How much sleep do you need?
Probably more than you're getting.
It's estimated that
in the 1850s the average person in the United States slept eight to nine hours
each night. Today, an American adult typically sleeps seven or less hours a
night during the workweek, and then crashes on the weekend.
Research has consistently shown that most of us actually do need the proverbial
eight hours each night in order to perform at our best.
Unlike our ancestors, who relied on candles and lanterns after it got dark
outside, we keep our nights alive with lights, entertainment and stimulating
activities long after the sun has gone down. The busyness of our lives and an
endless list of diversions seduce us into sacrificing sleep on the altar of
extended work hours, evening meetings and late-night entertainment.
Sleep is a gift from God (Psalm 127:2), but we live in a culture that doesn't
give it much value. So many of us have become accustomed to a harried,
sleep-deprived existence that we may have come to accept its
consequences — fatigue, irritability, daytime drowsiness, etc... — as
"normal."
If you feel like you need more rest, you likely do.
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excerpt from an article by focus on the family