Rest (A): Powerful Work Your Body Does When You Stop

Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn —Mahatma Gandhi

Overstimulated. Overworked.

Do you ever feel like sleep is that one friend you keep trying to make plans with, and they bail the last minute?

I’d love to tell you I’ve cracked the code. That I go to bed at 10, wake up at 5. And start my day like Ashton Hall. But the truth is, I’ve been ghosting my own sleep routine for years. Or maybe it’s been ghosting me. We talk, sometimes we cut each other off. Toxic.

Sometimes I sleep too little and wake up with a skull full of fog. Other times, I sleep too much and wake up feeling like I skipped the part where rest actually rested me.

Then I stare at the ceiling. Fatigued. Saying,

And if I’m not doing that, I’m negotiating with the night. Pushing bedtime back with empty promises.

Am I alone? I see it in students. Businessmen. Doctors. New moms. Caffeine in one hand. Ambition in the other.

I see it in my family and friends. In perfectionists, and even those who “don’t believe in sleep,” as if it’s some strange myth.

We’ve all slowly turned sleep into a kind of currency. Something to be bartered, borrowed, saved up, repaid,

And let’s not forget those people who try. Like, really, really try to improve their sleep.

They read articles and listen to podcasts. Set bedtime alarms and totally blackout their rooms. Delete socials🤡, and sip sleep-inducing teas.

And still, their brains decide that 2 a.m. is the perfect time to debate whether bread with mashed avocado is actually overrated.

“Maybe I’m just not built for this. I’m a night owl. If I wake up at 6 a.m, does that make me an early bird too?”

Then those who’ve surrendered. Those who treat exhaustion like it’s just part of being an adult,

And I get it. I really do. There’s always something else to do, somewhere to be, someone who needs you.

Sleep feels like the one thing we can afford to lose. Until it starts costing us everything.

Do you need a study to convince you that sleep deprivation is real? For me, I don’t.

I see it in the slow mornings, the short tempers, the forgetfulness. In the eyes of those who’ve technically slept 7 hours, sometimes more, but wake up feeling like a bus ran them over…and then reversed for good measure.

Because it’s not just about how long we sleep. It’s about the quality too.

And since we’re talking about rest, we’ll see that sleep isn’t the whole story. It’s just the loudest chapter. We’ll give it its due. But,

It’s giving your mind, your soul, your nervous system a chance to exhale.

So this is where we begin. With honesty. About sleep, yes, but also about the deeper layers of rest we’ve forgotten to name.

With the truth that rest isn’t just a passive state we fall into.

It’s an active need, a biological rhythm, a sacred process that we’ve learned to ignore, to rush, to outsource to catch up later.

Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make something of the world ― Heraclitus, Fragments

Rest is Not Weakness

No matter how efficient we become, the body still insists on pausing. Repairing. Refilling. Restarting.

We treat rest like a side quest. And sleep itself is regulated. Hormonally timed. Deeply intelligent biological work.

We don’t just get tired because we did a lot. We get tired because we’re always doing a lot. Even when we’re not moving.

Thinking costs energy. Listening does. Stress. Social interactions, decision-making, digesting. Regulating emotions.

Your body is a constant factory of activity. And like the finely tuned complex machine it is, the more care it requires.

You don’t just decide when it should shut down. It starts sending signals long before you notice.

And if you don’t listen? It steals those hours back, one way or another.

The Science Of Sleep: Scheduled by Biology, Not Your Willpower

Every moment you’re awake, your brain is building up a chemical called adenosine. Basically, sleep pressure. The longer you’re awake, the more adenosine piles up, and the stronger the urge to sleep becomes. That’s one.

Then there’s your circadian rhythm. Your internal 24-hour clock, synced to things like light, temperature, and hormones. It helps determine when you feel naturally sleepy or alert, regardless of how long you’ve been awake.

Now, when both these systems align, usually in the evening, that’s when sleep hits hard.

But if you ignore it, or push past it (with coffee, doomscrolling, or “just one more” episode), you miss that natural sleepy window.

And So When You Finally Fall Asleep

Your body enters a carefully structured process of sleep stages, like an overnight renovation crew working in shifts.

Your brain’s electrical activity during sleep follows a pattern of cycles, each lasting roughly 90 minutes. And every cycle includes a rotation through distinct stages, each with its own job.

Here’s what happens during a single sleep cycle:

(a) Light Sleep (N1 + N2)

This is the gateway.

Your muscles relax. Breathing slows. Your brain starts tuning out from the outside world.

Light sleep might sound like it involves Rapid Eye Movement (REM) but it doesn’t. It’s part of non-REM sleep, where your eyes stay still. ‘Light’ just means you’re easier to wake, not that your eyes are moving.

You’ll spend about half your night in this stage. It helps bridge the transitions between deeper sleep phases.

(b) Deep or Slow-wave Sleep (N3)

Your body’s true restoration zone.

Muscles repair. Immune defenses recharge. Growth hormone is released. Your brain even clears out waste by flushing out neurotoxins.

Deep sleep dominates the first half of the night, especially in your first 2 sleep cycles.

And if you do wake up during this stage? You’ll feel groggy, confused, and heavy. Like being pulled out of anaesthesia. Sleep inertia.

(c) REM Sleep

This is the dream state.

Your brain lights up with activity, while your body stays paralyzed (so that you don’t act out your dreams). Memories are consolidated, emotions are processed, and mood regulation kicks in.

Notice that, REM doesn’t show up equally in every cycle.

You get brief REM periods in the early cycles, but they expand and intensify toward the later ones. Usually after hour 5.

Why Then 7–8 Hours?

Because your body saves the best for last.

To hit all the stages in their ideal proportions, not just a little light and deep sleep, but the full REM-rich closure your brain craves.

You need about 5 complete 90-minute cycles. That’s 7.5 hours on average. Not a vibe. Not a trend. Biology.

Think of it like washing clothes: First cycle loosens the dirt. Mid cycles soak and rinse. Final cycles spin and clean deeply.

Cut that process short, and yeah, technically you washed your clothes, but they’re still damp, still stained. The choice is yours to wear.

So, if you only clock 4-5 hours, you might get some deep sleep in the early rounds. But you’ll miss most of REM. The exact part that sharpens memory, balances emotions, and helps you feel mentally reset in the morning.

That’s why you can sleep but still wake up anxious. Irritable. Disconnected. Because you left before the final stage was done.

Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together—Thomas Dekker

So, What Happens When We Don’t Sleep Well?

For emphasis, it’s not just about feeling tired. Poor sleep quality taxes nearly every part of your life.

Mentally. Emotionally and socially. Physically.

It doesn’t just affect you, and those around. It changes you.

Sleeping too little? Your brain never fully resets. Your body stays in stress mode.

Sleeping too much, 9+ hours regularly, a red flag. It’s often a sign of poor sleep quality, chronic fatigue, or even depression.

More isn’t always better. What we need is restorative, balanced sleep.

Because when sleep falls apart, here’s what often follows:

You Can Pack 7-8 Hrs Still Be Exhausted

Do all the right sleep rituals, and still wake up feeling like a part of you stayed behind.

Why? Because rest isn’t just about being in bed. It’s about:

• What your body had to recover from.
• What your mind never got a break from.
• Whether your sleep was deep, unbroken, and complete.
• What you did before you slept, and when you woke.
• Sleep debt you’re still trying to repay.
• Whether you have a consistent sleep schedule.

Until we treat rest not as a luxury, but as essential maintenance, we’ll keep burning out while “doing everything right.”

This is where understanding ends and transformation can start.

Now that we see it, really see it. Maybe we’re finally ready to do something about it…