Senior Living

Why were we made to need sleep every day? Sleep is a need of our brains. It’s not required by our muscles or organs. Why does the brain put the body to sleep every day? To dream, of course. Scientists believe all animals dream. Creatures with brains sleep in many ways. Some take short naps of 5 to 15 minutes that total 3 - 6 hours a day. Most of us need 7-8 consecutive hours of sleep every 24 hours. That means that 1/3rd of your life is spent asleep. If you’re 75 years old, you have only about 50 years of living awake. How long can you go without sleep? For most it is about 3 days. The world record holder was Randy Gardner, 17, a high school student who stayed awake for 264 hours (11 days) for a science fair project in 1965. While he was technically awake at the end, he was completely dysfunctional. Physical rest is not an option. Spiritual rest is something many never experience. Spiritual rest is an abiding peace and contentment. It is a gift from our relationship with our Father by what His Son did for us on the cross. This is the rest in Psalm 37:7. “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” Even in the midst of struggle or calamity you can be at rest in the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Next week: Rest, Part 2