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If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.
-Julius Erving
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From "Fit for God" by La Vita M. Weaver:
God knew that in the hustle and bustle of our society we would get so caught up in the everyday affairs of living we would forget a basic need such as rest. And He was right. Many people today complain of fatigue and exhaustion, and of not having enough time to do everything they need to do. Others rely on coffee and other stimulants to push them beyond their body's limit. Many health problems of today are associated with fatigue and overwork-some people are called workaholics. We insist that we don't have enough hours in the day to do everything we need to do, insinuating that the Omnipotent, Almighty, Wise, and Eternal Creator somehow didn't know what He was doing when He created the twenty-four hour day. God never intended for us to get so caught up in money, success, and doing so much that we forget about what is truly important in life. If we truly needed more time, He would have given it to us. The problem is not that we don't have enough time; the problem is that we don't use our time wisely. We try to do too much or we waste precious time.
God Himself set the stage by being an example. The Sabbath was a day set aside when the children of Israel could reflect on the goodness of God, on who He is all and He had done for them. The word "Sabbath" comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to cease." When they were in the wilderness, the children of Israel gathered twice as much manna on the sixth day so there would be enough for them to rest on the seventh day. Later, the Jewish household cooked the previous day so that on the Sabbath they could focus on God and rest from their daily work. Even their animals rested every seven days. The Sabbath was so important that God gave it to Moses as one of the Ten Commandments and it became a law.
When God designed the human body, He designed it to need rest. Without this rest it is impossible to function properly and continue to grow...Remember Elijah in I Kings, Chapter 19? He was the prophet of God who felt so all alone that he asked God if he could die. Well, Elijah also had another problem. After he ran an entire day's journey in the desert, he was exhausted, discouraged, and depressed. The angel of the Lord told him to get up and eat and drink something. After he did this, he rested. He then got up a second time, ate and drank again, and rested again. He was then strengthened and continued his forty-day journey. Although Elijah was miraculously used by the Spirit of God, he was still in a physical body with physical restrictions and limitations. He needed the food for strength, and he also needed the rest to refresh his body and prepare him to continue his journey ahead.
There is no doubt that not getting sufficient sleep is bad for your health. When most people are extremely tired, they tend to overeat.
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