A couple of weeks ago, I went to a doctor to complain that I'm sleeping too much. He told me I need about 8hours of sleep a day. Well, I told him he's lying and I want to tell you all today, don't be deceived, if you are in your prime age (20's and 30's), and you are still sleeping eight hours a night, something is pretty wrong.

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Please note that this is not a medical advice. I'm just sharing my thoughts with you my readers. A lot of us sleep longer than necessary for our growth and financial achievements. It is necessary to cut down your sleep, supplement it with daily exercises and eat healthy.

I read this particular quote many years ago when I was in my second year in secondary school. It's a quote from Henry Longfellow and it says

The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night. - HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW.

Before this time I was doing poorly in my studies and I loved the feeling of my pillows too much, I could barely sacrificed my sleep for anything else. But things changed when I became victim of some bullies. I didn't have the physical strength then to fight them back so I decided to be the brain of the class so I could have more friends and even teachers on my side. That was when that quote became so dear to me like the ten commandments. I gave up a lot of hours of sleep to about only 4-5hours a night, and that contributed greatly to the man I am today.

So today, it's been a while I read the Bible. But I decided to check some scriptural references from the Bible that pertains to excessive sleep as the fastest way to lose your dreams. Isn't it funny that one has to be awake to pursue his/her real dreams.
So here are a few Bible quotes from the book of Proverbs on this matter.

19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Proverbs

20:13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. Proverbs

The two portions above clearly shows the relationship between excessive sleep and poverty. While some people are busy sleeping, their companions are busy building networks and gaining knowledge.

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26:14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. Proverbs

6:9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
6:11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. Proverbs

Most of us have this problem that is talked about above. When you want to wake up by 5.00am, then you got awake but decided to give yourself some extra seconds on the pillow. The seconds turn to minutes and minutes turn to an hour. We all have this issue at some point. You have to be ruthless to yourself and decide to leave the bed the exact moment you wake. As a rule, I have decided that in the morning, once my eyes open, I must stand up from my bed immediately. You will have a thousand and one reason to add a little sleep, a little cuddling on the pillow, a little slumber, you will be turning on the bed as a door turns on its hinges. STOP IT

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6:4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
6:5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. Proverbs

First step to breaking free is to examine if you are sleeping too much. The acceptance period is difficult and differs from one person to another. I won't decide for you but for myself if it's more than *5hours a night, then it's too much. Once you examine yourself and accept that you are oversleeping, next step is to make a conscious efforts to break free from the chains of sleep. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hands of the hunter. Find whatever method works for you.

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One strategy I used was to sit on my working table and continue reading even when I was sleeping. Truth is I won't understand anything but after some weeks of consistently refusing to give in to the sleeps, my body realised that between the hours of 1am and 5am, I should be awake. So even on days I don't have light to work with, I'll still be awake through the night during these hours.

Take charge of your body and teach it what you want for it to do.

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Also, do you know that the more you sleep, the more you give your enemies and the competitors the chance to bury you in the sand. You might say you are not in competition with anyone but quote this from me

That your friend if given the chance wants to take your house, your job, your wife, even your dog.

See what the Bible says in Matthew

13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. Matthew

Most of us don't read the news to stay updated on information and developments. My friend once had a discussion with a governor's wife who mentioned that she and the husband sleep for just a few hours a day. She mentioned that the Nigerian political environment is a rough one and you have to be awake getting updated on all front. An extra one hour sleep is enough for you to lose election or get impeached. Your enemies are constantly sowing weeds and tares among your wheat, you have to be awake to nip it in the bud else you will wake up one day to see a full grown iroko tree in your vegetable garden. I hope you get the gist?

So I ask again: Are you sleeping away your future?

Don't tell me the answer, you can add some contributions to the discussion but the question above is for you to tell your own self the real truth.

Btw, I don't support the used of drugs to stay awake. It's just a short term solution to a long term problem which probably will have bigger side effects.

If your problem persists and you can't control, you can see a doctor as it might be an indicator of a bigger medical condition. Like in my case, medical revealed I had chloroquine resistant malaria so the previous malaria treatment didn't work. After solving that, I'm back to 18-20 hours work time (kidding, I play around too and usually take an hour nap by noon).