Why do we sleep?

(Public Domain)

I'm obsessed with sleep!  Obsessed! Mainly because I don't take any stimulants of any kind, so if I'm groggy throughout the day for lack of sleep, I just have to deal with it.

When I was in High School I developed a super bad habit that lasted through college, and apparently teenagers/college kids need 9 hours of sleep!  But they don't get it.  I sure didn't.

Community theater and activities, community service, clubs, college prep classes, music, etc is what led to my downfall.  Starting my Sophomore year in High School I was getting on average 4 hours of sleep a night.  

Here is an outline of my typical High School day: Wake up between Midnight and 4 a.m. to finish any homework I couldn't manage the day before, leave for seminary at 6 a.m., seminary till about 7:15, walk to school and do homework/study in Library, Class from 8 ish to 3 ish (I forget the time-frame), walk a mile home, Homework from 4-6:30 pm (unless I have piano or after school activities), be at theater from about 7-10 (sometimes later or earlier), go to bed (hopefully by midnight), wake up between midnight and 4 (and start the day all over).

And my friends made fun of me when I fell asleep at get-togethers!  I never complained or explained, and suffered through the teasing. 

I got to the point where my brain decided it was best to study at 3 in the morning.  Lasted through my last semester in College when I was working full time and I had had enough.  I was tired all the time, and got sick whenever something was going around.  No wonder, because we need sleep!

There are So many reasons we need to sleep!  Honestly, it should be a priority of ours, because it's good for us, etc, especially if you're learning or studying new things, because it is through sleep that memories and knowledge is cemented.

I want to thank my brother Robbie for sending me this video, because every now and then I need to be reminded to allow enough time for proper shut eye.

Russell Foster: Why do we sleep?