Why You’re Tired All the Time (Hint: You’re Not Dreaming Enough)

Okay, can we talk about sleep for a second?

We don’t get sleep because we don’t get sleep. Like...as a culture, we’ve completely misunderstood it. We treat it like a backup plan. Like something to do when everything else is done. You know that whole “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” vibe? Yeah. It’s kind of wrecking us.

We’ve turned sleep into a status symbol or a sign of weakness. Either you don’t need it (“I’m too busy” ) or you feel guilty for wanting it. I used to think the same way, by the way. I used to cut corners on sleep like it was the easiest thing to sacrifice. But now? Now I know better.

Sleep Isn’t Just Rest—It’s Repair

Most of us think of sleep as just…not being awake. Like an off switch. But it’s so. much. more. Sleep is when your body resets, your brain organizes the chaos, your emotions untangle themselves.

And dreaming? Oof. That’s the part we’re seriously starving for.

We are dream deprived. And it’s not just poetic—it’s biological.

Why Dreaming Actually Matters (Like, a Lot)

When we dream—specifically during REM sleep—our brain is doing this crazy beautiful deep-clean. It’s processing information, helping us make sense of our experiences and literally healing our emotional wounds. It’s where memories get filed, lessons get absorbed and emotional residue gets cleared out.

When you don’t get enough REM sleep (hello, most of us), your brain doesn’t just let it slide. It tries to catch up later. That’s called REM rebound—and it can leave you feeling foggy, irritable, totally wiped and weirdly disconnected from yourself.

There’s a quote I stumbled on recently that hit me hard:
“Depression is the loss of one’s dreams.”

I mean...damn. That’s both a metaphor and medicine, right?

Because it’s not just about losing the big dreams—like the vision board ones. It’s about losing the actual, nightly ones. The ones that help you process your day and stay emotionally grounded. And when we lose those? We start feeling stuck, drained and low-key numb.

So, What Do We Do?

We start treating sleep like the sacred reset it is.
We stop trying to hack it, fight it or shame ourselves for needing it.
We start making space for dreaming again—not just at night but in life.

Because when we’re rested—really rested—we’re more creative, more resilient, more ourselves.

So if you’ve been feeling off, overwhelmed or feel like you’re running on fumes...ask yourself this:

Are you getting sleep or are you just shutting down?
Are you rested or are you dream deprived?

Big difference. Life-changing difference.

And once you start reclaiming your sleep? Your clarity, energy and emotional firepower all come roaring back.

Trust me—I’ve lived on both sides of this. And I will never treat sleep like a luxury again.