“Sleep,” wrote Shakespeare, “knits up the raveled sleeve of care.” On average, we spend eight hours a day sleeping while the body and mind are repaired and restored. But that sweet restoration can be elusive. One-third of all adult Americans report insomnia each year. Approximately 200,000 car crashes are attributed annually to excessive sleepiness, as well as some notable disasters such as the nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island.

Most of us have experienced the personal kind of meltdown that poor sleep causes. It lessens appreciation for life, interferes with relationships and is linked to poor health. Blessed by sound sleep for a lifetime, I developed a heightened sense of compassion for the sleepless during the hormonal storms of menopause that frequently cut my sleep down to three or four restless, sweaty, blanket-tossing hours a night. I wasn’t pleasant to be around during that time. Insomnia creates tension and irritability, interferes with concentration and can lead to depression. In 1995, researchers calculated that the total direct cost of insomnia was $13.9 billion for sleeping medications and doctor visits alone. The indirect costs in terms of decreased ability to function and to problem-solve, as well as absenteeism, make insomnia an economic issue as well as a pressing personal problem.

The reasons for poor sleep are legion. Everything from stress to eating crackers and watching movies in bed – giving the mind the impression that the bed is for play rather than for sleeping – have been investigated. But the studies leave out an obvious culprit. As a society, we are out of rhythm. We were meant to go to sleep when it’s dark and to awaken with the dawn. My husband, Kurt, knew an elderly man in West Virginia who lived in a cabin without electricity. Kurt asked him what he did at night and the man replied, “I go to sleep. That’s what we’re supposed to do when it gets dark.”

But human beings are adaptable creatures. Even with the advent of electric light, most of us have managed to get our rest. But other, more subtle rhythms also get violated in our busy culture. For example, energy tends to cycle down in the afternoon after lunch. Rather than taking a refreshing nap, most of us are more likely to reach for a cup of coffee. Ignoring the body’s signals that it’s time for rest, we just keep on keeping on. The result is that natural, cyclic patterns of wakefulness and drowsiness get flattened out. As a scientist, my guess, which is properly called a hypothesis, is that disorder in these subtle daytime rhythms contributes to sleep disturbances at night.

As a college student, I had a National Science Foundation fellowship to study cephalopods in scenic Naples, Italy. What that means is that I was a glorified octopus trainer at the Zoological Aquarium. But my eight-armed charges were on their own from noon until four or four-thirty in the afternoon. That was siesta time for the humans. We ate a big lunch and took a nap. Stores were closed and shutters were drawn. It was time to restore our rhythms. Many countries have a tradition of taking siestas. Some American companies are taking a lesson from them and providing nap rooms for employees. Taking a little catnap when your eyes start to close is much more restorative than a shot of espresso.

This month, pay attention to your sleep patterns. Do you feel refreshed in the morning or are you still tired? Insomnia refers to poor-quality sleep as well as to poor quantity. If you’re fatigued, try the obvious: Get more exercise and cut down on caffeine. Most important, listen to your body. When you’re tired, take a nap or try a short meditation, which can be equally restorative. Hang some sort of Do Not Disturb sign on your door. Genius at Work might do nicely. And it’s the truth. Getting in tune with your body’s natural rhythms will make you more creative, productive and peaceful. Napping awakens the genius within.

*Excerpted from Inner Peace For Busy People, 52 Simple Strategies for Transforming Your Life.

Joan Borysenko, PhD has a doctorate in medical sciences from Harvard Medical School. Currently the president of Mind/Body Health Sciences, Inc., she is an internationally known speaker and consultant in women’s health and spirituality, integrative medicine and the mind/body connection. She is the author of 10 books, including Minding the Body, Mending the Mind. Joan’s website is: www.JoanBorysenko.com.