Sleep serves health, psyche, soul

Sleep is a big business these days. Rather the lack of sleep. Both traditional mattress companies and the mail order bed in a box are hoping your lack of sleep will drive you to purchase their heavenly promised sleep strategies. As a person for whom sleep can often be elusive, these advertisements are tempting. In the Bible, we can read the ability to sleep is more than a mattress strategy but a matter of the heart. There are at least two reasons why sleep matters to the soul.

First, we are designed for action and rest. While we may not admit it publicly, we champion those who do not sleep. All night sessions of Congress are celebrated. Medical interns are famously sleepless. All this unrest is wreaking havoc on our bodies, our psyches and our souls.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, driving while drowsy can have similar effects on your body as drinking alcohol. ("Drowsy Driving v. Drunk Driving: How Similar Are They?" SleepFoundation.org, sleepfoundation.org/articles/drowsy-driving-vs-drunk-driving-how-similar-are-they.) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that in 2013 drowsy driving contributed to 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths. Though difficult to prove, the NHTSA estimates that drowsiness has added to a large percentage of the 6,000 driver fatalities. ("Drowsy Driving: Asleep at the Wheel," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nov. 7, 2019, cdc.gov/features/dsdrowsydriving/index.html.) Sleep deprivation increases your risk for depression, irritability, ages your brain for three to five years, you are three times more likely to catch a cold and you increase the possibility of developing heart disease by 48%. (Patrick Finan, "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation," John Hopkins Medicine, hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-effects-of-sleep-deprivation.) Yes, God created us to be active. He also gifted us with the need and the ability to rest.

Second, sleep is a declaration of soul dependency. Proverbs 3 highlights that when one's confidence is in the Lord, "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Sleep that is good for the soul declares that the Lord is watching over you. That He can address the problem that is keeping you awake. The worries that rob you of rest He can resolve. Sleeping during turmoil is evidence of a calm soul.

Sleep is necessary for your health, your psyche and your soul. For some of us, the most spiritually dependent step you could take today is a nap.