Jade, Every system in your body is refreshed and restored each time you sleep. Healing occurs during our sleep cycles, so when you are ill or run down, honor your body’s needs for more sleep. Listen to your body. Your body will tell you how much sleep you need. Practice awareness and respect the messages your body sends you. Don’t try to force it into an artificial pattern that causes you to be chronically overtired. We have a seriously damaging cultural myth that people who sleep fewer hours are more productive and in some way more “successful,” when in fact the opposite is really true. Well-rested people are more focused and efficient than the sleep-deprived.