Ah, sleep... That
most precious nectar. With
it, all the corners of the universe and the power that creates worlds is
ours. Without it, we can
hardly manage to brush our teeth. And
if I had to guess, I'd say you are suffering from a lack of sleep right
this minute.
The human
body, down to the cellular level, operates on cycles.
Birth-death-birth, light-dark-light, or build up-tear down-build
up are all descriptions of how we might conceptualize the cycles in our
bodies. Wakefulness and
sleep represent another aspect of this cycle.
Without completion in the cycle, the processes in our body and
more importantly, in our life, begin to be interrupted.
The human body has a daytime chemistry and a nighttime chemistry.
In other words, we are designed to have two literally different
bodies; one during the day and one at night.
During the day, we have biochemical processes that allow us to go out
into the world, express our uniqueness and fulfill our destiny.
This chemistry gives us the energy we need to accomplish this
work. It does it by tearing
down and using up our fuel sources and our reserves.
At night, our chemistry is meant to shift to a housecleaning and
repair mode. This is the
time when the metabolic wastes of the burning of fuel during the day and
any other toxins we encountered are supposed to be cleared away from the
cells and eliminated through our elimination pathways.
Once the toxicity has been eliminated, it is time for cells to
rebuild.
Healing happens in stillness, not in the hustle, bustle of daylight
activity and stimulation. So
the chemistry for healing happens at night.
It helps enormously if one's days and nights actually correspond
to the sun and the moon, because much of this chemistry shift is
regulated by light and dark. However,
what matters most is that the body be allowed to rest and repair.
Sleep, then, is foundational to wellbeing.
Don't let more than a few nights pass without adequate sleep.
If you do, your biochemistry begins to fall behind in its
nighttime cycle. Toxins
accumulate and healing and rebirth of cells is impaired.
On an emotional level, most everyone has experienced what a lack
of sleep will do to perspective and emotional life.
The stuff of life becomes exaggerated, overwhelming, and suddenly
the smallest difficulty may seem like a reason to throw in the towel.
If you haven't slept well for years, it is fairly safe to assume
that your emotional perception skills have been chronically hampered by
fatigue. In other words,
it's likely that your relationships in the arenas of
work, family, romance, and most importantly, your relationship
with your self have all been effected negatively.
Once you are again able to sleep adequately for your own unique
needs, you can expect your relationships to improve.
If, like most Americans, you are chronically malnourished when it comes
to sleep, you need naps. And you need 8, 9, 10 hours of sleep per
night. And you need more naps. You need to be asleep by 9PM (the
Chinese say that every hour slept before midnight is like two hours
slept after midnight). You need more naps. And you probably
need all of this for months and years. Sorry to bear this shocking
news. But if you prioritize your sleep, you will find your need
for doctors of any kind is greatly reduced.
