Big Business and the Sacred Mystery of Sleep
A recent Time article pointed enterprising readers toward an enticing business opportunity for our age: the sleep industry. "Don't nap on this," the headline urged. "Capitalize on insomnia as a growth business." Our desperately sleep-deprived population is a market ripe for entrepreneurial harvest.
They call it "the business of sleep." And in an otherwise sluggish economy in 2012, it's booming to the tune of more than 32 billion dollars in the U.S. From medications and mattresses to candles and consultants, this growth industry promises to provide everything the sleepless need.
What most of us think we need is a relatively short obligatory snooze so we can keep going during our waking hours, doing what's really important: producing and pursuing the American Dream, for which one must be wide awake.
It's true that sleep is critical to the proper functioning of our bodies and minds—although no one really knows why. Studies show that sleep deficits slow our thinking, compromise memory, make learning difficult, impair our reaction time, cause irritability, increase anger, decrease capacity for stress, and make us less likely to engage in good habits such as eating well and exercising. Sleeplessness also increases risks of depression and anxiety. In one study conducted by the University of North Texas, people with insomnia were almost 10 times more likely to suffer from clinical depression and more than 17 times more likely to be affected by "clinically significant" anxiety.
Sleeplessness affects our judgment and concentration and is linked with higher levels of substance abuse. It's also linked with a heightened risk of driving accidents, obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.
The sleep-awake connection works the other ways as well: what we do during our waking hours affects the quality of our sleep. From stress levels to eating habits, exercise, and where we let our thoughts dwell during the day, we reap the results at night. Recent research even shows that staring at a lit screen at night, before bed, fools our natural rhythms and causes insomnia.
Sleep needs vary from person to person, but according to the National Sleep Foundation, most adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep each night. By contrast, American adults average less than seven hours. And nearly two-thirds say their sleep needs are not met during the week. Therein lies the business opportunity.
Sleep is big business partly because we see it as disconnected from waking life. Most of us consider it a forced interruption in our otherwise productive lives. When we're sleepy, it's a tempting luxury we dare not indulge in until our work is done. Yet ironically, our sleep-abstinence undermines our work. And more ironically, our failure to value sleep as a critical part of what we do makes it elusive, and therefore even more valuable.
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Meghann Crayton
Sleeplessness affects our judgment and concentration and is linked with higher levels of substance abuse. Its also linked with a heightened risk of driving accidents, obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.
Kattie Shin
The Bible frequently portrays sleep as a reflection of our relationship with God. Sleep is
Queenie Bock
we can keep going during our waking hours, doing whats really important: producing and pursuing the American Dream, for which one must be wide awake.
Rahab
Being well-rested not only feels great, it clears away a lot of stress and frustration as well. No one would argue with that. But there's more. We are here following a Savior who was all about laying down His life for us, telling us to follow Him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. By contrast, we tell one another that we must love our own bodies, and we imply that to do so we have to put ourselves and our well-being first. But that is not the message. Laying down our lives is a concept that gets lost in all the talk about loving and taking care of ourselves. It got lost in this article, too. Does it still apply?
Hugh Wetmore
I agree with all my heart - "sleep' is a gift from God, necessary to serving Him with excellence. However, I'm interested in asking why some fine and sincere Christians think it is more spiritual to have "nights of prayer" and so deprive themselves of sleep. I have tired this 'sleep-fasting' for prayer and find I get so drowsy I'm useless at prayer, and a zombie the next day. What is the biblical rationale behind such sleep deprivation for prayer?
Vin
Kathy, I read your post, and it's a good one. I am a pharmacist, and I saw that you mentioned "sleep aid" and "weird dreams". If you have been taking melatonin to help you sleep, it can cause weird or frightening dreams in a small percentage of those who take it. Most of the over the counter sleep aids have diphenhydramine in them, and it does not have that side effect, but it is much longer acting than melatonin. This does not mean that everyone should think melatonin is dangerous or that it is common to have weird dreams with melatonin, it's just in a small percentage of people, but I thought perhaps it could be connected in your case. I take diphenhydramine or melatonin myself occasionally at night, but my oldest daughter is one of those who cannot take melatonin because of frightening dreams.
Kathy
I often have a hard time going to bed. When there are things left undone, I especially have a difficult time. I am often in too much pain to comfortably position myself so I can get to sleep so I generally take a sleep aid to assist me. One thing I have noticed is that I have had some pretty weird dreams. Loved ones who have gone home to be with the Lord will be alive in my dream but my desire of wanting to be physically close to them or touch them, they are no longer there and so I go off on an adventure of trying to find them. I have come to my own decision that my dreams are a direct result of either me not spending enough time with the Lord (not praying or reading God's Holy word) that results in these off the wall dreams. When I am faithfully praying and I mean prayer that once I'm finished I'm so uplifted because I don't think God is ever so close as when we are talking or praying to Him. When I read the word and pay NO attention to time unless of course I have previous commits to meet, I just read & read. I don't worry about what I'm missing on television, radio or what phone calls I'm missing. Again, that is of course you do not have a previous engagement, work or something that was planned. I only began understanding God's word when I was a born again believer. There is a responsibility that goes along with a born again believer or Christian. It's more than saying "God forgave me of all my sins & the Holy Spirit now dwells in my heart, so now I'm safe....NO, there is a relationship that not only owns everything we have but wants us to be involved with right things, right people, right places and righteousness in the Lord. When we get to where we TOTALLY give ourselves up to God & without reservations, we will sleep, eat, carry conversations and even dream better. God bless you all!
K. Smith
Wow. Great article because I'm notorious about not getting enough sleep. I really like the thought that getting adequate sleep is part of God's will for us, part of the work we do on his behalf. Hopefully that will motivate me to go to bed on time tonight!
Tim
Amy, you're speaking my language because I love me my nappy-nap time. Nice job showing how sleep is part of our life with God. I like the passage in Psalm 127, but the Hebrew in verse 2 can also be translated: In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for while they sleep he provides for those he loves. I think this is more consistent with what we read of God'd care for his people in the rest of Scripture. He cares for us even while we sleep. What a blessing! Tim
Rick Dalbey
For unknown reasons God chooses to speak to people, average people like you and I, in dreams. As Job says, He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. Hearing God speak in dreams and visions is a normal part of walking in the Spirit. Some dreams require no interpretation and are direct and simple. But dreams are not always easy to understand and Daniel and Joseph were skilled in interpreting what the rest of us might assume are the results of too much pizza. We see the fruit of dreams in Joseph and Marys life, in Peter and Pauls lives. Peter tells us that in this dispensation, right up to the last days, that God will commonly speak to us in dreams. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Of course, dreams must be weighed, interpreted and should never conflict with the written word of God, but for personal direction and communication from God, they are unparalleled.
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