Why don't you go to bed?

I asked for suggestions on what I should blog about and got "Why we don't go to bed when we are tired and should." There's a question. I'm a night owl. I am up way later than I should be more often than I want to think about. So are plenty of other people I know. There's even a name for it "sleep deprivation." Everything from artificial lights to school schedules takes the blame for it being rampant. Some health organizations refer to it as an epidemic and it apparently has negative effects on just about everything from performance at work to emotional states. Drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk-driving.

So why don't we just get some more sleep? I know I should, but...

I'm busy. If I don't stay up, I won't get everything done. Which probably means I should cut back, but I probably won't because I can't imagine what I could cut out and still feel like I am pulling my weight at home, at church, at work, and in the minsistry I volunteer for. Could delegate more I suppose. Have to work on that.

I like to read. A good book is my bedtime's downfall. I get absorbed and forget about sleep. And if I am not reading anything particularly great at the moment, I dip into an old favorite and relive scenes for awhile.

And then there are movies, social-networking, computer games. I don't own a TV or have an internet connection at home but these things become vehicles for sleep deprivation when they are available. I need some good old fashioned self-discipline in this area. With the books, too.


I will also stay up late when I am somewhere with people I care about that I don't see enough of. I suppose that's OK, at least if I'm not driving. Keeping up friendships is important.


In some seasons of life, such as when we have a new baby or are caring for a sick parent, sleep deprivation is inevitable. It is how it is and there is nothing we can do about it. We sacrifice our sleep because we love another being.


Well, there are my reasons. Or excuses. What are yours?