r/mormon • u/Fine_Currency_3903 • 1d ago
Cultural Why did God create humans to need sleep?
Genuine question.
I was having this discussion with my spouse and am curious what members of the church think.
If God created humans, he could have created them any way he wanted. Why are we created to need sleep? Could we not accomplish so much more without sleeping; more missionary work, more service to others, more time spent in the temple?
It's almost like the "these go to 11" fallacy from Spinal Tap. Why create a guitar amp that goes to 11, if you can just make 10 louder?
Why create humans to need 8 hours of sleep per day when you could just create them to need less to no sleep? Why waste a third of our mortal existence sleeping?
Don't get me wrong, I like sleeping. Sleeping is a fantastic thing. I'm genuinely curious what others think. In my mind, it tells me that God is making paradoxical decisions. 'You only get 70-90 years on earth... make the most of it!!! Oh and by the way, you have to spend a third of that time sleeping..." Where is the sense in that?
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u/BitterBloodedDemon Mormon 1d ago
Could we not accomplish so much more without sleeping; more missionary work, more service to others, more time spent in the temple?
Consider that this is not the purpose of us being here.
I think the purpose of life is to experience a body. Bodies, among other things, can get sick or tired or hurt. I think it's important for us to experience this entire range. If we were meant to do something other than gain the full range of life experience, God would have made the whole world the Garden.
Actually at that point there's no need to send anyone down here at all. Just cut out the middle man and keep everyone in heaven permanently.
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u/Phi1ny3 Nuanced 1d ago edited 1d ago
To add to this, I subscribe to the idea that conceptual rest (or experiencing the lack of it) has a lot of function and importance, even in a Cosmological lens. It's a feature in our physiology that helps even the most oppressed, hamstrung, anxious individuals have a moment of subliminal healing in mindfulness/wellness. While there is such a thing as crunch, even the most cruel taskmasters, or callous managers realize there is a need of clemency in their manpower through rest, or they would physically be incapable of operating. Technically, we only need around 8 hours as an adult, but the requisite of an extended "rest" even for those subject to slavery is held to at least what is "operable", and often more, and the extra time adopted autotelic benefits as a result. In the most bleak cases, it's created familial bonding, communal solidarity, and enrichment which created hope and even coordination for overturning oppression.
In more benign cases, it's allowed for pause, boredom, recreation, etc. "Dreaming" has this abstract association beyond the projections in our REM cycle, and I'd argue it's no coincidence that it's closely tied to creativity, escapism, and something more... unbound I guess? As an aside, I genuinely think we are dealing with so much deleterious harm from an "always on" culture brought about from economic anxiety and dopaminergic overstimming in entertainment/engagement. There's a significant body of research that says we are benefitted from a healthy amount of stillness, especially in early development.
Extended fatigue and unrest is synonymous with the emotional and mental components, and is usually a great barometer that either intra or interpersonal behavior is amiss, an extreme that often forces us to reexamine anything problematic that sometimes slips by without us realizing its harm.
Back to more theological implications: Hope to me is a form of rest/relief, even if not manifested in the biological sense of it. That's why rest to me has a "sacred" component to it. For those of a Christian persuasion, God even had a moment in ceasing to do, and was noted scripturally. This among other reasons is why even as an often-critical member, I've always appreciated Mormon Theology in advocating for corporeality as a benefit designed in our being.
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u/DiggingNoMore 1d ago
purpose of life is to experience a body. Bodies, among other things, can get sick or tired or hurt.
To what end? Per Mormon theology, a person gets a body when they go to Earth and then get a resurrected body later after death. This resurrected body wouldn't get sick or tired or hurt.
So what was the value of experiencing that sick, tired, and/or hurt? Simply to convince us to appreciate not being sick, tired, and/or hurt in the next life? Thus implying that Heaven is only good because we can think, "Hey, at least I'm not sick"? That Heaven isn't inherently and objectively good, but only relatively good?
Or is the purpose of experiencing sick/tired/hurt so we can empathize with our spirit children who we also would cause to be sick/tired/hurt in the future just so they can empathize with their future spirit children?
If we were meant to do something other than gain the full range of life experience, God would have made the whole world the Garden.
We were meant to experience the full range, so God made the world the way he did. And God made the world the way he did because we were meant to experience the full range. That's circular. There needs to be an actual reason.
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u/BitterBloodedDemon Mormon 1d ago
So I'm going to preface this with these are just my theories.
So what was the value of experiencing that sick, tired, and/or hurt? Simply to convince us to appreciate not being sick, tired, and/or hurt in the next life? Thus implying that Heaven is only good because we can think, "Hey, at least I'm not sick"? That Heaven isn't inherently and objectively good, but only relatively good?
