Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Sleepiness Just Part Of Good Life

Some folks require lots of sleep.

Despite efforts to limit our time snoozing, we are one of those who definitely needs more than our share of forty winks.

Being so lethargic is wasteful, and sometimes even embarrassing. When we spend more than 30 percent of our time in dreamland, we aren’t getting any work done. Insomnia’s never been a problem.

Considerable research has been done on somnolence requirements, and most indicates a person should have eight hours.

Yet, there many people get along fine on considerably less than that. Studies show somnolency decreases in maturity. Of course, babies sleep, a lot, hopefully, and adolescent are said to need more shut-eye than adults.

On numerous occasions, we’ve decided we were going to become more efficient and only slumber six or seven hours a day. It works for awhile, and then we are so beat we can’t keep our eyes open.

This isn’t funny when we’re driving. Several times we’ve briefly nodded off, but fortunately jerked back wide awake. It has become so severe sometimes, that we’ve pulled over, taken a catnap, and then driven on fine for the rest of the day.

Most of our time is spent on the go, so after we slow down, that’s when we really start getting tired.

Training sessions are a time-consuming part of our real job these days, and it’s often done with projections in a dimmed room. When the lights come on again, our co-workers are looking at us grinning as we’ve slept through the presentation.

Likewise, more than once, we’ve had sore ribs from our wife poking us when we started snoring during church after riding several horses before hand.

Despite inability to limit heavy-eyes, we recover quickly. A brief doze will refresh us completely. Many folks can’t take a siesta and awake so readily.

However, there really are some who even require considerably more sleep than we do. Others can’t ever get up in the morning regardless of the hours sawing logs.

Reminds us of Ecclesiastes 5:12: “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet.”

Yet, warning comes in Mark 14:37: “He findeth them sleeping, and saith sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour?” Thus, First Thessalonians 5:6: “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

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