Good night!

I'll just check my email one last time after clicking that stumble upon button one last time...you struggle to keep your eyes open...

All the while we get the latest news report on the Center for Disease Control study finding that "Sleep Deprivation, a Public Health Problem."

Do we have less hours in the day than before? It sure feels that way sometimes.

Although it seems like we can make it through the day just "fine" on 5 and 1/2 hours of sleep, we were never meant to function, to live and to thrive with these habits. The effects of our sleeplessness go beyond the perceived drop in alertness. It may not be all that important to catch every single word during your company's budgeting meeting, but there are many more things your body is missing out on.

Repair begins at night. It is the time of not only rest, but also of renewal. It is the time for your cells to regenerate and to remove toxins, and for your mind to process all the day's events and release stressful events.

In Chinese Medicine nighttime is understood as a key to preserving the vital life force. Nighttime is a time when the Yin of the body replenishes itself and the Yang of the body goes inwards to repair the internal organs. It is a time to be still like the natural world around you.

So as long as the news reports keep coming out stating that a "Lack of Sleep Increases Childhood Obesity Risk," or that "Lights at Night Are Linked to Breast Cancer," it may be good to listen to that yawn and call it an early night.

More in the next post on sleeping soundly.

Good night,
Gibran