How much sleep do you need when you are sick? A lot more than you think

When we’re sick, all we want to do is sleep. But it is far easier said than done.

A few days ago, I came down with what felt like the mother of all colds. My nose was a drippy, congested mess, my throat scratched something fierce, and my body felt heavy and listless. My best recourse — the only reasonable thing I was capable of doing in my miserable state — was to rest.

But my toxic trait is that I don’t rest easy, even when I’m sick. Call it an occupational hazard for someone who likes to keep busy. When I did manage to coax my body into some relaxation and eventually nod off to dreamland, my stuffy nose and itchy throat rendered restful sleep almost impossible. My first few nights were fitful tossing and turnings that had me waking up almost every hour, which was absolutely irritating, but my attention-seeking night prowler of a cat loved it. READ MORE FROM INVERSE