Rest...

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What is sleep to you? A great time to restore mind, body and soul, or just a necessity? Do you get enough sleep or do you sleep too much? As we are living in an efficiency focused society where we need to optimize our time to fit in work, family and pleasure, sleep tends to be our lowest priority. Many of us have the mentality that the less we sleep and the more we are awake (but still feel energized), the better and the more we can accomplish. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Our bodies are designed to follow the rhythm of nature and we are designed to have around 7.5-8 hours of sleep to recover and to boost our immune system, to have healthy brain functioning and a healthy metabolism. When we think that we can get energy from external resources such as caffeine, we are only tricking the body into feeling awake and energized instead of lettings ourselves feel if we have had enough sleep or not. Are you craving coffee the first thing in the morning? Then probably you do not sleep enough or have great quality of sleep. Also, this can be a harmful cycle, where we have more caffeine because we do not sleep enough or well and the caffeine itself inhibits us from having high quality sleep due to its toxic effect on our hormones and natural balance. When you wake up the body needs hydration, so the first thing you should be drinking is water (room temperature) instead of coffee that is dehydrating.
We know that healthy eating and movement is important for our health, but could we also view sleep as an important pillar and fundamental factor in staying healthy and alive? If you want to live a long and healthy life, avoid burning out, having healthy metabolism, having a clear mind and memory, you need to prioritize your sleep before video games, movies and drinks. Keep in mind that your diet also affects your sleep, therefore having a healthy diet makes it easier to fall asleep as well as waking up early. 
Sleep is also a way of us processing all the impressions we have in our daily lives and a way of getting rid of thoughts and processes that we have accumulated. So in truth, sleep helps us become more efficient in our daily work.

Honor your body by honoring your sleep...