Day 315 of the Calendar Year

Bedtime - Who can think of a more popular or at least a more universal time in the world? When freely chosen, it is a time that many of us (though certainly not all) look forward to. During winters, we crawl between the nice warm covers and kiss the problems of the day goodbye. During summers, we revel in the warmth when we do not need sheets and the daylight does not wane until long after we have closed our eyes. Some of us see it as a time for reading, some for a time of sex and some just to forget and put another day behind them. Kids see it as an imposition, perhaps imposed by adult authority. “I don’t want to go to bed” is a common childhood complaint not shared by many of their esteemed parents. Some of us drop off to sleep seconds after we lie down and others have to count thousands of sheep jumping over the wall until we are finally in slumberland. Some of us sleep lie a rock and others sleep so lightly that even a cat would wake them up. Some of us dream of wonderful places and people and our thoughts at night are filled with unicorns and rainbows. Others have nightmares of torture, abuse and killers chasing them through the halls of time. Some of us have dreams that we hope may someday come true, while some of us hope that we can just forget.

Scientists tell us that sleep is a time of rejuvenation for both the body and mind. Our muscles relax and rest. Our stress and lactic acid dissipates into the night. Our mind clears itself from the problems, strains, anxieties and worries of today so that we can start tomorrow with a clean slate. No one in the world can survive without sleep. Yet many of us have insomnia and other sleep maladies that prevent us from getting a good nights rest. For some, bedtime is just a continuation of the anxieties that beset them during the day. And sadly, some problems do not disappear at night and are simply put on hold until the morning.

Would the world be a better place if we could all get a good nights sleep? How often do you get a good nights sleep? Do you dread going to bed or do you look forward to it? What would help you to get a good night sleep every night?