Some of You…

When I was in college I worked part-time as a security guard in a factory. I recall a series of conversations I had with a machinist who complained about insomnia. 

He’d worked at the factory for more than twenty years. When he started working there he was assigned to the third shift so he’d start work at 11pm and got off at 7 in the morning. So he worked at night, and slept during the day. He did this for about ten years, then because of seniority, was able to move to the second shift. This was better, he worked from 3pm until 11pm. He did this for another ten years, before finally moving up to the first shift. The first shift has the most desired hours - 7am to 3pm. Finally, after twenty years he was able to live what he considered a “normal life.” Except, he couldn’t sleep. All those years of working and sleeping in different rhythms than what his body naturally need too, messed up his ability to sleep. He was very unhappy and was considering moving back to the second shift so he could sleep at night again.  

I fear that is what is happening to some of you. I get messages each week “Sorry, I missed the zoom meeting, I overslept,” or “I just got up and didn’t think of the meeting.” Seriously

folks, my zoom meetings are at 2 in the afternoon. You ought to be up by then. How are you ever going to readjust to school hours when you’re used to sleeping until after school gets out?

I’ll tell you right now, it’s gonna be torture. (And yes, sleep deprivation is an extreme form of torture as defined by the United Nations.)

Your body wants to sleep at night, after 4 million years of evolution, it’s hard-wired to do that. Sure, you can stay up late but there’s a price to be paid for that. Your brain needs, really, really needs to sleep. While you’re dozing, it’s hard at work processing all the things that happened to you since the last time you slept. If you’re robbing your brain of sleep, you’re messing with your brain - really, you’re messing with you ‘cause your brain is the

real you. Arms, legs, lungs, hair and eyes are just appendages to move, feed, protect and inform your brain. 

I know you want to stay up late - I remember how freeing that felt when I was young, but rest assured, you need your sleep. You need to sleep at night, not all day long. 

Don’t be like my machinist friend, and risk messing up your sleep to the point where it almost impossible to recover. 

Zzzzzzzzzzzz