if you don’t sleep your brain doesn’t have the time it needs to really get rid of all of the garbage of the day and to really have that ability to rejuvenate. you have to give some things a little bit of a rest. your heart you can’t stop it. it has to keep beating alright but your brain needs that period of time rest and recuperation. your body needs it. if you can’t sleep and you can’t help yourself sleep by doing a little bit of guided imagery or some relaxation breathing or whatever then you need to consider to go and maybe get some short term sleep medication. i’m a firm believer in that. i don’t think people should become addicted to sleep medications and i think that there are a lot of fine ones on the market today that will help you sleep. so i would say you have to sleep. it’s your job. i tell some people you know what turn everything off because right now the most important job you have is to go to sleep and you can allow yourself to sleep. whatever you need and i don’t recommend alcohol. i know some people do that whatever you need that is going to help you sleep. they call it sleep hygiene. that means you do not do exercise two hours before you go to sleep. it’s too energizing okay. you sleep in a room that is dark enough quiet enough comfortable enough that you can go off to sleep. this is your time. you’re not cheating. when i hear people say oh i operate on two or three hours of sleep i say no no you are doing what the national commission on sleep has says which is you are building up a sleep debt and it is going to come to get you so don’t do that to yourself.
what is the role of sleep in stress?