Why should I care about all this though?
(Hopefully) as you know, our well-being all depends on how well our four pillars are supported. The four pillars being - social / taha whanau , mental/emotional / taha hinengaro , spiritual / taha wairua & physical / taha tinana.
Let's use 'sleep' to demonstrate how these pillars work, shall we?
The pillar that a lot of people first think of - physical. This aspect refers to our body, our appearance. A healthy amount of sleep makes sure that your skin ends up staying moisturised. In turn your skin will heal itself nicely when needed. If you worry about how your skin appears sleep does reduce those eye bags. Unfortunately too many late nights results in permanent eyebags. Some cases of acne are caused by a lack of sleep, so if you're seeing an unusual amount of acne check your sleeping pattern. Enough sleep will reduce any risks of heart-related conditions also.
Second pillar to look at is social. Social is all about your relationships with other people. As it is confirmed that sleep is a huge factor in how your mood is, you must know that your relationships are dependent on your feelings. Imagine, every night you've been getting 8 hours of sleep. Of course you're going to wake up refreshed and greet the day with an open mindset! When it's time for you to interact with others it will be easier to savour that fresh feeling and start talking to people in a way that will end up making you both pleased.
The third pillar is mental/emotional. This refers to your thoughts and feelings. As I have mentioned just previously, sleep brightens your mood which will allow you to view the world (and yourself) through a clear state of mind. That makes things easier to judge. It also enhances your critical thinking skills and the pace at which you come up with ideas + it opens up your creativity. With enough sleep under your belt you may find that you are able to remember much more than before.
Lastly, the spiritual pillar. This pillar looks at the meanings and purposes you hold in your life. The spiritual body thrives on sleep. Sleep brings you closer to yourself. It leaves you alone to collect thoughts you have picked up during the day. This part of the day may be the only time you have to reflect back and think about how you can improve or what you want to aim for the next day. Many use sleep as a coping mechanism, it's a comforting time for them.
You should start caring about the amount of sleep you gain because of how fundamental it is to your well-being. Without a good sleeping pattern you will find all four of your pillars start to crumble until it completely falls apart. That means that you will end up with a very... lacking life.
Please remember that getting one night of good rest will not fully help your well-being. Sleep is something that needs to be regulated. If you're trying to overcome unhealthy sleep patterns, just know that it will take a few weeks before you can see a huge change.