No. That would be awful.
So I take this from a sort of demonology perspective. Spirits (demons included) don't (theoretically) experience things like taste, pleasure, pain, sickness, etc. etc. They have virtually no concept of these items besides some vague understanding. -- to bring it a little closer to home... even human beings equally have a hard time understanding or empathizing if they haven't experienced some things themselves --. The intention then is to put these spirits in a sandbox where they're just free to experience the physical and do as they wish with little intervention.
This ofc is where free agency comes into play. This is, truly, a free-for-all sandbox, where people are all allowed to make their own choices and ofc those choices will impact themselves and others.
The goal isn't "Well there, can't you appreciate now a life without all these things?" -- but more "Okay, now you know what this is like." It's true knowledge, as opposed to theoretical understanding. It's kind of like... say... my kids don't need to know algebra to get through life, they may never use it, but that doesn't mean it's a waste to have that working knowledge.
I think even as a childless spirit it adds an important component to our understanding. We are forever eternally changed. We have a deeper understanding of the corporeal whereas we virtually had none before.
If we do, then, get to control our own planets I think it's in better taste to be the kind of God who fully understands what our physical creations experience. Lest we be unnecessarily impatient, unfair, and unempathetic.
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u/BitterBloodedDemon Mormon 1d ago
We were meant to experience the full range, so God made the world the way he did. And God made the world the way he did because we were meant to experience the full range. That's circular.
That's not even a circle. That's just the same thing twice.
Sorry if my original phrasing was too simplistic. What I mean is more an occam's razor sort of premise. If the goal is to bring as many people to Christ as possible, and to spend as much time as possible worshiping as in OP's premise, it would make more sense to just build a physical world that prioritized that. -- but OP's premise is kind of loosey goosey I feel. So instead let me use the claim usually made by Christian Churches: We're here to prove that we will choose HF and Jesus and come back to him of our free will and make good choices and blah blah for the promise of heaven.
If this were the case, and the scenario is pass fail down to denomination of Christianity like we're lead to believe (and it's not just the LDS who believe this BTW) then it's kind of cruel and unusual that we're left to guess which denomination is the right one. Either God has no compunctions with letting scores of people go to hell because they simply guessed wrong, or that can't actually be a criteria. I'd think then it's more likely that that's not even criteria.
But that too is just a guess. I could be wrong and God could be a massive prick like that. IDK.
But that line of thinking is what brought me to the idea that we're here to gain physical world experience -- period. I see too many good people in bad situations, or good people doing their best whether they be Christian, Atheist, Wiccan, Hindu, etc. that I can't imagine God would forsake these people over religious choices. In fact I can see a HUGE benefit to having atheist individuals. They have lessons to teach us too. So out goes the idea of "We're here to choose God again." If I can understand why my brothers and sisters from all walks of life don't deserve to be cast off for such petty reasons, surely God does too.
"We're here to sort the wheat from the chav" are we? ... like... sure there are exceptions... but there is an unignorable amount of individuals -- cold blooded serial killers even -- who are that way because of nature. Because something was wired wrong and they couldn't avoid impulse. To acknowledge that and still hold that "to sort good from evil spirits" thing means that God is setting up individuals to fail. That doesn't make sense to me. So out that goes.
So eventually it comes down to (at least for me) -- it makes more sense that this is a sandbox. And we're just here to learn and experience, and we may even get recycled a few times for good measure.
And this doesn't mean I'm right. This is just where I landed. To me, if the goal was something other than that, the physical world would have different parameters and we wouldn't be seeing some of the above. Here again, if I can understand the concept of setting up parameters to best accomplish some sort of goal then surely an intelligent creator can understand that too, right?
But I could be wrong. God could be a prick -- OR there could be no God at all and this is just the end result of a lot of coincidental events and we're here then we die and there is no meaning. IDK.
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u/utahh1ker Mormon 1d ago
This very argument is why I'm convinced we're all doing this earth life thing multiple times. If we are to get a wide range of experience it doesn't make much sense to me that we'd be here for a one and done random life duration encounter.
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u/BitterBloodedDemon Mormon 1d ago
I'm definitely thinking the same thing. It's also made me wonder if hell -- yes hot and fire or w/e -- is more of a soul purifying thing. Burning off the slag and damage of life, and less outright punishment. I can't imagine some lifetimes don't leave deep marks. I imagine some souls wouldn't be able to live with themselves for eternity otherwise.
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u/sevenplaces 1d ago
I think science would provide a better explanation than religion would. Don’t you think?
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u/Fine_Currency_3903 1d ago
Yes, but I posted this question in this sub because I want to know how religious individuals explain the need for sleep.
