Sleep (PART 1)





I am starting a research on this topic, since I am not only interested in how much sleep do you actually need, and how much is too little or how much is too much. Interesting huh?



I am currently believing that 7-9 hours is the general guideline for minimum and maximum. Can't remember where I read that. But throughout the past few years, I had had no sleep for 1 day, 2 days, oftentimes averaging 4 hours per night, sometimes less, sometimes more, but still failed to find the optimum amount of sleep that I need.



I know that God grants sleep to His children whom He loves (Psalm 127:2), so it is biblical to sleep. Is there anywhere in the Bible talking about how long Jesus slept, or God giving instructions how long we should sleep? Hmmm... I couldn't recall any. Here are some verses on sleep in the Word (NIV):


Matthew 8:24
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

Mark 4:38
Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

Luke 8:23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
(How cool is that? The ONLY verses about Jesus sleeping took place in a dramatic (and ironic) time where others around are panicking over the storm, His disciples couldn't understand how could anyone be sleeping in such a situation... And how come the Book of John had no mention of this incidence? Normally the 4 Gospels are in harmony wor...)


And sleep is usually referred to by Jesus for people who had DIED but going to be resurrected by Him... Remember the little girl who died and Lazarus?


Luke 8:52
Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

John 11:11
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."


What about the Old Testament? I can easily recall many occasions in Genesis that sleep is used when someone had sex with another person. Hmmm... that's a different kind of "sleep" huh?


And what about the warning in Proverb 6:9-11? I know this is intended for a sluggard but what is a SLUGGARD? Sleeping more than 9 hours? Sleeping many times in a day? Sleeping when you are not tired? Apparently, sluggard is someone who is LAZY, but what is defined as lazy??? Not doing what you are supposed to do, intentionally, and doing other things instead? People say, "You just know it lah", but my "You just know it lah" may be different from your "You just know it lah". How lazy is lazy?


How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.


Then what is the biblical guideline? Sleep when you are tired? Sleep until you are not tired? That can be very subjective huh? How do you know you are tired? How tired? Does a little tiredness warrant a nap or sleep? What if your willpower is stronger than your desire to feel tired? What if the enemy is spiritually attacking you by causing you feel tired all the time? Tough questions huh? Ask God? Follow the Holy Spirit's guidance? Use wisdom? Err... err... anybody did that before and received any answers and care to share?



What about scientific evidence? To be continued in PART 2...