Beauty Sleep

25 Jun Beauty Sleep

For most women, rest is a concept that we are not personally familiar with. It is like a unicorn – an elusive fantasy that we have heard about and wonder what it would be like if it truly existed. Although we know it is important, we tend to put it at the bottom of our to-do list with a bunch of excuses for why we cannot fit it in (#1 excuse – our lengthy to-do list). So today, I am going to try and convince you (and me) why we should make rest a priority.

1. Sleep is a human requirement. Like food and water it is essential to our survival and well-being.
2. Rest is one of the Ten Commandments. Yes, God commanded that we rest at least one day a week – the Sabbath. I don’t think God ranked the Ten Commandments but this one does not get nearly as much attention as “do not kill” or “do not commit adultery.”
3. Even God rested. God spent six days creating and rested on the 7th day. What God was doing was a bit more important than whatever it is we are doing. If He can find time for rest, than surely we can too.
4. Rest makes us tolerable. A lack of sleep will affect our mood and can lead to irritability. That extra hour of late night TV may just be making you cranky and hard to live with.
5. Beauty sleep is real. It is true that to avoid wrinkles and dark circles under the eyes, sleep is essential. Rest can impact not only our inner beauty but our outer beauty as well.
6. Rest keeps our minds sharp. It has been shown that fatigue can have a negative impact on cognitive functioning. In order to be at our full capacity we have to get our proper rest.
7. Sleep contributes to managing weight. Late nights may lead to late night snacking which will definitely impact the waistline. In addition, it has been shown that sleep deprivation results in increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can contribute to weight gain.  A lack of sleep can also have a negative effect on other hormones that impact hunger and appetite suppression.  As it turns out, being a little “lazy” with that extra hour of sleep may be an effective weight management strategy.
8. Rest is a testimony of our faith. Worry and anxiety can keep us up at night; however, when we turn our cares over to God it brings us peace and allows us to rest in Him. In Matt 11:28 Jesus says “come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Regardless of what we are going through we know that we can rest in the hands of God and that is the best bed we can ever have.