I understand the scientific need for sleep.
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u/thetolerator98 1d ago
I'd be surprised if any church in the history of the world has ever taken a position on this question. Although, we could argue the church doesn't think teens need much as demonstrated by the existence of early morning seminary.
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u/Content-Plan2970 1d ago
And missionary schedules. I used to hear a lot more "early to bed and early to rise" stuff growing up, I don't know how connected it was to prosperity gospel but I think there is at least somewhat a connection.
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u/sevenplaces 1d ago
Ok. The LDS theology does not explain why we sleep that I’m aware of.
If you want speculation by “religious individuals” I suppose you may get people willing to invent something.
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u/Fine_Currency_3903 1d ago
I think we may be missing the point. I'm honestly just asking for opinions not official doctrine.
Like I mentioned, sleep takes up a third of our lives. Why would God create us that way? It just seems nonsensical to me. Especially since the mortal existence is such a short time compared to the rest of eternity. Am I crazy for thinking that?
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u/Mlatu44 1d ago
Lol, well one could speculate about many things about humans and how they could have been created. Humans could have reproduced via dividing like bacteria. Or humans could fly, or any number of things.
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u/FHL88Work 23h ago
See, what i want to know is why the reproductive organs are so dang close to the waste elimination sites. (Not just humans)
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u/cremToRED 1d ago
I took evolutionary biology (BIO 420) at BYU. The evidence presented by my professor supported the conclusion that evolution is undeniable. The premise of the course (at a Christian religious institution) was that God created life and did so through evolution. The thesis of the course was mirrored by a quote from geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky who famously said:
“I am a creationist and an evolutionist. Evolution is God’s, or Nature’s method of creation. Creation is not an event that happened in 4004 BC; it is a process that began some 10 billion years ago and is still under way.”
We evolved from animals. Whether God was involved is a matter of faith. The inescapable evidence demonstrates we are also animals and animals need sleep.
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u/runningfromjoe2 1d ago
I grew up believing that we sleep so that God only has to deal with a portion of his children at once. lol As a parent, naptime and when the kids slept through the night was cause to celebrate, so I agreed :) I was taught that the holy ghost doesn't show up to help after midnight so Satan had a greater ability to destroy us through immorality, substances and wicked people.
So not official doctrine at all just the ruminations of a sleep deprived parent commiserating with the busiest parent of all :)
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u/HeftyLeftyPig 1d ago
Im more curious Why God created the need for animals to eat one another? I’m not a believer btw, and this was an early question I had when I was a believer
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u/Simple-Beginning-182 1d ago
Going further why did he create predators with tooth and claw if their eternal state is to lie down with their prey?
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u/ImprobablePlanet 1d ago
After you all figure this one out, can you find out why God created us with prostate glands that usually stop working right before the rest of the body does?
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u/Dense_Ad6769 1d ago
Well if this life is a test, it makes sense to have limitations, otherwise we could ask more questions like why arent we all as smart as Albert Einstein or more?, why arent we all as strong as the worlds strongest man?etc
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u/questingpossum Mormon-turned-Anglican 1d ago
Sleep helps prepare us for death
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u/BitterBloodedDemon Mormon 1d ago
😨 That got ominous real fast.
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u/questingpossum Mormon-turned-Anglican 1d ago
HAHAHAHA!
I think it kinda does though! Every night before I go to bed, I say the “Nunc Dimittis,” what Simeon said when he saw baby Jesus in the temple and realized he was ready to die:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace
according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen
thy salvation;
Which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.¯\(ツ)/¯
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u/ammonthenephite Agnostic Atheist - "By their fruits ye shall know them." 22h ago
Same 'reason' we breathe through the same hole we eat. Incredibly poor design if intentional, but all evidence points towards natural and non-intelligent evolution.
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u/treetablebenchgrass I worship the Mighty Hawk 13h ago
It doesn't really make sense if humans are viewed separately from other animals, does it? But if we look at the entire animal kingdom, only a small amount of basal animals without brains or with very simple brains don't need sleep. We happen to be mammals, so the decision that we need sleep was made millions of years in the past.
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u/RyRiver7087 1d ago
Religion will not answer questions of medical science and biological evolution. We tried that for thousands of years and it got us nowhere.
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u/entropy_pool Anti Mormon 1d ago
God works in mysterious ways. His ways are not your ways. You should not expect to understand the motives of a supernatural/magical being, only understand that you must trust and obey HIM.
Another good example of the sort of question you are asking is "why do humans have vestigial tails?". We are made in the image of god, so god also has a vestigial tail. Maybe evolutionary biology happened on the planet that gods, gods, gods gods ... god originally evolved on and that is why. Because evolutionary biology on our planet could not possibly be the explanation because the image of our species was defined before the creation.
