I have this thought that any time I fall asleep, a tribe of cells all wake up and put their hard hats on. They get into a huddle and discuss what needs to be mended while I’m out. “Okay! You guys go to the ankle. She’s been limping again.†“We’ll head over to the brain, she’s been depressed.†All these cells use those 8 hours to make me better. Sleep is the ultimate reset. It allows the body to mend itself. There’s a reason your body’s natural response to illness, whether mental or physical, is to get you to sleep. It’s the only time all your cells can huddle up and figure out the best, fastest way, of making you feel better.
I remember wanting to do nothing but sleep while I was battling depression. It was the only time where I wasn’t hurting, but now, it makes a lot of sense to me… my body needed that sleep to figure out how to get the brain to fire happy again. Now, when I feel depression creeping or anxiety stirring, I don’t fight it. I go nap. 9 times out of 10, I wake up feeling fine. So, I like to tell people, if you feel unbelievably tired or just the urge to take a nap, do it. It’s your body signaling that it needs fixing.
Sleep plays a vital role in your immune function, as well as your memory, which impacts your ability to learn, and keeps your metabolism running. Sleep is the powerhouse that keeps your body running optimally. Have you every felt super foggy at work, you come home, pass out and wake up focused? Well, chickadee, sleep helped you get your wits about you again. And for all of my creatives out there… sleep helps you be MORE CREATIVE. Think about it this way, while you sleep, your brain allows your subconscious to process all of those random thoughts you have. So, it may be worth turning in early instead of staring at the blank page or canvas for another hour.
All-in-all… sleep is awesome and taking a nap as an adult is even more awesome. So, let your body turn off for a bit and try to notice how it recharges your mind, body, and spirit.  Who would have thought that something so simple is what keeps our vitality in check!
