Is is a sin to sleep for "entertainment"?

[catholicrocks]

OK, first of all, sleeping is one of my favorite things ever! There is nothing like that feeling when you have to get up early in the morning to get something done, then get to come home and crawl back in bed for a nap. It feels so good to put your pjs back on and crawl back under the covers…I totally just yawned while typing this!

I don’t think there is anything wrong with a mother catching a nap while the little ones are sleeping. No, I am not a mother yet, but I have learned to appreciate motherhood a little bit more since my best friend and sister have both become stay at home moms.

They (and all you moms) work CONSTANTLY to take care of everything around the home and to keep your children safe, happy, and healthy. If you want to take a nap, you have more than earned it.

Also, if you are like pretty much every other woman on the planet, when you go to bed at night, your mind wanders, you worry, you make mental lists of all the things that need to be done, the bills that have to paid, the things you didn’t get around to today, etc. Does not make for restful sleep, now does it?

Finally, I’ve kept my godson overnight a few times, and I couldn’t sleep at all! If he was making a sound, I was awake checking on him, if he wasn’t making a sound, I was awake making sure he was still breathing!

 

[jrabs]

Oh man - this is a thread for me.

I am a single parent of a teen and pre-teen. On weekends, I love a nap because it eases the stress in my life of handling all the chores and duties of raising children and maintaining a home on my own.

The naps are for my emotional and mental health.

I believe that the naps the OP takes have the same results in helping to maintain her physical stamina and help to maintain emotional consistency.

I also love the entire nap process - curling up with the kitty, closing the door from the noise of the boys, my soft pillow, etc.

Nothing sinful - a stay at home mom’s day is long and bustling. She is entitled to a break - as one would be at an employers job.

 

[Sandi]

No one really “enjoys” sleeping

Wrong, wrong, WRONG!! Oh, you are SO wrong.

In the words of Bill Cosby, I enjoy sleep the way some people enjoy a good steak. It’s so delicious to snuggle down into my comfortable bed with my hubby right next to me, and feel myself drift away. There’s no better feeling in the world.

 

[Lady_Cygnus]

If your naps aren’t interfering with your work then they are fine and they are probably more beneficial than not. Typically your body will only sleep if you need it, although lying in bed enjoying a warm sunbeam can make the most alert person snooze.

As for enjoying it, I spent most of my high school years sleeping. I enjoyed it because I liked the feeling of the nap. There are few things better than curling up in bed and feeling your body drift. I can also lucid dream - so I enjoyed creating worlds that weren’t as troublesome as the one I was in.

I also hated it though. At the time I didn’t know it, but I had a heart condition that made me weak. I couldn’t stay awake at all and thought I was the most slothful person in the world. One day I piled boxes on my bed so I couldn’t sleep and ended up snoozing on the floor. If you are finding this sort of thing happening, you might want to see a doctor about it, but an afternoon nap, even every day, is perfectly fine

 

[Teeliumtrozzle]

No- how could taking naps be a sin?As long as its not ‘idleness’(laziness to excess)then its NOT a sin.And its not laziness, because you still do housework.so theres nothing wrong with it.

 

[Jay2]

I’ll commit the sin of envy here!

I wish I could just sit down & do a 15-minute “recharge”. My buddy is one of those people who can grab a chair, and in 2 minutes he’s out. 10 minutes later boing!! Awake and ready to go.

Naps wreck me. If I lay down, it’s gonna be for a few hours!

 

[CB_Catholic]

If your naps aren’t interfering with your work then they are fine and they are probably more beneficial than not. Typically your body will only sleep if you need it, although lying in bed enjoying a warm sunbeam can make the most alert person snooze.

As for enjoying it, I spent most of my high school years sleeping. I enjoyed it because I liked the feeling of the nap. There are few things better than curling up in bed and feeling your body drift. I can also lucid dream - so I enjoyed creating worlds that weren’t as troublesome as the one I was in.

