For most of us, our weeks are filled with endless activities. We work extended hours, over-commit our time and efforts in too many areas—even noble ones. We overbook appointments, schedule more social engagements than we can possibly attend (unless we clone ourselves!) and do not build in adequate sleep or rest time. Perhaps we don’t take time for proper sleep or rest because our culture sees it as being unproductive or even downright slothful—or simply because we do not take time to build it into our over-packed schedules. Not taking time for sleep and rest, however, can have negative health consequences. Athletes understand fully that bodies need to recuperate. Triathletes are fastidious about not doing any swimming, biking, or running one day a week, and NFL players always recuperate the day after a game. So why are we not following suit? For many, this time of rest is supposed to occur over the weekend, but weekends can be filled with shopping, running errands, home repairs, running kids here and there—and the tiring list goes on and on. Before you know it, you are headlong into another busy week without having or taking any break in the action. And the rat-race cycle continues… The truth is that going at such a pace is unsustainable. Without regular sleep and rest, we cannot be as attentive to others, give our best to our jobs, maintain optimal productivity in work or life or even think clearly.  The bottom line? You need regular sleep and rest to regroup and recuperate. If not, we could literally be working ourselves to death. Do yourself a favor. Be intentional about getting adequate sleep and rest.