I watched with amusement, recently, as a gentleman across the table from me at a church committee meeting struggled to stay awake. Our meeting came at the end of what had apparently been a tiring day for him, and now the meeting itself was running long. No one there would question this member’s devotion to the church or his commitment to its work. But he simply could not keep himself awake. His eyes would blur and begin to flicker, his head would start to bob, and finally his chin would sink into his chest.

As is so often the case in settings of involuntary sleep, he did not slumber for long. A few moments would pass, his body would jerk and his eyes would pop open again. Just as his naps did not last long, however, neither did his intermittent awakenings. Soon he was back into the famili…