Sleep is my superpower. Nary a second goes by after hitting the pillow before my eyes are closed and I’m en route to my first round of R.E.M. It’s an infuriating affront to my sleep-challenged friends, but if there’s any consolation to be found, it’s that I often feel Tired All The Time, despite getting the allotted nine hours.
Turns out, I’m not alone. The brain fog, emotional haze, and overwhelming fatigue that swirls in and out of my life seems to affect us all. And there’s an easy explanation for it. There are actually seven types of rest beyond repose that we need in order to fully function as human beings—from mental rest (switching off the screens) and creative rest (getting into nature) to social rest (a good lol with friends, or embracing solitude).
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a physician and author of Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, explores these seven types of rest as a way to truly recharge. Her research reveals that we’re all suffering from a rest deficit because we often confuse sleep with actual rest. “When someone comes in and they say they’re hurt, I can’t treat that without having more details: what hurts, where does it hurt, when does it hurt?” Dr. Dalton-Smith explains. The same goes for fatigue—once you get more specific about what kind of rest you need, you can begin to address it. Maybe, like me, you’ll see yourself reflected below.