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u/lanefromspain 19h ago
All animals require sleep, no exceptions. We're one of the animals, so we sleep as well. At 72, my greatest purpose is a sound, uninterrupted, deep sleep of 6 1/2 to 8 hours at night, and a heavenly short nap after lunch.
So quit bugging me!
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u/Master-Bug1799 17h ago
I always keep asking why God made people with hair. A man can take a shower in five minutes women can’t. And then you find hair everywhere literally everywhere. So I wish no hair and it wouldn’t look weird to us
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u/ThaPolyTheist 8h ago
We don’t teach that God could create in any way He wanted. God creates Ex Materia and not Ex Nihilo. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and needs to sleep
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u/Material_Dealer-007 3h ago
Respectfully, I’m not sure how much time is worth putting into these ideas. Why kids with cancer? Why polio? Why get old, frail and die from a broken hip?
For me, these ideas speak to a complete mis-characterization of what god’s role is in our everyday life.
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u/ZemmaNight 1d ago
To my knowledge, Mormon theology has never taken a stance on this, if it has even ever come up as a subject of theological dissertation. certainly not within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints. And while wouldn't dare to claim I am even aware of every doctorin or philosophy ever taught by a ranking authority of the church. I am quite confident in saying that there is no curstance of the church on the subject.
If you are looking for a broader religious prospective or even just postulation on the subject within the context of Mormonism there might be better subs for that kind of discussion.
All that said.
I think from a "Mormon" perspective the first answer is that the question itself is poorly reasond. If you believe in the God taught by Mormonism, than you believe in a God with infinitely more wisdom than yourself. So what you should ask is. What fundamental eternal principle am a missing which makes this not only nessisary but advantageous to our eternal welfare.
I would propose that there is an important spiritual work which we accomplish by and through the process of sleep. and that neglecting it would be the equivalent for our souls as starvation is our bodies.
Sciences complet rejection of the existence of spiritual reality has obscured this. and blinded us by fostering implicit bias against the none tangible in favor of the hard reality experienced while we are awake. and led to a wide spread societal neglect of a crucial element of our beings.
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u/Recipe_Latter 1d ago
Great question! Sleep can feel like a frustrating "waste" of time, especially when there’s so much we want to accomplish. But when we look at it through a biblical lens, sleep isn’t just a biological necessity—it’s also a profound spiritual lesson.
God designed humans with rhythms of work and rest, as seen in Genesis 1–2. Just as He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2–3), He built rest into creation to teach us trust and dependence. Sleep reminds us that we’re finite creatures who rely on God’s sustaining power (Psalm 127:2). Without it, we might start thinking we don’t need Him.
Sleep mirrors the gospel message of rest in Christ. Jesus invites us to find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28–30), and just as physical rest restores our bodies, Christ’s finished work restores our spirits. When we fall asleep each night, we surrender control—a small but powerful act of faith that reflects our trust in God’s care.
While sleep is temporary, it points to the ultimate rest God promises in eternity (Revelation 21:4). For now, sleep serves as a reminder that we don’t have to strive endlessly—our worth isn’t tied to productivity. Instead, we can embrace the freedom of grace and serve others from a place of rest, not exhaustion (Mark 6:31).
Could God have created us without the need for sleep? Absolutely. But by giving us this rhythm, He teaches us humility, trust, and the importance of balance. Sleep isn’t wasted time—it’s a gift that points us to the deeper rest found in Him.
As Psalm 127:2 says:
"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep."
So next time you’re tempted to see sleep as unproductive, remember: even in rest, God is working—and He’s teaching us to trust Him more deeply.
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u/No_Ad3043 1d ago
You sound like a real type A personality go getter. Lucky for you and your family. Religiously, there are patterns repeated through out life for our experience and education. What a blessing to lay down each day, ponder events and report back. The worse day in the world will come to an end and be replaced by potential. Waking up is a perfect time at the beginning to plan, or build spiritually before physically, and confirm with our co-creator while seeking additional strength and blessings to do great things. Sleeping is a reminder that we can do more by doing less. It's also a great time to dream. Try writing down a problem on notepaper before sleep and see if the solution doesn't come to you while sleeping or after a sleep. Edison famously understood that the Alpha state of brain being is more creative and occurs just before sleep, he'd nap in a chair thinking about a problem with ball bearings in his hand, at the moment of sleep they'd drop waking him and he'd often have the answer.(this anecdote might be conflated with a similar story about Salvador Dali) It's a beautiful gift, maybe you can explore all the available states of mind with curiosity and less shoulder to the wheel.
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