I was recently telling a friend how I believe I have slept enough in past years to last me a life time.
I have been called many names due to my sleeping habits.
In the uni, I had people who called me sleepers, this was due to the fact that I slept through a robbery attack in my hostel.
While sleep is a good thing as it was created by God for us to replenish lost strength, and there is only one person who does not sleep and that person is God, and even though we are at liberty to sleep, but some of us know that the amount of sleep we give ourselves to are anything but God-honouring.
The challenge with sleeping too much is that it hinders you from doing other productive things as you would have spent all the hours in cloud 9.
There is only an amount of sleep that your body needs to function per time, and once it reaches that threshold, every other sleep is just one where you'll wake up feeling tired from.
Excessive sleeping is responsible for so many things, it is the reason why some have failed to meet deadlines at work, failed major examinations, no longer have a relationship with God and the list continues.
So, let's go ahead to practical tips to help you stop sleeping too much.
1. Have A Reason To Wake Up Early
As a person, I have realized over time that I tend to indulge in more sleep when I don't have a solid reason to get me up from my sleep.
The reason you might also be sleeping too much is because you don't have a concrete reason to get you up from the bed.
If this is you, everyday, before you sleep, have the things you'd love to accomplish the next day clearly written down, after which you can then sleep.
You'd be surprised that the next day, when your body is craving for some extra sleep after it had gotten the amount of rest it needs to function, you'll be able to jump off the bed and get started at the things you should do.
2. Set Alarms
For as long as I can remember, my father's alarm clock is on 5:25am and that's the time he wakes us up for devotion every morning.
The beauty of all these automated gadgets is that, irrespective of how tired you are the previous night and how unwilling you are from standing up from your bed, it will still keep ringing and it will then be left to you if you will hearken to its call or not.
If you are a deep sleeper, another tip that can help you in your goal of waking up on time is to have your alarm clock or phone a little distance from you so when the alarm rings, or won't stop ringing, you then have to stand up to get it. Most often than not, just that standing alone is enough to have sleep take flight.
3. Have A Friend Wake You Up
Do you have a friend who isn't a deep sleeper like you?
Then you might want to consider soliciting that this friend help you in this area.
If you live alone, this friend may be take the role of your alarm clock by making sure you pick the call and you're off the bed before cutting the call.
Ask that friend who have no issues with waking up on time.
What are friends for anyway if not to strengthen us where we are weak.
4. Put Scriptures In Strategic Places As Well As On Your Phone
Scriptures are very relatable to every aspect of life.
There are various Scriptures that addresses the issue of excessive sleep, and you might consider reading and meditating on some of them until you become one with those scriptures and they begin to influence you.
I know there are others who are struggling with excess sleepyhead, you might consider putting this scriptures at places you can see them so that they can serve as constant reminders for you.
One of it is;
Proverbs 6:9-11 (TPT)
So wake up, sleepyhead. How long will you lie there?
When will you wake up and get out of bed?
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If you keep nodding off and thinking, "I'll do it later,' or say to yourself, I'll just stop back awhile and take it easy," just watch how the future unfolds!
By making excuses you'll learn what it means to go without. Poverty will pounce on you like a bandit and move in as your roommate for life.
Check out that scripture in other translations, it should help you keep your eyes wide open.
5. Check What You Eat And The Time You Take Your Meals In The Night
One reason you might find it difficult getting off from your bed might be due to the fact that you eat heavy meals late at night.
The best time to eat dinner is 6-8pm in the night, and while there are times you might still be on the road at that time, but make sure your meals aren't too heavy if you intend waking up in good time.
6. Have A Day To Indulge In An extra Time Of Sleep
This is called rewarding yourself.
If you have been able to successfully keep to your waking time overtime, your body deserves a thank you for a doing a good job and you might want to say the thank you by resting an hour or extra during weekend or
doing one thing that is definetly going to make you feel good.
The goal is not to make you sleep deprived but to make sure you don't spend all your God-given life on the bed.
7. Talk to God About It
Yes, do this.
It works.
The Father is interested in every aspect of our lives, and there is a lot excessive sleep might do to hinder the things the Father may have us do.
Include it into your prayers.
Ask the Lord to wake you up, you might end up pleasantly surprised by the result.
Life is all about discipline, when it's all been said and done here on earth, we will all be resting in eternity with Jesus, so start doing what must be done now, and don't allow too much of sleep hinder it.
What other tips do you employ to wake up early?