I also hated it though. At the time I didn’t know it, but I had a heart condition that made me weak. I couldn’t stay awake at all and thought I was the most slothful person in the world. One day I piled boxes on my bed so I couldn’t sleep and ended up snoozing on the floor. If you are finding this sort of thing happening, you might want to see a doctor about it, but an afternoon nap, even every day, is perfectly fine

I love a good nap. And I sure can identify with the above quote. There were two times in my life that I was oversleeping–one time was when I was in a severe clinical depression, and did not recognize it, and the other time was when I had a major heart blockage and did not know it–and needed open heart surgery. Both times I chastised myself severely and felt guilty before I knew there was a problem. And my family was getting on me about it too, which made matters worse. So if you find yourself oversleeping a lot, have yourself checked out by a doctor. Otherwise, a nice nap can be very beneficial to your health.

 

[water]

Even my computer goes to sleep after 20min.

 

[Icarus210]

and entertainment it is… God gives you “Eyelid Movies”… well that’s what I call dreams… lol:thumbsup:

 

[Biblioassistant]

For heaven’s sake - sleep if you want to. I’d love to be able to take an afternoon nap, but I’m not made that way. I envy good nappers. My mother used to nap when the baby did. Go ahead and ZZZZ away!

 

[Katie1723]

What I want to know is what the OP does for FUN, if he entertains himself by sleeping?
Kathy

 

[rayne89]

It would seem more profitable to use your waking homes for more productive tasks than sleeping when there is no need. Is it always a sin to eat something just for the pleasure of it? Probably not, but it certainly is when it becomes a regular habit. Life is too short to waste it sleeping away your time. The other side is that when one is sleeping enough at night and still wanting to nap it’s usually a sign that something is wrong with the individual. No one really “enjoys” sleeping. It’s refreshing when needed in much the same way it is refreshing to go to the restroom when you need to. That doesn’t make the elimination of waste a recreational activity.

Actually the medical experts recommend a short midday nap for good health. So your wrong that it’s a sign that something is wrong. I believe many European countries close shop midday and everyone goes home for a nap (maybe it’s changed but I believe it was that way not that long ago.)

 

[bookgirl]

no one really enjoys sleeping? oh, man! ask around!

i adore sleeping. i don’t always get my tasks out of the way first, though. i’m probably going to hell for napping.

If enjoying sleeping is a sin, then I’m sooooooooooooooo guilty. I can see not taking care of your responsibilities in order to sleep being a venial sin (how many times I’ve done it I don’t know). Sometimes too much sleep can be a sign of depression. But after saying all of that, I have a four mo. old who finally sleeps through the night, and after three mo. of only 4 or 5 hours a night and who knows what during the day, his night sleeping and predictable nap schedule is sooooooo wonderful, I still almost take a nap every day. I feel like I’m still getting caught up.

 

[bookgirl]

People enjoy feeling refreshed after sleeping, as for sleeping itself it is impossible to enjoy something when you aren’t even aware. Is taking a nap neccessary wrong? No, but when one oversleeps it is. It’s not a sin to eat, but it certainly is to over eat. It’s not a sin to play a computer game, but if that’s all you ever do then it is. After getting a full night’s sleep if one spends parts of each day, or most days, napping then that certainly is a matter of over indulgence. Whether one goes to hell for it is, thankfully, not up to any person.

I don’t think it’s the sleeping that’s enjoyable, it’s the falling asleep. And then it’s the waking up for no reason other than you just happen to wake up, THAT is a beautiful moment that I did not know was beautiful until four months ago .

 

[porthos11]

I must admit. I really enjoying sleeping. If given the opportunity, I will take a nap. Being a stay-at-home mom, I often nap while my toddler is napping. I also get a decent amount of sleep at night since my husband wakes up with our toddler. So, I cannot declare that I am sleep deprived.

Is it a sin to do this? Is there a rule of thumb to follow (e.g., one can only have 8 hours a night or less)? If it makes a difference, I keep up with my house cleaning, family finances, etc.

Thanks!

There is a rule of thumb. If you can nap in the afternoon, you actually need it.

8 hours night sleep is a general average, but mileage varies. Some can go on as little as six, others require as much as 9.

