I recall from my younger days hearing my older relatives discuss their time serving our nation in the United States Armed Forces. One of the memories of those "war stories" was a phrase I still honor today, even though I do not have time in military service. That memory is this saying "Don't stand up when you can sit down and don't sit down when you can lay down".

The statement basically refers to the amount of rest or should I say lack of rest that many of our active service members face in their ordinary day-to-day operations. Now, according to the guidance in the Army's new Field Manual 7-22 rest is strongly encouraged for our service personnel.

The new guidance in the Field Manual suggests there is no such thing as too much sleep. The manual cites more mental clarity among well-rested soldiers along with a better sense of well-being too.

However, in the event that a solid seven to eight hours of sleep is not possible, the Field Manual instructs personnel to "nap like your life depends on it". I love that strategy by the way.

Now the U.S. Army is no stranger to studying the effects of sleep on troops in all kinds of situations. There is even a strategy that those of us civilians can employ to get to sleep quicker. The Army suggests this method will have you "sawing logs" in just a matter of moments.

However, in this case, the guidance in the Field Manual suggests that soldiers listen to soothing music, take warm showers, or even read a book. Pretty sure that's under peacetime conditions but if you can find a warm shower in your foxhole, why wouldn't you?

I think we, who are non-military, should use this knowledge gleaned by government studies for our own benefit. So, the next time you nod off at work or you can't get the yard mowed because you were sleeping, just remind those who would disturb your slumber that you are simply following the advice of the greatest fighting forces in the world. That should be enough to get them to leave you alone.

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