Social media is bad and wicked and you shouldn’t be on it. But sometimes there are unexpected joys that come with being online. For instance, if it weren’t for Twitter (now “X”… ugh), I wouldn’t have heard of “bedtime abolitionism.” Apparently, there is a (pretty niche) discourse among online anarchists concerned that the regulation of…
The other day, a friend excitedly shared her latest method for falling asleep. We were gathered in a coffee shop one Saturday morning, discussing the aches and pains of being middle-aged. We’ve morphed over the years from beers in the evening to coffees in the early morning because, well, we’re too tired to stay up…
World Sleep Day is held each year in March, and it aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through education and better management. Canada’s population is not immune to sleep challenges across the lifespan, and these issues can impact wellbeing, productivity and overall quality of life. In June 2022, the Government of…
What is it about church that makes some people more apt to “check their eyelids for leaks,” as the father of our minister, Rev. Heather Malnick, used to say? And how do those in church leadership feel when they observe congregants dozing? Rev. Michael Barnes, retired Presbyterian minister, remembers the difficulty he had attending night…
“Aren’t you ever afraid of sleep?” my little sister asked once. “Anyone could break in and you wouldn’t know.” She’s right. There’s a surrender in becoming insensible to the world around you. Sleep scares us because it’s a dress rehearsal for death. “Lazarus is sleeping,” Jesus tells his disciples. “Lazarus is dead.” Death is the…
Some texts and meetings seem almost designed to put one to sleep. They are long, confusingly organized, on pretty dry subjects or simply boring, which means it takes a lot of effort to stay focused. After all, one never knows what devil might hide in the details. Long ago, I worked with a board chair…
It started with 15-minute catnaps on the seminary campus. Tricia Hersey was juggling study, work and raising a young son on very little sleep. Now a ‘sleep activist,’ Hersey runs Collective Napping Experiences – rented rooms filled with mats, pillows, freshly washed blankets, and an open invitation to rest. If it seems incredible that 40…
Two years ago, I wrote a column about scientific studies of sleep and dreaming (“Why Do We Sleep?”, January 10, 2022), and I don’t want to repeat myself, except to say, that while sleep is complex and does many things, its overarching reality is still not well understood. The American National Institute of Health, in…
“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.” – Why We Sleep, by Dr. Matthew Walker. Sleep affects our memory, immune system, weight regulation and mental health. Not getting enough sleep doubles your risk of cancer. It makes you more likely to develop Alzheimer’s…
Joseph had four dreams from the Lord. In the first, God told him to wed Mary. The second told him to leave at night for Egypt. In the last two dreams, God revealed to Joseph when to return and where to go. Scripture tells us many times that God can communicate with us in dreams,…
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I’m coming to the end of a six-month parental leave. The time I’ve been able to spend at home with my son has been a major gift, though I do feel like I’ve spent the better part of it in a state of altered consciousness.
I’ve been talking about sleep a lot lately. I’ve been getting plenty myself these days, but it seems a lot of my students haven’t. So when they come to my office feeling panicky, stressed and overwhelmed, one of the first things I ask them is “how are you sleeping?”
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