to everyday without stabbing your health in the back, is to take breaks, and most importantly, sleep.
On taking breaks
No matter how busy we get every day, we need to learn to take certain periods to rest. If your work requires you to be stuck in one position for hours staring at a screen, you would need to take brief moments to walk around. Also, if you can, change your view every once in a while. While it is unlikely for those with white collar jobs to have the time or convenience to nap, you can take a few minutes to rest your head. If your job does not give room for that, no worries. Night comes every day.
On sleeping
No matter how burdensome your day gets, night always comes! When you have had it up to your neck, just drop it and hope for tomorrow. It is better to sleep and wake up revitalized to tackle your challenges than to struggle through the day, and wake up a walking disaster. Not only does sleep give you the strength you require, it keeps you healthy. Researchers discovered that those who slept for less than six hours each night were 12 per cent more likely to die prematurely — before the age of 65 — than those who slept the recommended six to eight hours a night. Trust me, compromising on sleep is never worth it. Sleep now, work later; because it is only the healthy and alive that can work.
Originally published at medium.com