There is no question that our physical bodies need sleep in order to function properly on the earth. God created our bodies to need the sleep-wake cycle for optimum health, matching the natural rhythms of day and night. But what happens when we leave this earth? Will our bodies need sleep once we are in heaven?
There are a couple different heavenly realms to consider. First, once those who are "in Christ" die, they will be with Him in the current heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43), but will not have their fully restored bodies until they are resurrected when Jesus returns (1 Corinthians 15:40; 2 Corinthians 4:14; John 5:28–29). When Jesus returns, He will establish a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1–4).
Heaven exists within a spiritual realm, beyond the known earth and universe, and our earthly bodies are not built for a heavenly existence (1 Corinthians 15:50). During our season in heaven between death and resurrection, we may have different "bodies" than our earthly bodies now. Our souls and spirits will be living, but it is unlikely that the bodies we have will need sleep—they may not even be capable of sleep. If the examples of heavenly beings are safe for us to follow, we will be exalting the Lord day and night (Revelation 4:6–11; 7:11).
When Jesus establishes the new heaven and new earth, all things will be restored (Acts 3:21). As Christ followers, our resurrection consists of our heavenly spirits that have been with Christ being reunited with our newly restored human bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Isaiah 65:17). The new earth will be illuminated by the glory of the Lord, and there will be no night (Revelation 21:25), which could lead us to conclude that there will be no designated time for sleeping and it may therefore not be an option.
Throughout eternity, we may be able to do normal human things, such as eating and sleeping, but it is unknown if we will need to do those things as we do now. When Jesus was on earth in His resurrected body, He still consumed food (Luke 24:41–42). Really, the Bible doesn't offer enough information for us to say with one hundred percent certainty whether or not we will sleep during eternity, but what we do know, is that once we are there, sleep will not be anywhere close to a top priority.
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