 

[Cath.orProtes]

I haven’t really read an official response as opposed to peoples’ opinions or preferences. This interests me as well. I can remember every dream I have all night long, every night. It is like watching a movie with me as the main character. I can wake myself up to “change the channel” or get myself back to sleep to continue that same good dream. I rarely have a not entertaining dream. So would that be a sin? Lets assume I live a simple, single life. Come home from work; responsibilities taken care of around the house; I intentionally go lie down to sleep because it is so enjoyable. Is it a sin? Sleep instead of TV watching. Should I be giving that time to help others? To the Parish? To local charity groups? Assume I give 10% and attend Mass. How about if after 8 hours of sleep I go back for more 2 hours or 3 hours just to finish the movie? Should I confess this?

 

[Cath.orProtes]

I haven’t really read an official response as opposed to peoples’ opinions or preferences. This interests me as well. I can remember every dream I have all night long, every night. It is like watching a movie with me as the main character. I can wake myself up to “change the channel” or get myself back to sleep to continue that same good dream. I rarely have a not entertaining dream. So would that be a sin? Lets assume I live a simple, single life. Come home from work; responsibilities taken care of around the house; I intentionally go lie down to sleep because it is so enjoyable. Is it a sin? Sleep instead of TV watching. Should I be giving that time to help others? To the Parish? To local charity groups? Assume I give 10% and attend Mass. How about if after 8 hours of sleep I go back for more 2 hours or 3 hours just to finish the movie? Should I confess this?

Anyone? I could use some (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[rwoehmke]

I haven’t really read an official response as opposed to peoples’ opinions or preferences. This interests me as well. I can remember every dream I have all night long, every night. It is like watching a movie with me as the main character. I can wake myself up to “change the channel” or get myself back to sleep to continue that same good dream. I rarely have a not entertaining dream. So would that be a sin? Lets assume I live a simple, single life. Come home from work; responsibilities taken care of around the house; I intentionally go lie down to sleep because it is so enjoyable. Is it a sin? Sleep instead of TV watching. Should I be giving that time to help others? To the Parish? To local charity groups? Assume I give 10% and attend Mass. How about if after 8 hours of sleep I go back for more 2 hours or 3 hours just to finish the movie? Should I confess this?

Anyone who can dream and remember them like you do is truly blessed. As long as you meet your responsibilities to others, how could it be considered wrong to sleep. I studied Virtues and some moral theology in college back when almost every Catholic was more aware of sin in their lives than of God’s merciful love. Despite that concern in over 50 years as an adult I have yet to hear or see any Church pronouncement on this matter.

When my American Colleagues at work spent time in Italy during the late 70’s, they were amazed that business shut down in the early afternoon for a couple of hours so folks could have a bite and take a nap. Now if they do that in Rome, why would it be considered a moral evil here? Enjoy those naps, because if your body did not need them to shore up your physical and mental health you wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Be aware too that the need can vary a great deal over one’s life span depending on a lot of things including being a wife and mother with little ones underfoot. My wife and I had six and I can assure you Mothers can usually use and benefit from a nap. Even God rested on the Seventh day and you can’t tell me he needed the rest.

 

[Cath.orProtes]

Anyone who can dream and remember them like you do is truly blessed. As long as you meet your responsibilities to others, how could it be considered wrong to sleep. I studied Virtues and some moral theology in college back when almost every Catholic was more aware of sin in their lives than of God’s merciful love. Despite that concern in over 50 years as an adult I have yet to hear or see any Church pronouncement on this matter.

When my American Colleagues at work spent time in Italy during the late 70’s, they were amazed that business shut down in the early afternoon for a couple of hours so folks could have a bite and take a nap. Now if they do that in Rome, why would it be considered a moral evil here? Enjoy those naps, because if your body did not need them to shore up your physical and mental health you wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Be aware too that the need can vary a great deal over one’s life span depending on a lot of things including being a wife and mother with little ones underfoot. My wife and I had six and I can assure you Mothers can usually use and benefit from a nap. Even God rested on the Seventh day and you can’t tell me he needed the rest.

Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut. Somehow I think it is gluttony since it is excessive sleeping and then obviously slothfulness since I am not doing anything. Thanks again for your response and I am glad the church has had no mention of it.

 

[Mintaka]

Remember, dreaming is Biblical, and “falling into a deep sleep” was God’s way of signaling to people that big changes were afoot. You’re just providing God lots of opportunities to talk to you.

Also, remember that God created us to have intervals of both activity and rest. God rested on the seventh day, and so created rest to be holy.

“Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me.”

“…He grants sleep to those He loves.”