“I’m so tired I can’t think straight!” I bet you have felt that way! Most of us have. Typically it is in preparation for an event or upcoming exam or work deadline! We have some commitment that makes us believe the work we need to do is more important than the sleep that is bombarding us mentally and physically!

Our physical body needs several things in order to function; the obvious being water, food, oxygen and sleep. And when any of those are not present, our body begins to shut down. Yet, we often act like sleep is expendable. We get to the point of exhaustion and ultimately collapse. Prior to collapsing, your mind gets fuzzy. You can’t process, rationalize and your judgement is not clear. That does not sound like a productive person to me!

Doctors have proported general numbers of hours we need to sleep according to age groups. If we pay attention we can even learn to most beneficial number for each of us. Your body will tell you if you need more sleep. Why is a mental health professional talking about sleep? With our mind and body working together properly, they need to support each other. When our body is tired, our mind is tired! We cannot process the emotions we experience.

So the solution to exhaustion is quite simple. Set your priority on taking care of yourself mentally and physically and go to sleep. You will be able to finish the exam, event or work much quicker and efficiently!

May your path find you sleeping as often as needed!