Yes, tomorrow is the day you’ve been waiting for: January 3, the Festival of Sleep. It’s time to get ready.
The origins of this special day are shrouded in mystery, but it makes sense. Many of us have been busy shopping, cooking, cleaning, entertaining, partying, cleaning up after parties, and generally celebrating since Thanksgiving… or maybe Halloween. We’ve made pageant costumes, rehearsed the school play, attended or given concerts, baked and cooked, lit menorahs or trimmed trees, festooned our homes with lights, taken or given exams, welcomed guests or traveled home, drunk champagne and made New Year’s resolutions, and we’re happy but tired. Many of us are going back to school or work on Monday.
It’s the perfect time for the Festival of Sleep.
Celebrating the Festival of Sleep is fairly easy. You must clear your calendar or at least block out some time for sleeping. Grab a good book in case you wake up but still want to stay in bed for a while. Make sure that everyone in your home understands the concept so that no one will expect you to do anything.
Now, sleep. Luxuriate in laziness. Rest up from the holidays on a day specially sanctioned for doing nothing.
Sleep gives your brain time to process all the input you’ve received during the day. It lets your muscles and your immune system restore themselves and get stronger. If you’ve developed a sleep debt while you celebrated the holidays, the Festival of Sleep will help you repay that debt so you can be alert and focused when you get back to work.