A typical horse requires only three to four hours of sleep a day—and that often comes in the form of several naps of only a few minutes each.

Most humans need about eight hours each day, but newborn infants average twice that. Unfortunately, like horses, young babies don't take their sleep in long stretches. Instead they awake to eat—and have their diapers changed—every two to three hours.

Baby pondering

I ponder this at 3 a.m. while trying to rock my newborn son back to sleep and I wonder, "Why couldn't I be like a horse?" It would be wonderful to feel good after just three hours of rest. As a college student, I wondered why people had to spend nearly a third of their time asleep; wouldn't it be great to use all that time for studying, working or having fun? Why do we need to sleep at night?

The simple answer is that God made us that way. He is the one who said, "Let there be light"! He built into humans a circadian rhythm that makes us want to sleep at night when it's dark and wake up when the sun lights the sky. But, again, why? I ask that of my one-month-old son, but he doesn't answer. He just gurgles or cries.

Curious sleep

I got curious enough to do some research on the human need for sleep. It turns out that we can go without the normal amount of sleep for a while—as all new parents discover—but skimping on slumber over the long term can cause some serious problems. Sleep deprivation reduces our ability to think, handle stress, moderate emotions and maintain a healthy immune system.

Other physical effects can include high blood pressure, slurred speech and tremors. It could even eventually be fatal. Lab rats denied the chance to sleep die within two or three weeks.

During sleep our cells rejuvenate. Healing speeds up, and young bodies grow. Studies of dreaming suggest that our brains sort out and make sense of information and conduct problem solving during sleep.

Great awakening

These are all good reasons to get a good night's sleep (which I hope to be able to do again in a month or so), but some scriptures in the Bible indicate another one. The ancient prophet Jeremiah wrote of God, "His compassions fail not. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Think of it—each new day is a chance to start over. We may have made mistakes, but we can admit them, change our ways and begin anew. Perhaps our Creator made us to need sleep every night so that we would have that many opportunities to be forgiven and start over again.

In another place, the Bible says, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). Haven't you experienced that yourself? There is something about a new day that makes it easier to deal with problems of the past. The famous movie Gone With the Wind emphasizes that point with its closing line: "After all, tomorrow is another day!"

It dawned on me

This is certainly true for me. Our baby finally goes to sleep—and then so can I for a couple more hours before it will be time to get up and go to work. But this morning brings more than renewed responsibilities and chores. The dawn also brings a fresh start. God's mercies can always be renewed, and this is a chance for me to start all over again.