Read andreflect, consider, revisit, returnreflectconsiderrevisitreturn

Going to bed can sometimes offer temporary relief from a conversation, workload, or feeling we do not want to face. That possibility should not turn sleep into a moral diagnosis.

Bodies need rest. Older adults generally need seven to nine hours of sleep, though sleep may become lighter or more interrupted. Health conditions and medications can affect it too.

Need and avoidance can coexist. Someone may put off a difficult task and still require adequate sleep. Productivity does not overrule physiology, and persistent sleep problems or marked changes can deserve medical care.

The question is what this sleep is doing here: restoration, avoidance, illness, habit, recovery, or some combination. Every extra hour need not mean the same thing.