Rest assured?

Yesterday was perhaps the most exhausting day for me in quite a while. Having only slept for about 2 hours the night before, I came home yesterday with fatigue, muscle cramps and dizziness, though strangely enough, without feeling sleepy. Having said this, I still have enough energy to go out shopping for groceries after dinner.

Not enough rest is an on-going problem for me. Many have labelled me as a workaholic, because of the amount of time I spend on work. When I'm in writing mode, I can go on writing for 5 to 6 hours non-stop. Perhaps, to a certain extent, this habit is beginning to take its toll on me.

I happened upon an article in Reader's Digest this morning that touches on sleeping. I'd like to share some bits of the article as food for thought:

Studies have suggested that too little sleep may increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and depression. Getting a good night's sleep is one of the simplest things you can do to stay healthy... A good night's sleep means waking up rested and energised... We're so busy that we just don't have sufficient time to get the sleep we need... we're sleeping less than we should... Not getting enough sleep can compromise your immune system (because) the immune system works best when you sleep...

[Tacio, H.D. (2006). "Sleep Tight, Sleep Right".
In Reader's Digest, November 2006: 58-62]

There you go. Perhaps I should endeavour to put sleep into my daily agenda so that I don't miss it or compromise it. I was told some time back that the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad not only looks after what he eats, but also ensures that he has enough sleep and rest every day, in spite of his crazily hectic schedules.

This is no small matter. We really need to ensure that we do get enough sleep and rest, lest we want to expose ourselves to the risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and depression.

I wonder if my expanding waistline has anything to do with not getting enough sleep? Hmmm...