Sleep, glorious sleep!

The classic scene in "Oliver Twist," or at least one version of it that I remember, has Oliver and his orphanage peers singing and dancing with glee over the glorious nature of anything edible and its magical powers on the human spirit. Powers so great that one breaks out in song and dance when they just get a little more food! Sitting here at my computer in my nice, warm home with an abundance of material goods meant to comfort and make life easier, I can only think how overly naive and simplistic that sounds. Surely "MORE FOOD?!" could not make the daily life of those boys that much better.

Or could it?

I guess enough food would be an indicator that times were prosperous- at the very least constant and more predictable and reliable. Enough food means one less obstacle to overcome- one less thing to think about. Knowing you WILL have food is pretty powerful and something that I have never had to give much thought. There has been no time in my life that I ever wondered where my next meal would come from or how I might feed my family.

Sleep, however, is another story.

I want to find the fat men in coats standing guard over the cauldron of sleep and ask, "sir, may I have some more?" Only they wouldn't be fat, they'd be well-rested looking young people with natural energy and a healthy vibe that screams, "I shower in the earlier half of the day!" Thoroughly well-rested ones have even been known to put on make-up and brush their hair. I want to find them... I want to BE them.

But sleep is not the cure-all. Just like food, it's merely indicative of the functionality of one's life. Sleep alone isn't enough to sustain and maximize potential, but when you get enough sleep and KNOW you are going to get more every night, it's just one less thing you have to think about; one less challenge to every day and it makes the times you might have a little less than you'd like just a tad more bearable.

Perhaps it's all just a trade-off, though I do believe that a human body can sustain life longer sans food than sans sleep. But that would be comparing hour after hour with no nutrients to hour after hour with no REM activity of any kind. In any case, it's not that bad but I'd be tempted to say that I have a sleeping disorder. I panic around sleep the way some do around food. I am always afraid I am not going to get enough. If I could hoard sleep I would. Yet, it continues to illude me.

And just like food, sleep carries this guilt with it that boggles my mind. Naps feel like eating a 1000 calorie slice of double-chocolate pudding cake before breakfast. Totally overindulgent, even if it's what one wants! But why? And talking about sleep with anyone who might get less than you or is also unsure of their sleep provisions is almost prohibited, which is a shame since there could be some commiserating amongst the sleep-deprived. Well, if they were awake enough anyway...