{"id":7364,"date":"2015-01-28T09:08:03","date_gmt":"2015-01-28T14:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/?p=7364"},"modified":"2015-01-28T09:08:03","modified_gmt":"2015-01-28T14:08:03","slug":"is-sleep-highly-over-rated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2015\/01\/is-sleep-highly-over-rated.html","title":{"rendered":"Is Sleep Highly Over-rated?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"itiredtheresanapforthat\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I had long believed and expressed that sleep was highly over-rated whenever someone would ask how I managed to maintain what I called a ‘crazy-busy’ schedule that included a full time job, several over-lapping consulting jobs, raising a child as a single parent after being widowed at 40,\u00a0doing ‘normal people’ household stuff and having a rewarding social life.\u00a0By the time I would meet the\u00a0sandman, the hands\u00a0on the clock were\u00a0often completely vertical. My eyes would\u00a0pop open sometimes before the sun peeked out from under its cloud cover and I would hit the ground running. As I recall those days, I\u00a0think about the heart palpitations that I mistook for excitement and\u00a0the lightheadedness and fatigue that I related to menopause. What they really were, were precursors of the impending heart attack that occurred on June 12, 2014.<\/p>\n

Since then, I have begun to actually relish sleepy time. Naps have become frequent activities. Fleece jammies have become the ‘new sexy’ attire here and bundles of blankets and quilts have been my go-to d\u00e9cor in my room and on the sofa. There have been times when I have simply lain on the couch with lots of pillows, simply staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun languorously.\u00a0 “Who is this woman and what have you done with Edie?” was the voice echoing through my head.<\/p>\n

Some benefits of sleep<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Clearer thinking<\/p>\n

Improved heart health, since it can prevent inflammatory response<\/p>\n

Weight loss related to greater hormone balance<\/p>\n

Looking lovelier<\/p>\n

Enhanced\u00a0creativity<\/p>\n

Better eye-hand coordination<\/p>\n

Safety behind the wheel and operating heavy equipment<\/p>\n

More patience with people in our lives<\/p>\n

Warding off illness<\/p>\n

Increased vitality<\/p>\n

Longer life<\/p>\n

How much is enough?\u00a0 Most experts indicate that between seven and eight hours a night are optimum, however, it depends on lifestyle and age. What I have discovered for myself, is that I do best in that range, with supplemental naps as needed. On days during which I really pump it out at cardiac rehab and have other activities on my to-do list, naps are a necessity. Room darkening\/thermal curtains, soothing music and burrows under the blankets now that winter has arrived, all contribute to my sweet dreams.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When You Dream~\u00a0 Barenaked Ladies<\/p>\n

With life just begun, my sleeping new son
\nhas eyes that roll back in his head
\nThey flutter and dart, he slows down his heart
\nand pictures a world past his bed
\nIt’s hard to believe
\nAs I watch you breathe
\nYour mind drifts and weaves<\/p>\n

When you dream,
\nwhat do you dream about?
\nWhen you dream,
\nwhat do you dream about?
\nDo you dream about
\nmusic or mathematics
\nor planets too far for the eye?
\nDo you dream about
\nJesus or quantum mechanics
\nor angels who sing lullabies?<\/p>\n

His fontanelle pulses with lives that he’s lived
\nWith memories he’ll learn to ignore
\nAnd when it is closed, he already knows
\nhe’s forgotten all he knew before
\nBut when sleep sets in
\nhistory begins
\nBut the future will win<\/p>\n

When you dream,
\nwhat do you dream about?
\nWhen you dream,
\nwhat do you dream about?
\nAre they colour or black and white,
\nYiddish or English
\nor languages not yet conceived?
\nAre they silent or boisterous?
\nDo you hear noises just
\nloud enough to be perceived?
\nDo you hear Del Shannon’s “Runaway” playing
\non transistor radio waves?
\nWith so little experience,
\nyour mind not yet cognizant
\nAre you wise beyond your few days?
\nWhen you dream,
\nwhat do you dream about?
\nWhen you dream,
\nwhat do you dream about?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/youtu.be\/pOZPmA2l6C0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I had long believed and expressed that sleep was highly over-rated whenever someone would ask how I managed to maintain what I called a ‘crazy-busy’ schedule that included a full time job, several over-lapping consulting jobs, raising a child as a single parent after being widowed at 40,\u00a0doing ‘normal people’ household stuff and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,13,33,185,3532,19,22,811,14,51,16,7,18],"tags":[3039,4233,4897,4234,4232],"class_list":["post-7364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-bliss","category-blissfull-thinking","category-creativity","category-dreams","category-edie-weinstein","category-empowerment","category-healing","category-health","category-how-to-invite-bliss","category-mental-health","category-my-personal-bliss","category-re-creating-your-life","category-wellness","tag-bare-naked-ladies","tag-del-shannon","tag-edie-weinstein","tag-runaway","tag-when-you-dream"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Sleep Highly Over-rated? 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She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. Edie is the founder of Hug Mobsters Armed With Love, which offers FREE HUGS events on a planned and spontaneous basis. www.opti-mystical.com.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.opti-mystical.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga","https:\/\/x.com\/EdieWeinstein1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/author\/eweinstein"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7364"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7367,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7364\/revisions\/7367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}