Sleep Is a Weapon

As we contemplate the need for sleep and all that achieving a balance of sleeping and waking can bring to us, it is clear that there are many important reasons to find the time to descend to what the Greeks call the land of Hypnos an appropriate amount of time. Getting enough sleep makes us better family members, friends, lovers, drivers, writers, cooks and pretty much everything else that is of importance in our lives. It also makes us better warriors — an unfortunately necessary function in order to defend our freedoms, repel terrorist attacks, achieve order in the global commons, and uphold the values we all cherish. In her new book, The Sleep Revolution, Greek-American writer Arianna Huffington correctly points out, “Only by renewing our relationship with sleep can we take back control of our lives.” This is as profoundly true in a military context as it is in a civilian sense.