I’ve struggled to find the perfect gifts for friends and family. I’ve shopped for hours to find that special something that sends just the right message? After a recent night without sleep I’ve come to a unique conclusion about gift giving. I now believe the best gift I could give someone is a good night’s sleep.
To Give the Gift of Rest… I’d love to hand that night of sleep, wrapped in a gift box, to the people who mean the most to me. What could be more delicious than hours of deep, healing rest? Picture it: the person you love most rising from bed in the morning, happy, refreshed and focused, with energy to last the day.
Imagine saying to your friends, “Here’s a whole night’s sleep. Just close your eyes and enjoy it.” To be able to give them the freedom to sink into slumber without a single, anxious thought. That simple gift could be the start of something big, perhaps a whole chain of restful nights strung together.
How much different would our loved ones’ lives be if they slept well every night? Would they follow conversations better, think faster, solve problems more quickly, have better concentration and drive more safely? I like to think that, with the gift of rest, the people I love could be even more extraordinary.
You see, I believe that simple present of gift boxed sleep could be the catalyst to better health and happiness. All I need do is look at my own life and the damage lack of sleep does to know what can be healed helping someone else sleep better.
To Give the Gift of Dreams… We haven’t yet discussed the wave of creativity gifts of restful sleep could set free. There’s no limit to the art our loved ones might create, given rich, dream filled nights. On the other hand, what wonderful inventions have been lost to nagging insomnia? It hurts to think of the loss to society sleepless nights may have caused.
I hesitate to call it a revolution, but I believe this gift of ours, this peaceful night of sleep, could be the key to endless creativity. I’m certain there are people in our lives who are waiting to imagine great things, given the simple gift of enough sleep each night.
To Give the Gift of Joy… There’s a sad cycle I’ve witnessed in the lives of those around me, and it goes like this—anxiety and depression disrupt their sleep, and lack of sleep worsens their symptoms. I’d love to be able to break that cycle and bring back joy to their lives.
What a wonderful Christmas present, handing someone suffering from anxiety a whole night without racing thoughts! The happiness these friends miss is heartbreaking; to gift wrap sleep and the peace it could promote in their minds would be an act of friendship, indeed.
To Give the Gift of Healing… There’s one more reason I’d like to give my loved ones sleep, and that’s the healing it would bring to their bodies. I watch my friends as they struggle with cardiac, respiratory and digestive problems, and know if they slept at night, healing might be triggered.
Who knows how much healthier each of us would be, given enough sleep? Would our skin be clearer, our hearts stronger and our immune systems more durable? If we could see the benefits kick-starting the habit of adequate sleep might trigger, I think we’d be even more anxious to give our loved ones the gift of sleep.
Sleep is the ultimate gift to offer those closest to us. When our loved ones sleep, their bodies have the chance to regroup, heal and strengthen for the days ahead. And what, after all, could be a better result from any gift we give?
Matthew White, the Sultan of Snooze, is the author of “Sleep Anywhere Anytime in 7 Minutes or Less” and “Eliminate Jet Lag Now”.
Matthew’s mission is to pull back the curtain on those cures. Follow him on
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Article Source: The gift of a good night’s sleep
