Ramblings of an ocassional insomniac

I am back writing this blog after two-and-a-half months. And it took me a bout of insomnia to get here. Fortunately I am unable to sleep only once a month on an average, so I am happy blaming it on the ocassional 5pm coffee or a bout of work-related hangover. And I am relieved it's not a Sunday night, or a Monday morning rather, when many of us dread the start of another week of work.

Not that it helps, however. Sleeplessness has been attributed to a number of reasons over the years, as life gets more hectic and stressful. Tension, pressure in personal and professional life, frequent long-distance travel as well as excessive exercise have been blamed for this. A recent story that has been in circulation relates to the death of Ranjan Das, who headed SAP's Indian operations, and by any measure was considered a healthy and active individual till he succumbed to a heart attack in late October. Successful, hard-working and a fitness freak with a marathon under his belt, Das is said to have survived on four hours of sleep a day. Not for long, sadly.

It is events such as these that make us stop and think at times. What is the right balance to strike between work and play and rest? How much is good-to-have, and how much is a must-have? Do our views of wants and needs change beyond recognition at times? If yes, what are the costs that we have to bear as a result? There are no easy answers, and the answer that seems right to me may not seem right to someone else. Like most things in life, it is up to us to draw our lines and set limits while resisting the temptation of benchmarking against all and sundry.

But let me leave that for some other. Not today, since the morning is not far away, and I need to rest to fight another day.